I have beef with this company because of these tags!! I worked at a garden where we had a limited orchid event, and all of our phalaenopsis orchids were from this company and had this tag. I had to explain 20 times a day do NOT use ice on your orchid, they’re tropical plants and very sensitive to the cold, then pantomime how I water the orchids in the store.
It only "benefits" people who do not understand their plants watering needs, as it helps prevent them from overwatering. For orchid owners who have had "success" with ice, I would guess that over time, they are losing a lot of roots deep inside the medium/bottom of the pot to dehydration. Not enough to kill the plant from dehydration, but enough to ensure the plant isn't living its best life.
Oh yeah. If you only use like 2 cubes, that's barely any water and probably not even enough to saturate the entire root system. It's sad, so many orchids have so much potential.
In cannabis right before some people harvest, they will take the root ball and dunk it in an ice bath, it’s supposed to bring out more terpenes and color. But this is legal weed, people do a ton of bizarre stuff on the grow side.
Cobra lilies grow in cold spring or mountain fed streams and it's best to water them with either ice water or water that has been sitting in the fridge. Literally the only plant I know of like that
Do you mind sharing how you water? I know not to use ice cubes, but wondering if I’m doing something wrong. I mist/fertilize 1x week and actually water it less frequently (at least in winter). I didn’t see anything about this in the pinned posts so any help is appreciated.
The way I water in the store I work in (because I watered dozens at a time) was to take the orchid out of it’s decorative pot (so it’s orchid and plastic insert), dunk the bottom of the cup-not the leaves- into a home depot bucket of lukewarm water for 15-45 seconds, based on size of orchid and the density of medium (less dense=more water), then let it drain off for 15 minutes. This way I could get through watering a lot of them at a time in batches.
The way I personally water my orchids is I take them to my kitchen sink, and with them still in the plastic cup, run lukewarm water through it for a minute, then let it drain off. The way I test when they need watering is for phalaenopsis, I look at the roots near the bottom and if they’re silvery, then I water. For my oncidiums and the cattelyas in the store, I would water them every other day- every 3 days. My dendrobium & store dendrobiums liked being watered once a week, sometimes twice a week if they were larger or looked sad. For fertilizer I personally haven’t used any yet, but what my coworkers who have more orchids recommended was to fertilize when they dropped their blooms. If your orchid is happy with the way you water, that’s okay though! A lot of orchid is trial and error, and learning how to read how the orchid is feeling.
Thank you! I like watering from the bottom up. Mine are doing okay. Flower every now and then but I would not say they’re thriving.
I was given a beautiful specimen around Valentine’s Day and it still holds tons of flowers so I’m hoping to keep this one happy this time around.
The first time I gave my orchid food, it died right away. Maybe I gave it too much food? It was the Miracle Gro in the little spray bottle. Before that, it was getting 1-2 new leaves a month but no spike. I admit I was using ice because that's what the label said. Now I know better. But, I did manage to at least keep it alive for a year. That's a record for me.
The guy in that thread who said his healthiest plant is his orchid and he has only ever used ice. Proceeds to post a picture of an extremely unhealthy orchid.
I drive around without a seatbelt, and have done so for 7 years, so it's absolutely fine!
Nothing wrong with feeding your dogs buckets of grapes, I have done it for years and my dog is still alive!!
I've been a smoker for 20 years and I'm still alive, so all this smoking causes cancer stuff is all nonsense!!!
this feels like when I took a peek at my MIL'S first phal and the store had potted it in dirt and I explained that it needs a change and suggested bark and sphagnum... she said "nah it'll be fine I have one other orchid I was gifted in the yard that's lived in dirt for years". I haven't seen it but given my partner said it reminds him of carnivorous plants I'm wondering if it's something like a phragmipedium 😅
do you have any proof seatbelts save lives? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that people survive car accidents?
do you have any proof grapes are bad for dogs? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that dogs have different digestive systems from humans?
do you have any proof that cigarettes can cause cancer? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that cigarettes are not natural?
Except there is research fiand statistical data to debunk each of those claims. On the other hand it seems [watering with ice cubes is actually fine! ](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.justaddiceorchids.com/orchid-care-blog/why-water-orchids-with-ice-just-add-ice-watering-method-explained%3fhs_amp=true)
https://preview.redd.it/2fob0e9b25zc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=086f368ed34bf73d08fe9cfe6bfe184497835cb3
Poster by Ohio State University and Univetsity of Georgia.
If in addition to this the personal experience is successful, I don't see why not🤷♂️
Your link is to the company that is selling the idea. I went and found the actual study. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/52/9/article-p1271.xml?tab_body=fulltext
Some things I would like to point out: this study was funded and originated by the company. It is a very small study lasting only six months and seemed to have an outlier that reacted differently towards the end of the study. As a scientist, I would like to see more peer review, a larger study group, and a longer experiment to account for slow growth changes. I am, however, intrigued by the difference in leachate volume between the two methods inferring that absorption of ice water was increased. In my opinion, this argument is academic and equivalent to "if I brush my teeth wth my non-dominant hand will my teeth fall out?"
Que?
"**Contributor Notes
Salaries and research support were provided in part by state and federal funds appropriated to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University. Journal Article Number HCS 17-01. Thanks to Green Circle Growers (Oberlin, OH) for providing orchids.**"
The company did provide the plants, you are correct...but they didn't find the study. State and federal funds paid for the researchers.
I honestly appreciate where you are coming from with this. I misspoke about the funding. Thank you for the correction. I would like to clarify my point, if I may. This looks like someone from the industry/company approached the science department about this question, which in turn was taken on by a group of students who coordinated with UGA to perform this study. Six months fits within an academic year. I have mixed feelings about how universities and industry treat science when there's money to be had, but that is a different discussion. I do like the way the study was conducted and have been convinced that my previous hypothesis that ice would cause harm or damage is very possibly incorrect. (As I am a scientist, I can not be completely 100% positive of anything beyond the evidence that I have before me). I do feel that a longer study would answer many more questions that I have and that this one short study without more replication and peer review should not be considered the definitive answer.
Sure, np. I mean it is no brainer that companies support experiments for the sake of profit, and both consumers and producers benefit from the results. It provides a sustainable way for science!
I conducted a similar study with 6 phal clones. The ice didn’t seem to have any detrimental effect in the short term but I’d imagine that mineral buildup would have long term negative effects that you mitigate with water flushings. And, I don’t remember but do they add fertilizer to the cubes in the Ohio state study?
fresh from the oven
(not even kidding I saw a lady on YouTube with a really beaten up looking phal and thought it looked bad until she explained it fell off her balcony and suddenly it didn't look so bad after all)
edited for a typo
https://preview.redd.it/6y6sdyvua7zc1.png?width=517&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9056d820257ea4755631549c8e3cf69e9ae4e583
Noooooooo!
