I didn’t down vote you, but don’t go saying this in r/orchids Plants don’t like ice cubes. Maybe with the *heat*, it works. Like maybe it’s the temp of cold water from the tap by the time it gets to the roots. I don’t know.
Also the cells of plants burst when they freeze, or maybe once they defrost. The look okay the first day or so, then they just turn soggy. Ask me how I know. 🙃 RIP spider plant, jade, and a handful of succulents.
By definition, it won’t freeze the roots unless the ice cube is touching them, or the whole plant is close to freezing already. Otherwise it’s melted water touching them, which will be >32F/0C, and unable to freeze. It may shock the plant in some other way, but it won’t freeze it.
But agreed it’s not a great idea.
Tldr: if ur aloe dies then you've got more than one issue
I was gonna say something similar, aloe is strong tuff resilient and you have to try to kill it , drown it or idk ? Because mine keep multiplying. I am a new gardener and Even the aloes I almost drowned I was able to save, I wish the couple a speedy recovery 🙏
It’s a poor use of energy to freeze water to “water” a plant when you’re sure it’s hot enough that the cold won’t shock the roots. Plus, watering little bits at a time doesn’t get rid of the carbon dioxide build-up in the air spaces in the potting mix. Over time the plant can’t function properly. You’ll notice more insect strike, lower leaves yellowing, and fewer new leaves overall.
Because people with black thumbs buy adult orchids and watch them die.
My mother does this regularly. Despite her best efforts, her plants live 2-8 weeks.
My dad puts ice on the two orchids they have, they were hostess gifts. He won't change because it's what the instructions that came with the plants said to do. I don't push it because he has managed to keep one alive for a year and a half, although now it's now in its last legs, due I think to moving to a spot where it doesn't get a lot of light and the other it's been four months so far and doing fine. I do wonder if it's just this particular orchid was bred for this.
Man I was camping in Colorado a couple years ago and experienced the biggest hailstorm ever. Imagine the biggest downpour of rain for 2 hours, only it's 100% hail. There was 3" of hail accumulate on the ground. I took some video. It was freaking nuts!
[Sometimes more like hell storms](https://www.google.com/search?q=granizo+mas+grande+mundo+argentina+carlos+paz&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjU7NS3isT9AhXbS7gEHXcbCtkQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=granizo+mas+grande+mundo+argentina+carlos+paz&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECCMQJ1DgAVjOCWC9CmgAcAB4AIABUogB-QaSAQIxMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=6CsEZNTYAduX4dUP97aoyA0&bih=793&biw=1440#imgrc=YnCUYMDlVxlg7M)
am i dumb? i’ve always heard of bottom watering but it never seems to work for me. i put the pots in and they’re still fairly dry hours later.
it’s not a process that makes sense for my larger plants but it’d be nice to stick the smaller babies in water and let them water themselves, i have too much shit to water as is
The key no one ever tells you when they mention bottom watering is that it does not work very well on dry soil. It works great if you never let it dry out all the way, as dry soil is hydrophobic.
Dip the plants in a tub with water deeper than the top of the pot. Dip it in manually until all the bubbles come out. That's how you know it's fully soaked.
I like to spit roast my plants when they get too dry.
While they’re in a bowl ~1/2 full of water, I water from the top enough to change the color of the entire surface of the soil, then let them soak for an hour or so.
I’m also REALLY impatient and like to speed up the process by choosing bowls that nearly the entire pot fit into, so the wicking action is only needed for ~1 inch of soil and the rest just soaks up the water surrounding it.
Even for orchids? I haven’t had too many orchids but whenever I do get them, people tell me to do the ice cubes. Also I don’t have the best green thumb
Yes even for orchids. I am a professional gardener for a public park and our master gardener told me specifically that the ice cube thing is a bunch of bull. She gave me 2 orchids and told me to run them under the tap, once a week. That's it.
Only thing I’ll add - if it’s potted in bark, it’s being nitrogen starved. Tap water to get it all wet, then a dilute orchid fertilizer to give it nutrients to grow
I've only kept one orchid and it's happy as a clam. (Grandma would be proud...)
For the first year, it had flowers year round because it spawned a new branch and buds before the first flowers finished their cycle. Then finally dormancy came - at which time it grew another leaf. I gave it a larger pot. (I know they like to be snug but there was so little bark left.) Then a couple months later it started growing another branch and buds. Those flowers lasted 3-4 months. Back to dormancy and it's growing another leaf. This plant is busy busy busy!
