Vanilla

Water

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

Needs about 1,740 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 180 mm it can use in a normal year, and 110 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 / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 37 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 34 °C / 24 °C
• Oct 33 °C / 18 °C
• Nov 28 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 23 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 19 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 23 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 28 °C / 14 °C
• Apr 36 °C / 19 °C
• May 41 °C / 24 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 41 °C / 27 °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: 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of phosphorus.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.

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.