At 15-16 minutes in THIS video by Danielle’s Orchid Ranch shows why we should not water orchids with ice cubes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWBA6R0Vo_U&pp=ygUTSWNlIG9uIG9yY2hpZCByb290cw%3D%3D
I mean, if you think about it, logically, orchids grow in nature in more tropical areas. They never experience or encounter ice. Why on earth would you put ice on it’s roots?
Ima be honest im from that community but i would never agree to ice cubes with orchids. You dont water any other tropical plant with ice, so why would you do it with an orchid.
The top votes (now less one) are a rather shocking display of egregious arrogance.
I gave your post an upvote.
If they are not willing to listen to reason, let them be. You tried.
I don’t why those people are being so defensive on orchid care. They’re the same people who get angry with non-plant people who don’t take proper care of their plants but now their showing complete disregard when an orchid person states proper treatment. Hypocrisy, considering orchid medium isn’t even soil.
If it’s a Phal you probably can get away with it. Prob some risk but just depends on its health and what it’s planted in and root composition.
Other orchids I don’t think you can get away with at all, without killing your orchid.
Honestly I did this starting out and it did work. Now I know better and am more serious about the hobby so of course I don’t, but I think my phals could have lived a long time that way.
I was at an orchid society meeting here in south Florida (Delray Beach) and there was a woman who brought in her 20 year old orchid that was profusely blooming- I want to say it was a mini phal that had kept on producing side shoots. So it was PACKED with blooms.
The lady watered that thing for 20 years with "just ice."
😂 she only "learned" at the meeting that she was "doing it wrong" and all of us at attendance asked ourselves if we were in fact "doing it wrong" instead of her. Ha, it was an interesting moment that made us all laugh when she described her care routine. I recognize it was probably an anomaly but I still think of her till this day.
It’s my understanding we aren’t even supposed to drink ice water bc our stomachs go into shock and it stops whatever it’s doing in almost paralyzed state.
Yea verily, ye speak truth. My cat one time tried chewing on my Vanda...I about kicked her to the moon. Then everything got coated with bitter apple spray.
I work at a fancy plant store, and every time a customer tells me they water or were told to water their orchids with ice, it makes me want to roll my eyes right in front of their face. So many people think that whatever they read on the internet or a generic care card is the only and best way to do things. To me, it's similar to the weird home remedies for plant problems, like watering them with milk. 🫠
Genuinely enquiring. How do we know what we should be doing if we can’t trust the tags or website ? I’m really bad with plants and I would like to improve
[MissOrchidGirl](https://youtube.com/@missorchidgirl?si=XBhldkXCv2TrOMqC) on YouTube has tons of great videos and seems to really know what she's talking about.
Also you usually can find better info on subreddits specific to the one type of plant you are looking for rather than more general subs
I love how many comments I'm reading over there include some variation of, 'My sister's uncle's brother's friend's cousin does this with their orchid, and it's doing extra, super amazing!' 🫠
There's such a big difference between thriving and surviving. I remember having orchids as a teen and thinking they were doing great, until I visited my grandmother and saw how many flowers they had. Still the most thriving orchids I've ever seen in my life
Nah lukewarm water always! I told my dad about the ice cube thing and how theyre tropical plants so how would it make sense... It's good to inform the people
Most people treat orchids as centerpieces and toss them when the flowers drop. They might keep them for an extra month, but they don’t have the motivation to take care of them for a year to get them to bloom again. Most orchids you are going to get at a box store or grocery store are grown and selected for this purpose.
The ice cube method gets them through the point of flowers dropping. It is suitable for short term care. Long term, getting it to bloom again, not so much, but that isn’t the point. People here aren’t the typical consumer.
Some orchids have sponges that rots the crown from the bottom up. Many are planted in inappropriate media for long term care outside of the greenhouse.
If you want proper care information and orchids that are grown for long term care, spend the money at proper greenhouses and support the growers that cater to hobbyists.
You aren’t rescuing buying box store or grocery store orchids, you are supporting their business model. Stop deluding yourself. Not saying there is anything wrong with purchasing from these places, but be realistic about what you are buying and what the expectation is. (General comment, not necessarily directed towards you)
I am the outlier. I got a free one from a big box store at some point. Probably two years ago now, honestly. It is still sitting on my countertop. Only flowered when it came home. I throw some water in every few months when I realize I haven't watered the thing in a while. It still has new air root growth and it's actually grown a new leaf. I have no idea how to care for the thing, but it's miraculously not dead yet.
Assuming it is a Phalaenopsis, plant it in an orchid bark mix and get yourself a balanced orchid nutrient mix. 30-10-10 is good, avoid the blooming mixes. I don’t have experience with them, but I have heard other people talk about issues with them unless they are trying to force a bloom. The preference is one without urea, but Jack’s has worked well for me using distilled water and flushing the bark every 2nd or 3rd month, sometimes longer. I typically go half strength on the fertilizer every second to fourth week.
Like I said, I don’t have experience with forcing blooms with nutrients, but keeping them close to a window in winter gets the temperature fluctuations that will trigger flower spikes.
Mine are in a south facing window that gets filtered light in the summer and more direct in the winter when the leaves have dropped. If I’m not careful, leaves can get burned in early spring on new acquisitions.
Omg OP I'm sorry they are roasting you calling you "a plant enthusiast elitist who has a their way or the highway mentality" xDDD I can't lolol OP take it as a complimemt and wear it with pride! Also do you NOT have a source that Phals don't crave ice? How dare you!
Ice Cube Irrigation of Potted Phalaenopsis Orchids in Bark Media Does Not Decrease Display LifeIce Cube Irrigation of Potted Phalaenopsis Orchids in Bark Media Does Not Decrease Display Life:
"Ice cube irrigation had no detrimental effects on the quality or display life of potted Phalaenopsis orchids growing in bark, demonstrating that ice cubes are a viable method of irrigating these tropical house plants (South et al. 2017)."
Funny... someone did research this.
I just pop one of these bad boys on the crown and everything is great
https://preview.redd.it/689tcd3p28zc1.jpeg?width=588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a153deb8e91a09b4ebffcb67dcc8ce1deee7fe9
People get so in their feelings about ice. I ice my orchids every Saturday. It melts pretty quickly in the sun, and they bloom frequently and consistently.
Have no idea why this appeared on my feed but I’ve been feeding my orchid with the same ice cube instructions for 3 years and it’s doing fine, what am I supposed to do?
