Vanilla Bean Orchid Leaves Losing Colour

[Tropical Grenada]

I have a Vanilla bean orchid growing outside here in Grenada. It was propagated 18 months ago and grew an additional 6' or so. Until last month when the leaves started losing their vigorous dark green colour. Has anyone experienced this with their Vanilla plants? This look familiar to anyone? Any help would be appreciated.

[Roberta]

I have never even tried to grow this, it is excellent for your tropical climate. I wonder if you have been fertilizing it? In general orchids don't need a lot of fertilizer since they grow slowly. But that Vanilla has been growing very fast and large - and so probably needs a lot more fertilizing than most orchids.

[SG in CR]

I have a few plants and that's pretty typical of the dry season, even with watering, especially if they are getting direct sun. If the sun is very strong the leaves will dry up. The plants seem to recover well enough once the rain starts again, but my strongest plants are the ones that are growing in the shade of a passion fruit vine.

[Tropical Grenada]

Actually I haven't really been fertilizing it a whole lot lately so thank you Roberta. I have given it a little spritz today.
And SG in CR, thank you also. I was wondering the same thing and happy to see there are other orchid growers in tropical climates. It's been the dry season now for about a month, maybe. The odd 2 minute downpour about every 4 days. And the colour loss is since then but they don't get much direct sun even now as they are shaded by a brugmansia. I'm only here from November to May so I don't really know what it looks like when I'm not here throughout the really dry season!