Vanilla

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 1,860 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 230 mm it can use in a normal year, and 190 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 21–30 °C on average, and survives 10–33 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 41 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 35 °C / 24 °C
• Oct 35 °C / 18 °C
• Nov 30 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 25 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 21 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 26 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 32 °C / 15 °C
• Apr 38 °C / 20 °C
• May 42 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 41 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Days in June get hotter than it likes. Young plants need shade and water then.

Soil

Soil for Vanilla: 8 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.
• Most fields here are short of zinc.
• Most fields here are short of iron.

Likes pH 5.5–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 1.4 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 3 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

No mandi or support price for this crop yet.