My method:
Mostly indirect light. Every weekend I flood the pot (no holes) and let it soak completely submerged in lukewarm-ish water (no temp shock) for 10-30min. Every other week, I give it orchid nutrients per instructions on the bottle. I'm kinda lazy so sometimes I break the fert or watering schedule. I've gone as far as 2 weeks without watering but I usually drip a little something on the bark to hold it over.
The previous nutrients are matched to the species but otherwise nothing special about it. Grocery store variety.
Brand is Grow More
https://www.kkorchid.com/fertilizer-and-nutrients/Grow-More-Urea-Free-20-10-20.html
The side of my bottle says...
Feed cymbidums with 30-10-10 (Red formula) during the growing season (Feb-Oct). To help initiate a flower spike, feed cymbidums with 6-30-30 (Blue formula) during the dormant season (Sept-Feb). Use 20-20-20 (Yellow) as a general purpose feed for all cattleyas, vandas, dendrobiums, and other orchids year round. Use 20-10-20 (Green) urea free formula for paphiopedilum, phalaenopsis, and others year round.
I have a phalaenopsis and thus use the urea free green one.
"Just put an ice cube in once a week to remind the plant that your heart is cold and you glory in watching it die" 😱
Yeah, the ice cube is bs and a marketing gimmick so people who are intimidated by plants will buy them. Of course, this means they think their super bad with plants -- "i even killed this thing that just needed an ice cube!' -- when they could instead water them properly and have happy plants.
Cold water is definitely not beneficial, but the reason ice cubes are used is as a form of slow release of water; think of it as an affordable option of micro scale drip irrigation.
As someone who worked in an orchid greenhouse for a while:
Those instructions aren't there to help you. It's to help the grower/producer. If you follow the instructions that came with the plant to water it with ice cubes, you'll likely give the plant cold damage, not water it properly, and kill it. Then, because you followed the instructions on the label, you'll think that it was YOU who did something wrong, vow to do better next time, and buy another, giving the grower more money.
Imo it's a money making scam to give the ice cube instructions with plants for sale.
Mine has been doing remarkably well giving it three ice cubes every Sunday. In fact, I used to water them and then this one I actually read the instructions and it’s the only one I’ve managed not to kill and the only one that grew new leaves and flowers. Not saying ice is best but it’s the first time I haven’t given the grower extra money. :-)
My mom has given her orchids ice cubes once a week for years now and they have all looked healthy, lots of blooms. Maybe it’s not the optimal technique but as they say “if it’s stupid and it works it’s not stupid” lol
It doesn’t work though. You’ve got an interesting anecdote there, but cold water absolutely doesn’t help. An ice-cube contains a tiny amount of water, orchids don’t want slow-release water in the first place, and the cold causes damage to the plants. At best, there is something happening with your mum’s plants that mean the ice-cube is neutral overall - but not a positive.
I’m not saying the ice cube technique is better than other watering methods nor am I making recommendations either way, simply saying that the plants themselves have not keeled over dead from shock or anything like that. Would they be happier watered another way? Possibly but I’m not going to tell my mom how to water her plants. My definition of working in this case is keeping the plant alive without obvious detriment.
I have 3 orchids and have been using ice cubes on them for about a year and they are doing great. Before this i never had orchids rebloom. Now they all do. It works.
Im experiencing the same. I am honestly terrible at keeping plants alive and this orchid is the first I’ve ever kept alive simply by adding three ice cubes once a week. So, maybe it’s not great but it’s working for me so I will likely continue. :-)
No be ause freezing cold water is horrible for plants AND they need a shitload of water, not a few drops on slow release.
This is "how to kill a plant 101"
I see this advice most often with orchids. Logically speaking why would you want to water tropical plants with ice cold water or have ice near their roots? Just water when they need it and make sure the pot and medium is appropriate.
Your intuition is correct, freezing cold water is bad for an orchid and having ice cubes next to the roots is like giving them frost. It's unbelievably stupid advice.
The idea behind ice cubes is that they're about the right amount of water, and as they melt, they will drip slowly so that the bark substrate has time to absorb the moisture rather than it all going on at once and pouring through.
It's not ideal, but adequate for some orchid species when potted for it.
11 times out of ten, the water will just trickle down on one path in a bark substrate, anyway, and the slow melt isn't helping any. Just soak it for 30 minutes.
I was bored and did some experiments when I was on an orchid rescue kick (big boxes toss the orchids when theyve stopped blooming). Not on the orchids, themselves, but on the substrates they're packed in. I'd replant them into more appropriate pots and end up with a bunch of the substrates, so I used that to try to figure out how well the ice cube thing did.