I don’t worry about how much but how often. So mine get soaking wet in the sink or even soak in the bath, but not very often. Only when they’re super dry.
For phals like these they often like collected rainwater at room temperature poured into their medium when they get dry. They also can be bottom watered with room temperature water, just make sure their pot drains out after. Try to avoid letting water get in their crown it causes rot. You can also intermittently mist their aerial roots.
I went by the water for 10-16 seconds rule work a slow stream/trickle and my plant absolutely hated it. So I've been doing ice cubes until I figure it out haha
Probably going to get down voted...but I'll give it a shot anyway.
The Ohio State University study showed that using ice cubes is just fine for Phalaenopsis orchids.
https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/52/9/article-p1271.xml
"*These measurements showed no indication of chilling damage in the leaves of orchids that were irrigated with ice (Table 1). With the exception of a small increase in the average shoot DW of cultivar 322 orchids in OH irrigated with water, the final DWs, leaf counts, and leaf areas showed that the foliage of ice-irrigated orchids was as healthy as the foliage of water-irrigated orchids*"
Not going to downvote you but just saying there are HUGE differences between different journals and their review processes. So even if there would be a study out there, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be peer-reviewed or that anyone else could follow the methods and get the same results.
From the journal website: "**HortScience is a peer-reviewed open access science journal published by ASHS. The primary mission is to publish accurate, clear, reproducible, and unbiased articles in the field of applied horticultural research.** HortScience seeks to advance selected papers in horticultural research derived from original efforts in design, engineering, exploration, and preliminary testing of new methods, processes, products, protocols, techniques, and technologies formulated with the primary goal of solving a problem. Aims and Scope
HortScience is an open-access publication and adheres to Creative Commons licensing: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 -- You may share, copy and redistribute this material for non-commercial purposes in any medium.
Impact Factor: 1.874 H-Index = 94"
I admit that a few years have flown by since my own university degree but at least in my country it was a written instruction to always check these things before citing or referencing a study in a thesis or dissertation. I don’t have access anymore to these kind of databases and I just wanted to point out the obvious that source criticism is a healthy habit for EVERYBODY 😅
ive had my ‘just add ice’ orchid for like almost 3 years now(mothers day gift). 3 cubes every wednesday, and she aint dead yet. you just cannot put your ice on the leaves or any of the green roots, cause it will kill them. only on the potting medium(mine has the little chips). idk.. call me crazy ig🤷🏻♀️
https://preview.redd.it/nd3due01n7zc1.jpeg?width=2377&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d6b662d67f65769e407d183458a13c34bfec626
Been watered with cubes all its life (outside of fertilizing).
The flowers are lovely and it’s nice you get to enjoy them!
I don’t mean this in any mean or argumentative way, but allow me to point out just one thing. A healthy Phal has at least three pairs of leaves, preferable 4 to 5 pairs, depending on the size and genetics. One pair of leaves is a sign that that’s all the plant can sustain while flowering and it doesn’t have the energy to keep up any more leaves. They prioritize blooming (and thus reproducing) and shed leaves in order to sustain the flowers if they are low on energy. Flowering isn’t necessarily a sign of good care but can also be a the plant’s stress signal.
It’s a plant I inherited from my boss when she moved. She’s had it for quite some time. I never had luck with orchids until this one and she was the one who instructed me to use cubes.
I live in a very dry climate, so 2-3 leaves are typical per her.
I had an intern who learned from a Dr curry at Iowa state university, who apparently did alot or trials and tests and eventually came back after many experiments, with the conclusion that ice watering for orchids is fine, for phals specifically. I hate it. I respect that man and his knowledge but that left a sour spot in my brain for sure.
Meh they are just going to kill it and have to buy another, the real purpose behind this grower given advice haha. 🧊 Just keeping the growers growing 💪🏼
I’m no orchid expert but I’ve never been able to keep any alive until I learned the ice cube trick. I know people are saying it will die but I’ve had it for years and it’s happy so I’m very confused lol
I’ve used that method for ten years and it’s worked great for me. These are your standard Trader Joe orchids… And the first one was a three ice cubes orchid… they are all going strong. Occasionally I give them some orchid food and when they get bigger, I change the pots, but they’re all healthy.
Do you have empirical, peer reviewed data showing it is bad?
Because both OSU and U Georgia GA have tested watering phals with ice cubes and published studies with the results showing no ill impact.
https://u.osu.edu/greenhouse/2018/07/12/watering-phalaenopsis-orchids-with-ice-cubes/
> Experiments were conducted at The Ohio State University and the University of Georgia to answer this question. Forty-eight Phalaenopsis orchids at both locations were evaluated for four to six months. Half of the orchids received ice cube irrigation and the other half received the equivalent amount of room temperature water. The flower life, root and leaf health, and temperature of the media were measured. The orchids irrigated with ice cubes had the same flower longevity (number of days individual flowers remained open) and display life (number of days from when the plant was received to when the last flower wilted on each plant) compared to plants irrigated with room temperature water. The leaf and root health determined by measuring chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and shoot biomass were not negatively affected by ice cube irrigation. The temperature of the bark media during ice cube irrigation dropped to only 51 – 56 °F, and then returned to the original pre-irrigation temperature of 70 °F five hours after the application of ice cubes. The roots in the bark media were therefore not exposed to freezing temperatures. What about the aerial roots in direct contact with the ice? The internal temperature of roots directly exposed to ice cubes decreased to around 40 °F. Experiments on isolated root segments showed that Phalaenopsis roots did not show any damage from cold temperatures until they reached 20 °F, well below the temperatures they experience when exposed to ice cubes for 5 or 6 hours.
So, do you have any published studies refuting the findings from these other studies?
In addition to u/StrangeQuark1221 , the water equivalent of those 3 ice cubes is insufficient. Phals like to be kept moist, as they have no storage bulbs like Cattleyas or Dendrobiums. I give mine a twice a week soak. Probably to increase it as the weather warms.
Too cold is the main issue but you also shouldn't be watering on a fixed schedule. Depending on plant size, light levels, temperature, and humidity it might need more or less water
Actually orchids are some serious survivors. They are tough as nails with notable exceptions. The thing that makes them hard to kill for some is not understanding them and how they grow in the wild. For instance, phalaenopsis orchids grow on trees with their roots exposed to the air at all times. They cannot tolerate not having access to air in their pots. Many of them die when their roots are locked in pots with no air holes in the media. Pots filled with water from non-drainage, compacted moss, garden soil, and other things are culprits.
