The crop is usually propagated from the cuttings, with the shoot having 18 to 24 internodes for optimal propagation. The cuttings are adjusted depending on the availability of the plant material and the area of the field. However, the cuttings less than 5 to 6 inches or shorter than 60 cm length should be avoided to plant in the main field and for cultivating it in a polybag even 2 nodes of shoot cutting would be enough.
Long cuttings of the shoot start to flower in the second year itself but the short cuttings take three years for flowering. However, long cuttings have slow growth as compared to the shorter ones. Vanilla plants can also be propagated using tissue culture methods. For propagation the leaves of the 4th to 5th node from the tip is removed and the cutting is kept loosely in a shaded place for 2-3 weeks and when it forms a complete root system then it is transplanted to the field.