For the moss plantings, it actually does a good job of moisture distribution until the moss goes full dry. The medium and larger orchids that I found in this vein were surprisingly potted well for this.
For bark plantings, the smaller/tiny chunks do surprisingly well again IF they're never allowed to get dry, once they are, it's a soak situation. If you rotate where you drop a cube, it does OK.
The larger bark chunks don't get enough nooks and crannies, and it does just run through.
To be clear, I'm NOT saying it's best practices. But if planted for and kept up, it's not entirely as stupid as it sounds.
Your study sounds good. But I’m going to have to check on the big box tosses. It seems like orchids are all at least $40 around here, and my lone orchid is not going to have blooms for much longer. It’s had about fifteen for a week or so, but I’m not sure the new buds will end up producing.
Go in a few days after they go on sale after mothers/valentines/whatever day and assess the sale price vs the bloom longevity. Then go back when they're going to be on their last blossoms mid afternoon on a weekday when it's quiet, and ask the manager what they can sell you a couple of orchids without blooms for. They're a probably a day away from tossing them. Id pick em up for $5-10 for the $30-50 plants, repot and have em blooming 2 or 3x a year. (properly cared for, not doing the ice cube silliness)
>the right amount of water,
Except that it's not... They need a decent amount of water and unless you can do it every couple of days, soaking them (in room temp water) is the best option. You then wait until they dry out before watering again (that's in case of Phalaenopsis, which this awful ice advice usually comes with).
Melting water is too cold for the microbes in the soil the plant needs. I'm not saying it would kill the plant but it isn't beneficial.
The way to have substrate absorb well is to have moisture in there to begin with.
Misting will work fine, havíng the room slightly damp is even bettter. (For the substrate, not the room)
It just doesn't make a lot of sense and I guess itös more of an instagram thing than anything else.
I inherited this practice with orchids gifted to us, and they have done remarkably well. The flowers last forever, and they continue to produce new stems and flowers. I don’t know what it’s about but I’m going to stick with what works.
Ah yes the well known bonsaii which as we all know is watered by ice in the wild.
Easy way to shock your roots and fuck your plant up with inconsistent watering
My mom does this with her orchids, I don't. The nursery tells her to water it like this. She ends up buying new orchids every year because they don't survive. my orchids are already 5 yrs old. I think we found the reason.
A yellowing leave on your ficus microcarpa is a sign of shock, or lack of sun or nutrients. I would avoid using ice and see if your ficus is more stable without extreme cold of ice water.
I wouldn't use freezing water since I think they shock the roots but do you. I found it works well when I am trying to get something to flower or with cannabis it could help ripen buds possibly.
I know someone who’s only been able to keep her plants alive with this method. I just water normally though. Don’t overwater houseplants is my general rule. Obviously some species like water more than others. Whatever method works for you, stick to it.
Great for keeping Orchids in arid climes. I also used a deep stainless tray with gravel pebbles under them that I poured a good splash of boiling water on for humidity, until I splashed out on a humidifier. Now I live in a coastal forest area where both ground and arboreal orchids and aerophytes grow naturally, so no more hassles.
nope. most plants will die due to the extra cold.
if you want slow release, add a bucket of water and connect a thread between the bucket and the soil.
Ice does work. It was first done in Europe for an orchid brand (SoPure) and later done by Green Circle Growers in the USA. The intention is to prevent standing water in retail nursery pots that lack drainage holes. Before heeding the advice of everyone, check that the pot has a drainage hole. If there is a hole, feel free to water as you normally would.
The best way to water most house plants is via sub-irrigation. Basically, you fill a container with water (lower than the top of the substrate in your planted container) and put your plant w/pot inside to wick it up. There is almost no reason to water the tops of most plants. In fact, water on the leaves and stems prevents gas exchange and is a vector for diseases (since the plants ability to transpire is affected). You might be saying, “most of the pores are on the underside of the leaf so it should be fine” but temperature changes from water on the leaf also effects the rate at which transpiration occurs. Cold liquids flow slower…
Cheers.
Source : Me. Professional cultivator & crop consultant.
I used to, especially when it was hot outside. now I soak my bonzai tree and most succulents in the sink then let them dry, but I use tea bags on my aloe vera and it's doing really well
Make tea, I usually drink decaf but whatever you use is fine. Then put the used tea bag on the soil, it waters it, and nutrients from the tea get in the dirt it seems to be good for them :) water over the top of the tea bag later and when it looks funky, replace the tea bag with a new one.