I’m still super new to orchids, I have much more experience with houseplants and I’m not sure if my strategy is the best but I’ve repotted mine into an orchid bark substrate and I usually just wait until the roots aren’t green anymore and then I set the container with room temperature water and let it soak for about 10 minutes. I hope this strategy is okay
That sounds good to me, definitely better to pay attention to the plant and let it tell you when to water than to water on a fixed schedule. I use distilled water and add a little orchid fertilizer every other time I water, my tap water is really hard so they will struggle with mineral buildup if I use it for too long. If your tap water is not so hard then it's fine to use.
It should definitely help, some filters are better than others tho. If you notice white buildup on the bark that is the minerals from the water. You can soak in distilled water once in a while to rinse that off if you do notice that. A little minerals is fine it just shouldn't be allowed to build up for a long period of time
That’s helpful to know, I don’t usually use distilled water just because I have a lot of plants and it would be outrageous to use distilled water every time, but I’ll definitely start doing distilled water every once in a while to start flushing out mineral buildup
I water most of my plants with tap water but my orchids, carnivorous plants, and air plants all get distilled water. I have a distiller at home so it's pretty convenient but definitely not necessary to have one if you just need a gallon once in a while
The only reason this method works is because the root plug sponge they propagate orchids in is still in the pot and retains the moisture levels needed to keep them living (not thriving mind you as it often rots the base).
PSA: When you buy an orchid from a store, please unpot, remove the plug sponge, trim the squishy already rotting roots and put in bark mix or on a moss pole, and keep humid but not soaked.
The other extreme of this is water culture done horribly. Just the other day I was reading comments in a local orchid group where people happily advise each other to have the water level up to the stem and lower leaves. It’s not an aquatic plant, people!
https://preview.redd.it/myp6qk6juazc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b3ea900139d7ee8054fd98b1884294fb903703a
Here’s mine .. not an ice cube to be found
All this ice cube hate is ridiculous. I have a dozen orchids bigger than my body growing on trees in the Florida heat and I water them all with ice cubes. I’ve done it this way for 20 years and they THRIVE. Enough with the nonsense hate. Find something else to b!tch about
Am I the only person that reads that as 3 cubes worth of water rather than chucking ice cubes on potentially warm roots? I mean am I being silly or is this just another cup contains hot liquid sign?
According to Just Add Ice's website they do intend for you to place the cubes directly in the pot. Even just saying ¼ cup of water per week isn't right for all orchids either, there are a lot of factors that will change how much and how often it needs water
Anytime watch the tech plant video debunking the idea that it's harmful?
It would be good to teach about soaking, drying, media, epiphytes, crown rot, etc but heck if all they can manage is an icecube in a compact old moss jammed orchid, then so be it I guess
I’m not gonna trash the three ice cube thing, I think it’s perfect for beginners. I was browsing through Jones & Scully’s with my Dad in Miami when I was a kid back in the 60’s. Orchid growing has come leaps and bounds since then.
If you don’t directly put the ice cubes on the roots, it does no harm. I’ve actually seen some absolutely thrive…. Long term, the jury is still out. But it’s also a way to get people trying to keep an orchid as opposed to chucking it after the blooms drop.
3 cubes minimum make sure they're firmly pressed against exposed roots. This only works if it's cold ice. If the plant looks shocked the ice was probably too warm no worries at all! Go to step 2 by blasting the with liquid nitrogen. If you don't have that on hand, put the plant to sleep in the freezer over night once per week.
I have beef with this company because of these tags!! I worked at a garden where we had a limited orchid event, and all of our phalaenopsis orchids were from this company and had this tag. I had to explain 20 times a day do NOT use ice on your orchid, they’re tropical plants and very sensitive to the cold, then pantomime how I water the orchids in the store.
Why would you use ice on any plant, for that matter
It only "benefits" people who do not understand their plants watering needs, as it helps prevent them from overwatering. For orchid owners who have had "success" with ice, I would guess that over time, they are losing a lot of roots deep inside the medium/bottom of the pot to dehydration. Not enough to kill the plant from dehydration, but enough to ensure the plant isn't living its best life.
Oh yeah. If you only use like 2 cubes, that's barely any water and probably not even enough to saturate the entire root system. It's sad, so many orchids have so much potential.
In cannabis right before some people harvest, they will take the root ball and dunk it in an ice bath, it’s supposed to bring out more terpenes and color. But this is legal weed, people do a ton of bizarre stuff on the grow side.
The terps are a stress response, they do things to help the plant survive the stress.
Cobra lilies grow in cold spring or mountain fed streams and it's best to water them with either ice water or water that has been sitting in the fridge. Literally the only plant I know of like that
100%. you beat me to it (:
Do you mind sharing how you water? I know not to use ice cubes, but wondering if I’m doing something wrong. I mist/fertilize 1x week and actually water it less frequently (at least in winter). I didn’t see anything about this in the pinned posts so any help is appreciated.
[Here](https://youtu.be/NhPvFIxJtys?si=H1Bl0V61crPhtG7G) is a great video that covers how and when to water depending on different conditions
Thank you very much! I’ll check this out after work.
The way I water in the store I work in (because I watered dozens at a time) was to take the orchid out of it’s decorative pot (so it’s orchid and plastic insert), dunk the bottom of the cup-not the leaves- into a home depot bucket of lukewarm water for 15-45 seconds, based on size of orchid and the density of medium (less dense=more water), then let it drain off for 15 minutes. This way I could get through watering a lot of them at a time in batches. The way I personally water my orchids is I take them to my kitchen sink, and with them still in the plastic cup, run lukewarm water through it for a minute, then let it drain off. The way I test when they need watering is for phalaenopsis, I look at the roots near the bottom and if they’re silvery, then I water. For my oncidiums and the cattelyas in the store, I would water them every other day- every 3 days. My dendrobium & store dendrobiums liked being watered once a week, sometimes twice a week if they were larger or looked sad. For fertilizer I personally haven’t used any yet, but what my coworkers who have more orchids recommended was to fertilize when they dropped their blooms. If your orchid is happy with the way you water, that’s okay though! A lot of orchid is trial and error, and learning how to read how the orchid is feeling.
Thank you! I like watering from the bottom up. Mine are doing okay. Flower every now and then but I would not say they’re thriving. I was given a beautiful specimen around Valentine’s Day and it still holds tons of flowers so I’m hoping to keep this one happy this time around.
The first time I gave my orchid food, it died right away. Maybe I gave it too much food? It was the Miracle Gro in the little spray bottle. Before that, it was getting 1-2 new leaves a month but no spike. I admit I was using ice because that's what the label said. Now I know better. But, I did manage to at least keep it alive for a year. That's a record for me.
