Seed viability in Vanilla?

[RoyalOrchids]

A very generous friend shared a few Vanilla seed capsules with me. Her goal was to make Vanilla, but I want to try to germinate them. The capsules already smell like vanilla, and they were turning brown. Are the seeds still viable, or contaminated beyond salvage?

I sliced them open and scraped out the seed (along with a sticky brown paste.) I smeared this into a thin layer on a piece of filter paper to dry over silica. I figured if there was any hope, drying the seeds fully would be step one. Anybody have any experience with this situation? Any germination info for this genus?

Thanks,

Royal

[RoyalOrchids]

Anybody?

[vmijct]

I don't know the answer but think its a very good question. The availabilty of Vanilla Albomarginata is very limited. I am not an orchid professional by any stretch of the imagination but think it's due to the fact that vanillas are propagated from cuttings rather than seeds and the Albomarginatas are very slow growing. If you can find one that produces seed pods you could greatly increase your supply of these beautiful plants.

[John D.]

Royal
Did you get any germination?

[RoyalOrchids]

No, I'm pretty sure they were stored too long without drying first and damaged by the moisture.