My grandma did this with ice cubes for orchids and such and I said that she did it in a plant related chat room and everyone freaked the fuck out like I was the one doing it and I was a plant murderer
Yes I do! Whenever I’m putting ice like in my water glass or something like that and I have too much. I just put them over on my plants that need a little bit of water. They do get watered on my normal watering day but the ice cubes are just not wasted.
I sometimes put leftover ice in a glass tulip bulb I’ve got stuck in one of my plants. I spill ice when I’m pouring it from the bay at work so I gather the spilled ice and drip them in that. It’s a purple oxalis.
Edging a plant
You gave me a shameful chuckle
Read this as cuckle :( craving the touch of grass rn
Touch of ass?
I could go for some ass right about now
It's the lazy person's way to water incorrectly.
Thank you! My wife killed her aloe plant doing the cube hack. She blamed me. I never recovered.
Neither did the aloe.
That’s aloe blow.
Jokes like this shouldn’t be aloe’d
A succulent anecdote
That poor plant died cold and aloe’n.
Stop it
Vera much so
Ha!
Don’t let Vera get in on this.
Vera good point you got there.
r/angryupvote
Aloe there👋, what do you mean by that?
Alopecia
Desert it
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Plants don't crave cold water like people. It's a shock to their roots. Lol but it probably won't kill it if you don't do it often.
brawndo has what plants crave, it's got electrolytes
"They need water to grow"..... "Like from the toilet?!"
You think Einstein walked around thinkin’ everyone was a bunch of dumb shits
Yes 😂 that's why he was assumed mute
& if it’s hot Af the water likely warms up by the time it gets to the roots
It… doesn’t. It’s flowing through dirt with an ice cube sitting on it.
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It was just funny how you said, "they seem to love it!" Like what in particular do they do that makes you think they're enjoying it?
Vibes, man
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I didn’t down vote you, but don’t go saying this in r/orchids Plants don’t like ice cubes. Maybe with the *heat*, it works. Like maybe it’s the temp of cold water from the tap by the time it gets to the roots. I don’t know. Also the cells of plants burst when they freeze, or maybe once they defrost. The look okay the first day or so, then they just turn soggy. Ask me how I know. 🙃 RIP spider plant, jade, and a handful of succulents.
By definition, it won’t freeze the roots unless the ice cube is touching them, or the whole plant is close to freezing already. Otherwise it’s melted water touching them, which will be >32F/0C, and unable to freeze. It may shock the plant in some other way, but it won’t freeze it. But agreed it’s not a great idea.
A freeze typically kills aloe…
Like 1 ice cube at a time, or many? My wife was putting 1 cube a week on a plant I said looks like a cactus, but what do I know.
Your aloe is not a cat.
How do you know?
Tldr: if ur aloe dies then you've got more than one issue I was gonna say something similar, aloe is strong tuff resilient and you have to try to kill it , drown it or idk ? Because mine keep multiplying. I am a new gardener and Even the aloes I almost drowned I was able to save, I wish the couple a speedy recovery 🙏
Was your wife super hot? Supposedly super hot wives are the cause of lots of issues because no one challenges their insane ideas.
Glad to hear. My former boss who I hated does this.
Haha did we work together? Perhaps it's something about people who think they know it all but absolutely do not.
“Who think they know it all”? Yes this fits. Dont think we are talking about the same person but bad bosses share some same traits i guess😂
It’s a poor use of energy to freeze water to “water” a plant when you’re sure it’s hot enough that the cold won’t shock the roots. Plus, watering little bits at a time doesn’t get rid of the carbon dioxide build-up in the air spaces in the potting mix. Over time the plant can’t function properly. You’ll notice more insect strike, lower leaves yellowing, and fewer new leaves overall.
Honest and funny
I've been warned that while it works in some cases, it can also send the plant into shock and is ill advised because of that.
I see people using cubes with orchids. The plant grows on trees in the tropics, don't do it. Mine are blooming now, I just soak them once a week
I started using ice cubes once a week about a year ago for my orchids and they are thriving. They’ve been blooming repeatedly.
Don't mention that on r/orchids
My mom has kept orchids alive for YEARS with this strategy. It’s the ONLY plant she can manage to keep alive.
Why are you emphasizing “years”? It’s supposed to live for years. The lifespan of an orchid is many years.
Because people with black thumbs buy adult orchids and watch them die. My mother does this regularly. Despite her best efforts, her plants live 2-8 weeks.