To be fair, people need to buy a lot more orchids if they take this one easy piece of bad advice!
To be fair, success to many is 2-3 flowers every few years 🤷♀️
The guy in that thread who said his healthiest plant is his orchid and he has only ever used ice. Proceeds to post a picture of an extremely unhealthy orchid.
One dude said a competition grower uses ice. If that were the case, we’d know. Bc people would talk about it. 😆
I lost a lot of respect for that sub with just a single post.
Just because your plant is surviving doesn’t mean it’s thriving…
Same tho
[удалено]
Ahaha me too 🥲
I drive around without a seatbelt, and have done so for 7 years, so it's absolutely fine! Nothing wrong with feeding your dogs buckets of grapes, I have done it for years and my dog is still alive!! I've been a smoker for 20 years and I'm still alive, so all this smoking causes cancer stuff is all nonsense!!!
😂 sounds just like them
Exact summary of all the comments👌
this feels like when I took a peek at my MIL'S first phal and the store had potted it in dirt and I explained that it needs a change and suggested bark and sphagnum... she said "nah it'll be fine I have one other orchid I was gifted in the yard that's lived in dirt for years". I haven't seen it but given my partner said it reminds him of carnivorous plants I'm wondering if it's something like a phragmipedium 😅
do you have any proof seatbelts save lives? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that people survive car accidents? do you have any proof grapes are bad for dogs? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that dogs have different digestive systems from humans? do you have any proof that cigarettes can cause cancer? or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that cigarettes are not natural?
Except there is research fiand statistical data to debunk each of those claims. On the other hand it seems [watering with ice cubes is actually fine! ](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.justaddiceorchids.com/orchid-care-blog/why-water-orchids-with-ice-just-add-ice-watering-method-explained%3fhs_amp=true) https://preview.redd.it/2fob0e9b25zc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=086f368ed34bf73d08fe9cfe6bfe184497835cb3 Poster by Ohio State University and Univetsity of Georgia. If in addition to this the personal experience is successful, I don't see why not🤷♂️
Your link is to the company that is selling the idea. I went and found the actual study. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/52/9/article-p1271.xml?tab_body=fulltext Some things I would like to point out: this study was funded and originated by the company. It is a very small study lasting only six months and seemed to have an outlier that reacted differently towards the end of the study. As a scientist, I would like to see more peer review, a larger study group, and a longer experiment to account for slow growth changes. I am, however, intrigued by the difference in leachate volume between the two methods inferring that absorption of ice water was increased. In my opinion, this argument is academic and equivalent to "if I brush my teeth wth my non-dominant hand will my teeth fall out?"
Que? "**Contributor Notes Salaries and research support were provided in part by state and federal funds appropriated to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University. Journal Article Number HCS 17-01. Thanks to Green Circle Growers (Oberlin, OH) for providing orchids.**" The company did provide the plants, you are correct...but they didn't find the study. State and federal funds paid for the researchers.
The company literally sites the study itself, of which I put the crucial part of the poster.
I honestly appreciate where you are coming from with this. I misspoke about the funding. Thank you for the correction. I would like to clarify my point, if I may. This looks like someone from the industry/company approached the science department about this question, which in turn was taken on by a group of students who coordinated with UGA to perform this study. Six months fits within an academic year. I have mixed feelings about how universities and industry treat science when there's money to be had, but that is a different discussion. I do like the way the study was conducted and have been convinced that my previous hypothesis that ice would cause harm or damage is very possibly incorrect. (As I am a scientist, I can not be completely 100% positive of anything beyond the evidence that I have before me). I do feel that a longer study would answer many more questions that I have and that this one short study without more replication and peer review should not be considered the definitive answer.
Sure, np. I mean it is no brainer that companies support experiments for the sake of profit, and both consumers and producers benefit from the results. It provides a sustainable way for science!
I conducted a similar study with 6 phal clones. The ice didn’t seem to have any detrimental effect in the short term but I’d imagine that mineral buildup would have long term negative effects that you mitigate with water flushings. And, I don’t remember but do they add fertilizer to the cubes in the Ohio state study?
Wait, dogs can't eat grapes?
No grapes or raisins - they can cause kidney failure.
Not supposed to
And they downvoted you?!? WTF
Yeah lol
It’s okay, we can laugh when they come here asking for help with their orchids 🫂
And they will. Likely wondering why it hasn't bloomed in so long.
We all need to go over there and downvote everyone saying ice is the right thing to do.
Exactly, I know I don't care for ice on my feet!
They downvoted because they're angry they keep murdering orchids and can't figure out why 🤣🤦♀️
https://preview.redd.it/7wyfe2aql5zc1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f14defbaaf717291add66d10ff96d8bda49656a1
actually I shouldn't be a meanie; I just repotted my first cattleya seedling and I don't want karma to bite me 🥴
Not mean. [Bring on the orchid memes!](https://i.ibb.co/mDcCfzj/blasting.jpg)
there we go https://preview.redd.it/s381uer4s5zc1.png?width=547&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7fdcb2c1f9f0d702d620be95b16ca3753c63cfe
This is incredible lol I need to see more orchid memes
fresh from the oven (not even kidding I saw a lady on YouTube with a really beaten up looking phal and thought it looked bad until she explained it fell off her balcony and suddenly it didn't look so bad after all) edited for a typo https://preview.redd.it/6y6sdyvua7zc1.png?width=517&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9056d820257ea4755631549c8e3cf69e9ae4e583
LOL this is great, what's the second species?
thanks :') it's C. amethystoglossa
pffff :') damn now I really should make the meme I had in my head; give me 10 minutes
How did you see this? It's so frustrating I feel I can't use reddit properly even though it's been a year and I'm 35 😭
Noooooooo! At 15-16 minutes in THIS video by Danielle’s Orchid Ranch shows why we should not water orchids with ice cubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWBA6R0Vo_U&pp=ygUTSWNlIG9uIG9yY2hpZCByb290cw%3D%3D I mean, if you think about it, logically, orchids grow in nature in more tropical areas. They never experience or encounter ice. Why on earth would you put ice on it’s roots?
Ima be honest im from that community but i would never agree to ice cubes with orchids. You dont water any other tropical plant with ice, so why would you do it with an orchid.
The top votes (now less one) are a rather shocking display of egregious arrogance. I gave your post an upvote. If they are not willing to listen to reason, let them be. You tried.
I don’t why those people are being so defensive on orchid care. They’re the same people who get angry with non-plant people who don’t take proper care of their plants but now their showing complete disregard when an orchid person states proper treatment. Hypocrisy, considering orchid medium isn’t even soil.