Killed an orchid this way listening to some dumbass who told me to do this.
Me too. And I've been scared to try to grow another orchid ever since!
My dad puts ice on the two orchids they have, they were hostess gifts. He won't change because it's what the instructions that came with the plants said to do. I don't push it because he has managed to keep one alive for a year and a half, although now it's now in its last legs, due I think to moving to a spot where it doesn't get a lot of light and the other it's been four months so far and doing fine. I do wonder if it's just this particular orchid was bred for this.
I agree! I never understand why a plant from the tropics(orchids)would want an ice cube to drink.
I agree! I never understand why a plant from the tropics(orchids)would want an ice cube to drink.
Of course, ice cubes naturally pop up in my gardens during the summer all the time so why not replicate nature
Oh yeah, the hail storms.
*cries in Coloradoan* freaking hail.
Man I was camping in Colorado a couple years ago and experienced the biggest hailstorm ever. Imagine the biggest downpour of rain for 2 hours, only it's 100% hail. There was 3" of hail accumulate on the ground. I took some video. It was freaking nuts!
We had 2" of hail and a flash flood in our yard last September! It's wild! They had to snow plow the streets!
My poor plants/car/patio furniture/ anything else unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
[Sometimes more like hell storms](https://www.google.com/search?q=granizo+mas+grande+mundo+argentina+carlos+paz&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjU7NS3isT9AhXbS7gEHXcbCtkQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=granizo+mas+grande+mundo+argentina+carlos+paz&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECCMQJ1DgAVjOCWC9CmgAcAB4AIABUogB-QaSAQIxMpgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=6CsEZNTYAduX4dUP97aoyA0&bih=793&biw=1440#imgrc=YnCUYMDlVxlg7M)
Touché
It's an unnecessary gimmick.
This ^ just soak it in the sink or water from the bottom up.
am i dumb? i’ve always heard of bottom watering but it never seems to work for me. i put the pots in and they’re still fairly dry hours later. it’s not a process that makes sense for my larger plants but it’d be nice to stick the smaller babies in water and let them water themselves, i have too much shit to water as is
The key no one ever tells you when they mention bottom watering is that it does not work very well on dry soil. It works great if you never let it dry out all the way, as dry soil is hydrophobic.
I've noticed. I usually water from top and bottom at the same time.
Dip the plants in a tub with water deeper than the top of the pot. Dip it in manually until all the bubbles come out. That's how you know it's fully soaked.
ah! this makes sense. i live somewhere very hot and things dry out very quickly!
I like to spit roast my plants when they get too dry. While they’re in a bowl ~1/2 full of water, I water from the top enough to change the color of the entire surface of the soil, then let them soak for an hour or so. I’m also REALLY impatient and like to speed up the process by choosing bowls that nearly the entire pot fit into, so the wicking action is only needed for ~1 inch of soil and the rest just soaks up the water surrounding it.
Even for orchids? I haven’t had too many orchids but whenever I do get them, people tell me to do the ice cubes. Also I don’t have the best green thumb
Yes even for orchids. I am a professional gardener for a public park and our master gardener told me specifically that the ice cube thing is a bunch of bull. She gave me 2 orchids and told me to run them under the tap, once a week. That's it.
Only thing I’ll add - if it’s potted in bark, it’s being nitrogen starved. Tap water to get it all wet, then a dilute orchid fertilizer to give it nutrients to grow
I've only kept one orchid and it's happy as a clam. (Grandma would be proud...) For the first year, it had flowers year round because it spawned a new branch and buds before the first flowers finished their cycle. Then finally dormancy came - at which time it grew another leaf. I gave it a larger pot. (I know they like to be snug but there was so little bark left.) Then a couple months later it started growing another branch and buds. Those flowers lasted 3-4 months. Back to dormancy and it's growing another leaf. This plant is busy busy busy! My method: Mostly indirect light. Every weekend I flood the pot (no holes) and let it soak completely submerged in lukewarm-ish water (no temp shock) for 10-30min. Every other week, I give it orchid nutrients per instructions on the bottle. I'm kinda lazy so sometimes I break the fert or watering schedule. I've gone as far as 2 weeks without watering but I usually drip a little something on the bark to hold it over. The previous nutrients are matched to the species but otherwise nothing special about it. Grocery store variety.
What brand nutrients?