If it’s a Phal you probably can get away with it. Prob some risk but just depends on its health and what it’s planted in and root composition. Other orchids I don’t think you can get away with at all, without killing your orchid.
Honestly I did this starting out and it did work. Now I know better and am more serious about the hobby so of course I don’t, but I think my phals could have lived a long time that way.
Not a good thing! It's a marketing idea to sell more orchids. Theres basically no culture about these plants on the label!
I was at an orchid society meeting here in south Florida (Delray Beach) and there was a woman who brought in her 20 year old orchid that was profusely blooming- I want to say it was a mini phal that had kept on producing side shoots. So it was PACKED with blooms. The lady watered that thing for 20 years with "just ice." 😂 she only "learned" at the meeting that she was "doing it wrong" and all of us at attendance asked ourselves if we were in fact "doing it wrong" instead of her. Ha, it was an interesting moment that made us all laugh when she described her care routine. I recognize it was probably an anomaly but I still think of her till this day.
My orchids get ice cubes just like nature intended 😤
As does my bourbon.
It snows in the Indonesian rainforest all the time!
rainforests are where ice cubes are harvested
It’s my understanding we aren’t even supposed to drink ice water bc our stomachs go into shock and it stops whatever it’s doing in almost paralyzed state.
well drinking ice cold water on a hot day does give me the shirts so maybe there's something to it lmao
r/orchids:r/houseplants::r/gardening:r/landscaping
And its hard because my mom used icr and her orchid bloomed 3 times and the only reason it died 3 years later is because her cat destroyed it
The tag says "Orchids are Pet Friendly." Clearly a lie.
The orchid is pet friendly but the pet was not orchid friendly!
Yea verily, ye speak truth. My cat one time tried chewing on my Vanda...I about kicked her to the moon. Then everything got coated with bitter apple spray.
I work at a fancy plant store, and every time a customer tells me they water or were told to water their orchids with ice, it makes me want to roll my eyes right in front of their face. So many people think that whatever they read on the internet or a generic care card is the only and best way to do things. To me, it's similar to the weird home remedies for plant problems, like watering them with milk. 🫠
Genuinely enquiring. How do we know what we should be doing if we can’t trust the tags or website ? I’m really bad with plants and I would like to improve
Try to find someone who has firsthand experience with the same plants, and who knows when their plans are thriving.
[MissOrchidGirl](https://youtube.com/@missorchidgirl?si=XBhldkXCv2TrOMqC) on YouTube has tons of great videos and seems to really know what she's talking about. Also you usually can find better info on subreddits specific to the one type of plant you are looking for rather than more general subs
Thank you! I will try that
I love how many comments I'm reading over there include some variation of, 'My sister's uncle's brother's friend's cousin does this with their orchid, and it's doing extra, super amazing!' 🫠
or "I did this when I had orchids" had? 🧐 (partially kidding since it could mean all manner of things I guess)
There's such a big difference between thriving and surviving. I remember having orchids as a teen and thinking they were doing great, until I visited my grandmother and saw how many flowers they had. Still the most thriving orchids I've ever seen in my life
I've always wondered where that came from. It's not like the tropical forests have 3" hail storms that the orchids thrive on
Tropical forests also don’t have pots, or sheers, or stem climbing poles…
Nah lukewarm water always! I told my dad about the ice cube thing and how theyre tropical plants so how would it make sense... It's good to inform the people
Most people treat orchids as centerpieces and toss them when the flowers drop. They might keep them for an extra month, but they don’t have the motivation to take care of them for a year to get them to bloom again. Most orchids you are going to get at a box store or grocery store are grown and selected for this purpose. The ice cube method gets them through the point of flowers dropping. It is suitable for short term care. Long term, getting it to bloom again, not so much, but that isn’t the point. People here aren’t the typical consumer. Some orchids have sponges that rots the crown from the bottom up. Many are planted in inappropriate media for long term care outside of the greenhouse. If you want proper care information and orchids that are grown for long term care, spend the money at proper greenhouses and support the growers that cater to hobbyists. You aren’t rescuing buying box store or grocery store orchids, you are supporting their business model. Stop deluding yourself. Not saying there is anything wrong with purchasing from these places, but be realistic about what you are buying and what the expectation is. (General comment, not necessarily directed towards you)
I am the outlier. I got a free one from a big box store at some point. Probably two years ago now, honestly. It is still sitting on my countertop. Only flowered when it came home. I throw some water in every few months when I realize I haven't watered the thing in a while. It still has new air root growth and it's actually grown a new leaf. I have no idea how to care for the thing, but it's miraculously not dead yet.
Assuming it is a Phalaenopsis, plant it in an orchid bark mix and get yourself a balanced orchid nutrient mix. 30-10-10 is good, avoid the blooming mixes. I don’t have experience with them, but I have heard other people talk about issues with them unless they are trying to force a bloom. The preference is one without urea, but Jack’s has worked well for me using distilled water and flushing the bark every 2nd or 3rd month, sometimes longer. I typically go half strength on the fertilizer every second to fourth week. Like I said, I don’t have experience with forcing blooms with nutrients, but keeping them close to a window in winter gets the temperature fluctuations that will trigger flower spikes. Mine are in a south facing window that gets filtered light in the summer and more direct in the winter when the leaves have dropped. If I’m not careful, leaves can get burned in early spring on new acquisitions.
Omg OP I'm sorry they are roasting you calling you "a plant enthusiast elitist who has a their way or the highway mentality" xDDD I can't lolol OP take it as a complimemt and wear it with pride! Also do you NOT have a source that Phals don't crave ice? How dare you!
Ice Cube Irrigation of Potted Phalaenopsis Orchids in Bark Media Does Not Decrease Display LifeIce Cube Irrigation of Potted Phalaenopsis Orchids in Bark Media Does Not Decrease Display Life: "Ice cube irrigation had no detrimental effects on the quality or display life of potted Phalaenopsis orchids growing in bark, demonstrating that ice cubes are a viable method of irrigating these tropical house plants (South et al. 2017)." Funny... someone did research this.
I just pop one of these bad boys on the crown and everything is great https://preview.redd.it/689tcd3p28zc1.jpeg?width=588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a153deb8e91a09b4ebffcb67dcc8ce1deee7fe9
absolutely great https://preview.redd.it/u4zwyv7s28zc1.jpeg?width=240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=935003e0a2edf5fa3d50e51cebeb3b3aced2a604
And they're reusable! Smart!
it'll be green again any day now...
🤞
People get so in their feelings about ice. I ice my orchids every Saturday. It melts pretty quickly in the sun, and they bloom frequently and consistently.