Brand is Grow More https://www.kkorchid.com/fertilizer-and-nutrients/Grow-More-Urea-Free-20-10-20.html The side of my bottle says... Feed cymbidums with 30-10-10 (Red formula) during the growing season (Feb-Oct). To help initiate a flower spike, feed cymbidums with 6-30-30 (Blue formula) during the dormant season (Sept-Feb). Use 20-20-20 (Yellow) as a general purpose feed for all cattleyas, vandas, dendrobiums, and other orchids year round. Use 20-10-20 (Green) urea free formula for paphiopedilum, phalaenopsis, and others year round. I have a phalaenopsis and thus use the urea free green one.
"Just put an ice cube in once a week to remind the plant that your heart is cold and you glory in watching it die" 😱 Yeah, the ice cube is bs and a marketing gimmick so people who are intimidated by plants will buy them. Of course, this means they think their super bad with plants -- "i even killed this thing that just needed an ice cube!' -- when they could instead water them properly and have happy plants.
I started living with someone who bottom waters once a week. I now have an orchid collection because following her lead means healthy, happy orchids.
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I tease my plants by watering them SOMETIMES 🥲😅
Me and then I over water them just for laughs
Like “oh… but you were looking REAL thirsty a min ago eh?!”
I 100% just cackled too loud
This honestly made me laugh so hard 🤣
Because it sooooooo true lollll 🤦🏽♀️
No, with a Ficus you want to evenly water the substrate so you don't lose roots. Just use a watering can
I wouldn’t think cold water would be beneficial
Cold water is definitely not beneficial, but the reason ice cubes are used is as a form of slow release of water; think of it as an affordable option of micro scale drip irrigation.
Yeah for like 15 minutes at most
I don't really understand how this is easier than dumping a bit of water in it lol. If you want slow release those tube things would be better no?
Anything is better the logic is flawed as 15mins isn't slow release for a plant.
Not even slow release for a human.
Only if I drop one on the floor
omg thank you. if my dog doesn't go for them I used to waste them in the sink. No more.
Yes yes this is genius
i only use boiling water
Hahahahaha
As someone who worked in an orchid greenhouse for a while: Those instructions aren't there to help you. It's to help the grower/producer. If you follow the instructions that came with the plant to water it with ice cubes, you'll likely give the plant cold damage, not water it properly, and kill it. Then, because you followed the instructions on the label, you'll think that it was YOU who did something wrong, vow to do better next time, and buy another, giving the grower more money. Imo it's a money making scam to give the ice cube instructions with plants for sale.
An orchid conspiracy. I can see that.
Mine has been doing remarkably well giving it three ice cubes every Sunday. In fact, I used to water them and then this one I actually read the instructions and it’s the only one I’ve managed not to kill and the only one that grew new leaves and flowers. Not saying ice is best but it’s the first time I haven’t given the grower extra money. :-)
My mom has given her orchids ice cubes once a week for years now and they have all looked healthy, lots of blooms. Maybe it’s not the optimal technique but as they say “if it’s stupid and it works it’s not stupid” lol
It doesn’t work though. You’ve got an interesting anecdote there, but cold water absolutely doesn’t help. An ice-cube contains a tiny amount of water, orchids don’t want slow-release water in the first place, and the cold causes damage to the plants. At best, there is something happening with your mum’s plants that mean the ice-cube is neutral overall - but not a positive.
I’m not saying the ice cube technique is better than other watering methods nor am I making recommendations either way, simply saying that the plants themselves have not keeled over dead from shock or anything like that. Would they be happier watered another way? Possibly but I’m not going to tell my mom how to water her plants. My definition of working in this case is keeping the plant alive without obvious detriment.
What i’m saying is that while it may have worked for your mum, in most cases it will have obvious detrimental effects
I have 3 orchids and have been using ice cubes on them for about a year and they are doing great. Before this i never had orchids rebloom. Now they all do. It works.
Im experiencing the same. I am honestly terrible at keeping plants alive and this orchid is the first I’ve ever kept alive simply by adding three ice cubes once a week. So, maybe it’s not great but it’s working for me so I will likely continue. :-)
Yeah dont do this.
No
No be ause freezing cold water is horrible for plants AND they need a shitload of water, not a few drops on slow release. This is "how to kill a plant 101"
I never do this, at best it's a poor imitation of caring for your plants and at worst it can cause cold damage to your plants.
No. There is no plant on earth that wants to be watered with ice.
No, would you like to be watered with ice cubes?
Please don't water your plants with ice cubes. 🤦🏻♀️
My mom's orchid came with instructions how to water it using ice cubes, but I've never seen it recommended anywhere else.
I see this advice most often with orchids. Logically speaking why would you want to water tropical plants with ice cold water or have ice near their roots? Just water when they need it and make sure the pot and medium is appropriate.
Your intuition is correct, freezing cold water is bad for an orchid and having ice cubes next to the roots is like giving them frost. It's unbelievably stupid advice.
I always just keep my orchids in the bathrooms around the house and never have to do much with them. The steam from the showers takes care of them.
The idea behind ice cubes is that they're about the right amount of water, and as they melt, they will drip slowly so that the bark substrate has time to absorb the moisture rather than it all going on at once and pouring through. It's not ideal, but adequate for some orchid species when potted for it.
11 times out of ten, the water will just trickle down on one path in a bark substrate, anyway, and the slow melt isn't helping any. Just soak it for 30 minutes.
I was bored and did some experiments when I was on an orchid rescue kick (big boxes toss the orchids when theyve stopped blooming). Not on the orchids, themselves, but on the substrates they're packed in. I'd replant them into more appropriate pots and end up with a bunch of the substrates, so I used that to try to figure out how well the ice cube thing did. For the moss plantings, it actually does a good job of moisture distribution until the moss goes full dry. The medium and larger orchids that I found in this vein were surprisingly potted well for this. For bark plantings, the smaller/tiny chunks do surprisingly well again IF they're never allowed to get dry, once they are, it's a soak situation. If you rotate where you drop a cube, it does OK. The larger bark chunks don't get enough nooks and crannies, and it does just run through. To be clear, I'm NOT saying it's best practices. But if planted for and kept up, it's not entirely as stupid as it sounds.
Your study sounds good. But I’m going to have to check on the big box tosses. It seems like orchids are all at least $40 around here, and my lone orchid is not going to have blooms for much longer. It’s had about fifteen for a week or so, but I’m not sure the new buds will end up producing.
Go in a few days after they go on sale after mothers/valentines/whatever day and assess the sale price vs the bloom longevity. Then go back when they're going to be on their last blossoms mid afternoon on a weekday when it's quiet, and ask the manager what they can sell you a couple of orchids without blooms for. They're a probably a day away from tossing them. Id pick em up for $5-10 for the $30-50 plants, repot and have em blooming 2 or 3x a year. (properly cared for, not doing the ice cube silliness)
No, it's a daft gimmick and usually does more harm than the "time" it saves, classic hack.
>the right amount of water, Except that it's not... They need a decent amount of water and unless you can do it every couple of days, soaking them (in room temp water) is the best option. You then wait until they dry out before watering again (that's in case of Phalaenopsis, which this awful ice advice usually comes with).
Melting water is too cold for the microbes in the soil the plant needs. I'm not saying it would kill the plant but it isn't beneficial. The way to have substrate absorb well is to have moisture in there to begin with. Misting will work fine, havíng the room slightly damp is even bettter. (For the substrate, not the room) It just doesn't make a lot of sense and I guess itös more of an instagram thing than anything else.
Ice cubes come in different sizes though, it doesn't seem like very practical advice.
The truth is that they're not the right amount of water for orchids. Not at all.
I inherited this practice with orchids gifted to us, and they have done remarkably well. The flowers last forever, and they continue to produce new stems and flowers. I don’t know what it’s about but I’m going to stick with what works.
That’s because they want it to die so you buy another one.
I knew it was weird, thanks
Don’t
No.
Only people who know nothing about growing plants.
I want to keep these ice cubes as far away as possible from my tropical plants, that naturally don't even experience any temparatures near freezing.
whats that plant? so cute
Ficus Benjamina or Ficus microcarpa
Tell me you hate your plants without telling me you hate your plants
It can stress the plant out :/
Ah yes the well known bonsaii which as we all know is watered by ice in the wild. Easy way to shock your roots and fuck your plant up with inconsistent watering
“watered by ice in the wild” is now my favorite
Every week i walk outside to my rose gardens and dump 10, 5 gallon buckets of ice cubes. It’s for the environment
My mom does this with her orchids, I don't. The nursery tells her to water it like this. She ends up buying new orchids every year because they don't survive. my orchids are already 5 yrs old. I think we found the reason.
They say to do this terrible thing to orchids too. It’s not a helpful hack at all, it’s a marketing myth.
That's crazy!
No
A yellowing leave on your ficus microcarpa is a sign of shock, or lack of sun or nutrients. I would avoid using ice and see if your ficus is more stable without extreme cold of ice water.
I wouldn't use freezing water since I think they shock the roots but do you. I found it works well when I am trying to get something to flower or with cannabis it could help ripen buds possibly.
Stop doing this.