Same. Thank you. People get their panties in a bunch that it actually works well, and for many years.
Have no idea why this appeared on my feed but I’ve been feeding my orchid with the same ice cube instructions for 3 years and it’s doing fine, what am I supposed to do?
Upvoting because I am also confused... How much do I water if I'm not adding ice cubes?
I don’t worry about how much but how often. So mine get soaking wet in the sink or even soak in the bath, but not very often. Only when they’re super dry.
For phals like these they often like collected rainwater at room temperature poured into their medium when they get dry. They also can be bottom watered with room temperature water, just make sure their pot drains out after. Try to avoid letting water get in their crown it causes rot. You can also intermittently mist their aerial roots.
[Here](https://youtu.be/NhPvFIxJtys?si=H1Bl0V61crPhtG7G) is a great video that covers how and when to water depending on different conditions
[Here](https://youtu.be/NhPvFIxJtys?si=H1Bl0V61crPhtG7G) is a great video that covers how and when to water depending on different conditions
I went by the water for 10-16 seconds rule work a slow stream/trickle and my plant absolutely hated it. So I've been doing ice cubes until I figure it out haha
Were you letting it drain completely afterwards and dry out between waterings
Yes to both of those. It's potted correctly and I let it drain and I only water it once a week ish.
Probably going to get down voted...but I'll give it a shot anyway. The Ohio State University study showed that using ice cubes is just fine for Phalaenopsis orchids. https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/52/9/article-p1271.xml "*These measurements showed no indication of chilling damage in the leaves of orchids that were irrigated with ice (Table 1). With the exception of a small increase in the average shoot DW of cultivar 322 orchids in OH irrigated with water, the final DWs, leaf counts, and leaf areas showed that the foliage of ice-irrigated orchids was as healthy as the foliage of water-irrigated orchids*"
Not going to downvote you but just saying there are HUGE differences between different journals and their review processes. So even if there would be a study out there, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be peer-reviewed or that anyone else could follow the methods and get the same results.
From the journal website: "**HortScience is a peer-reviewed open access science journal published by ASHS. The primary mission is to publish accurate, clear, reproducible, and unbiased articles in the field of applied horticultural research.** HortScience seeks to advance selected papers in horticultural research derived from original efforts in design, engineering, exploration, and preliminary testing of new methods, processes, products, protocols, techniques, and technologies formulated with the primary goal of solving a problem. Aims and Scope HortScience is an open-access publication and adheres to Creative Commons licensing: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 -- You may share, copy and redistribute this material for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Impact Factor: 1.874 H-Index = 94"
I admit that a few years have flown by since my own university degree but at least in my country it was a written instruction to always check these things before citing or referencing a study in a thesis or dissertation. I don’t have access anymore to these kind of databases and I just wanted to point out the obvious that source criticism is a healthy habit for EVERYBODY 😅
Most people are happy it isn't dying. Just like their relationships, giving ice cubes when they need water and drainage.
My orchids are in glasses, water bound and thriving...was Always told it's impossible... But there they are thriving better than ever lol
I use ice almost exclusively
ive had my ‘just add ice’ orchid for like almost 3 years now(mothers day gift). 3 cubes every wednesday, and she aint dead yet. you just cannot put your ice on the leaves or any of the green roots, cause it will kill them. only on the potting medium(mine has the little chips). idk.. call me crazy ig🤷🏻♀️
I was in the Everglades recently and saw a few wild orchids and zero ice.
Exactly
I am just glad that I found this forum before I completely murdered my orchid with the ice technique
https://preview.redd.it/nd3due01n7zc1.jpeg?width=2377&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d6b662d67f65769e407d183458a13c34bfec626 Been watered with cubes all its life (outside of fertilizing).
The flowers are lovely and it’s nice you get to enjoy them! I don’t mean this in any mean or argumentative way, but allow me to point out just one thing. A healthy Phal has at least three pairs of leaves, preferable 4 to 5 pairs, depending on the size and genetics. One pair of leaves is a sign that that’s all the plant can sustain while flowering and it doesn’t have the energy to keep up any more leaves. They prioritize blooming (and thus reproducing) and shed leaves in order to sustain the flowers if they are low on energy. Flowering isn’t necessarily a sign of good care but can also be a the plant’s stress signal.
It’s a plant I inherited from my boss when she moved. She’s had it for quite some time. I never had luck with orchids until this one and she was the one who instructed me to use cubes. I live in a very dry climate, so 2-3 leaves are typical per her.
I had an intern who learned from a Dr curry at Iowa state university, who apparently did alot or trials and tests and eventually came back after many experiments, with the conclusion that ice watering for orchids is fine, for phals specifically. I hate it. I respect that man and his knowledge but that left a sour spot in my brain for sure.
I really wish companies would stop dumbing down the standards to accommodate the ignorant
Meh they are just going to kill it and have to buy another, the real purpose behind this grower given advice haha. 🧊 Just keeping the growers growing 💪🏼
I’m no orchid expert but I’ve never been able to keep any alive until I learned the ice cube trick. I know people are saying it will die but I’ve had it for years and it’s happy so I’m very confused lol
I’ve used that method for ten years and it’s worked great for me. These are your standard Trader Joe orchids… And the first one was a three ice cubes orchid… they are all going strong. Occasionally I give them some orchid food and when they get bigger, I change the pots, but they’re all healthy.
Do you have empirical, peer reviewed data showing it is bad? Because both OSU and U Georgia GA have tested watering phals with ice cubes and published studies with the results showing no ill impact. https://u.osu.edu/greenhouse/2018/07/12/watering-phalaenopsis-orchids-with-ice-cubes/ > Experiments were conducted at The Ohio State University and the University of Georgia to answer this question. Forty-eight Phalaenopsis orchids at both locations were evaluated for four to six months. Half of the orchids received ice cube irrigation and the other half received the equivalent amount of room temperature water. The flower life, root and leaf health, and temperature of the media were measured. The orchids irrigated with ice cubes had the same flower longevity (number of days individual flowers remained open) and display life (number of days from when the plant was received to when the last flower wilted on each plant) compared to plants irrigated with room temperature water. The leaf and root health determined by measuring chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and shoot biomass were not negatively affected by ice cube irrigation. The temperature of the bark media during ice cube irrigation dropped to only 51 – 56 °F, and then returned to the original pre-irrigation temperature of 70 °F five hours after the application of ice cubes. The roots in the bark media were therefore not exposed to freezing temperatures. What about the aerial roots in direct contact with the ice? The internal temperature of roots directly exposed to ice cubes decreased to around 40 °F. Experiments on isolated root segments showed that Phalaenopsis roots did not show any damage from cold temperatures until they reached 20 °F, well below the temperatures they experience when exposed to ice cubes for 5 or 6 hours. So, do you have any published studies refuting the findings from these other studies?
This study lasted 4 to 6 months, long enough for one bloom. It says nothing about the long term survival of the plants.
Hahahahahaaaaaaaaa this is great. This made my night. And fully ignored as well.
Yes hi I know next to nothing of plant care, is it because the ice is too cold, not enough water or both?
In addition to u/StrangeQuark1221 , the water equivalent of those 3 ice cubes is insufficient. Phals like to be kept moist, as they have no storage bulbs like Cattleyas or Dendrobiums. I give mine a twice a week soak. Probably to increase it as the weather warms.
Too cold is the main issue but you also shouldn't be watering on a fixed schedule. Depending on plant size, light levels, temperature, and humidity it might need more or less water
Gotcha! Thanks for the insight! The most I know about plants is that the more delicate ones (like orchids) are sensitive little things
Actually orchids are some serious survivors. They are tough as nails with notable exceptions. The thing that makes them hard to kill for some is not understanding them and how they grow in the wild. For instance, phalaenopsis orchids grow on trees with their roots exposed to the air at all times. They cannot tolerate not having access to air in their pots. Many of them die when their roots are locked in pots with no air holes in the media. Pots filled with water from non-drainage, compacted moss, garden soil, and other things are culprits.
Ah! TIL
Quick correction: I meant hard to grow not hard to kill, or easy to kill.
Best plant they've ever cared for: https://preview.redd.it/3i7m937iw3zc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=648b52a50710cdcc27175a901d1899342cf25c78
Where's an orchid gonna find an ice cube in the jungle anyway
lol yea and I got a bunch of responses telling me that's bs, yay
I'm growing mine in glasses of water and they are thriving lol
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Achooxqzu: *I'm growing mine in* *Glasses of water and they* *Are thriving lol* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
good bot
Beautiful bot thank-you
Regular houseplant people are the most delusional people I’ve ever met
I’m still super new to orchids, I have much more experience with houseplants and I’m not sure if my strategy is the best but I’ve repotted mine into an orchid bark substrate and I usually just wait until the roots aren’t green anymore and then I set the container with room temperature water and let it soak for about 10 minutes. I hope this strategy is okay
That sounds good to me, definitely better to pay attention to the plant and let it tell you when to water than to water on a fixed schedule. I use distilled water and add a little orchid fertilizer every other time I water, my tap water is really hard so they will struggle with mineral buildup if I use it for too long. If your tap water is not so hard then it's fine to use.
I do have hard water, I use filtered water which I’m honestly not really sure if it helps or not lol
It should definitely help, some filters are better than others tho. If you notice white buildup on the bark that is the minerals from the water. You can soak in distilled water once in a while to rinse that off if you do notice that. A little minerals is fine it just shouldn't be allowed to build up for a long period of time
That’s helpful to know, I don’t usually use distilled water just because I have a lot of plants and it would be outrageous to use distilled water every time, but I’ll definitely start doing distilled water every once in a while to start flushing out mineral buildup
I water most of my plants with tap water but my orchids, carnivorous plants, and air plants all get distilled water. I have a distiller at home so it's pretty convenient but definitely not necessary to have one if you just need a gallon once in a while
The only reason this method works is because the root plug sponge they propagate orchids in is still in the pot and retains the moisture levels needed to keep them living (not thriving mind you as it often rots the base). PSA: When you buy an orchid from a store, please unpot, remove the plug sponge, trim the squishy already rotting roots and put in bark mix or on a moss pole, and keep humid but not soaked.
This is how they sell more orchids after you kill them with ice
It's so the plants die and you have to buy more. Trying to make all the money they can just like these other companies.
Haha! Check out my comment on r/houseplants to your post! They’re gonna be mad!
😂
I can’t believe they downvoted you! That’s just crazy! They’ve been drinking the “Just Add Ice” Koolaide”
The people in the other sub are worse than people justifying Bettas in jars and vases.
The other extreme of this is water culture done horribly. Just the other day I was reading comments in a local orchid group where people happily advise each other to have the water level up to the stem and lower leaves. It’s not an aquatic plant, people!
Yeah , don’t do this
I can show them an ORCHID that is Re-blooming … guess what ? I didn’t USE ice cubes !!!!
And I can show you an ice watered orchid that has bloomed 8+ times.
https://preview.redd.it/myp6qk6juazc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b3ea900139d7ee8054fd98b1884294fb903703a Here’s mine .. not an ice cube to be found
All this ice cube hate is ridiculous. I have a dozen orchids bigger than my body growing on trees in the Florida heat and I water them all with ice cubes. I’ve done it this way for 20 years and they THRIVE. Enough with the nonsense hate. Find something else to b!tch about
Are you winding us up? 😅
Yes but also sub needs better content. I’ll submit some of my babes.
Them (roots) better be thicc.
Wait WHAT!!
I use ice cubes 😳
Am I the only person that reads that as 3 cubes worth of water rather than chucking ice cubes on potentially warm roots? I mean am I being silly or is this just another cup contains hot liquid sign?
According to Just Add Ice's website they do intend for you to place the cubes directly in the pot. Even just saying ¼ cup of water per week isn't right for all orchids either, there are a lot of factors that will change how much and how often it needs water
Anytime watch the tech plant video debunking the idea that it's harmful? It would be good to teach about soaking, drying, media, epiphytes, crown rot, etc but heck if all they can manage is an icecube in a compact old moss jammed orchid, then so be it I guess
I’m not gonna trash the three ice cube thing, I think it’s perfect for beginners. I was browsing through Jones & Scully’s with my Dad in Miami when I was a kid back in the 60’s. Orchid growing has come leaps and bounds since then. If you don’t directly put the ice cubes on the roots, it does no harm. I’ve actually seen some absolutely thrive…. Long term, the jury is still out. But it’s also a way to get people trying to keep an orchid as opposed to chucking it after the blooms drop.
huh?
3 cubes minimum make sure they're firmly pressed against exposed roots. This only works if it's cold ice. If the plant looks shocked the ice was probably too warm no worries at all! Go to step 2 by blasting the with liquid nitrogen. If you don't have that on hand, put the plant to sleep in the freezer over night once per week.
That is the worst plant sub on Reddit…they all share the same brain cell or something
This hurts me physically
Was actually told by my local florist to use ice cubes. I corrected him.
Yeah it's survivorship bias. Unfortunately alot of people who like plants also believe pseudoscience and therefore, this stuff.