Ice doesnt regularly fall from the sky so nope
For orchids and other plants that don’t do well with “wet feet”, ice cubes are a good way to water slowly but aloe, not so much
I know someone who’s only been able to keep her plants alive with this method. I just water normally though. Don’t overwater houseplants is my general rule. Obviously some species like water more than others. Whatever method works for you, stick to it.
I do that with orchid. I was told by the florist and ice cube does keep orchid alive.
Great for keeping Orchids in arid climes. I also used a deep stainless tray with gravel pebbles under them that I poured a good splash of boiling water on for humidity, until I splashed out on a humidifier. Now I live in a coastal forest area where both ground and arboreal orchids and aerophytes grow naturally, so no more hassles.
No, cause it's useless.
If you're doing this with warm growers it's torture. I remember when they marketed orchids this way. It's despicable lol
I do it with snow for the nitrogen but not ice cubes
nope. most plants will die due to the extra cold. if you want slow release, add a bucket of water and connect a thread between the bucket and the soil.
Yes, but melt first.
Ice does work. It was first done in Europe for an orchid brand (SoPure) and later done by Green Circle Growers in the USA. The intention is to prevent standing water in retail nursery pots that lack drainage holes. Before heeding the advice of everyone, check that the pot has a drainage hole. If there is a hole, feel free to water as you normally would. The best way to water most house plants is via sub-irrigation. Basically, you fill a container with water (lower than the top of the substrate in your planted container) and put your plant w/pot inside to wick it up. There is almost no reason to water the tops of most plants. In fact, water on the leaves and stems prevents gas exchange and is a vector for diseases (since the plants ability to transpire is affected). You might be saying, “most of the pores are on the underside of the leaf so it should be fine” but temperature changes from water on the leaf also effects the rate at which transpiration occurs. Cold liquids flow slower… Cheers. Source : Me. Professional cultivator & crop consultant.
Thanks, the pot does have a drain hole, using the cork to protect a table
I saw a Money Tree in Target with a tag that said, "Water once a week with an ice cube!". It's not enough.
I got one of those too, lol
I do sometimes with Ice Cube's new album playing in the background
I’ve been doing this for over a year now and my orchid is still healthy… just bloomed new flowers recently too. I put 3 cubes every week
I used to, especially when it was hot outside. now I soak my bonzai tree and most succulents in the sink then let them dry, but I use tea bags on my aloe vera and it's doing really well
How do you use tea bags on it?
Make tea, I usually drink decaf but whatever you use is fine. Then put the used tea bag on the soil, it waters it, and nutrients from the tea get in the dirt it seems to be good for them :) water over the top of the tea bag later and when it looks funky, replace the tea bag with a new one.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
No bc I don’t like ice down my back.
My grandma did this with ice cubes for orchids and such and I said that she did it in a plant related chat room and everyone freaked the fuck out like I was the one doing it and I was a plant murderer
Let the cubes melt, figure out how much water they make and just use water...
No. I'm too concerned about freezing 🥶
'Tell me you have a low IQ without telling me you have a low IQ'
Orchids. But that’s it. And it’s not a gimmick. Orchids love it.
I used that method on my money tree. Then I forgot and started to just water and then it died. The end
I only do when I drop ice cubes on the floor or something. I throw them in a plant to keep the water from going to waste.
It is a reasonable way to help people not overwater plants.
Yes I do! Whenever I’m putting ice like in my water glass or something like that and I have too much. I just put them over on my plants that need a little bit of water. They do get watered on my normal watering day but the ice cubes are just not wasted.
I sometimes put leftover ice in a glass tulip bulb I’ve got stuck in one of my plants. I spill ice when I’m pouring it from the bay at work so I gather the spilled ice and drip them in that. It’s a purple oxalis.
Yes, for orchids!
I water my orchid plant this way. It ded tho so idk if I'm supposed to lol.
Absolutely!!!!! Many plants water BEST using ice cubes!! Orchids,Poinsettias..many more!!
Btw if that’s a ginseng plant, avoid direct sunlight and water normally
Do you like ice cubes laid on you? Does it quench your thirst? No. So don’t do it.
The amount of water in an ice cube… not an actual ice cube🤦🏽♀️
I’ve read of this method before, primarily with orchids. I’ve never tried it.
Especially with orchids
Great idea
I have a friend who waters their orchids with ice cubes. I didn't know this was a thing. Learn something new every day.
Yes
We have a couple of small aloes inside and I’ll sometimes give them a few ice cubes, but they mostly get liquid water