My neighbor told me to water my orchid with ice cubes. I almost killed it.

Old guy next door in Tucson insisted ice cubes were the best way to water orchids because they melt slow, so I tried it on my phalaenopsis for two weeks. The roots started turning mushy and brown and I panicked, then looked it up and realized orchids are tropical plants that hate cold water. Has anyone else gotten terrible plant advice from a well meaning neighbor that nearly wrecked their collection?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_patricia2mo ago

I read somewhere that phalaenopsis orchids naturally grow in rainforest conditions where the temperature is warm year round. My neighbor once told me to put gravel in the bottom of my orchid pots for drainage, and I later found out that actually creates a perched water table that rots the roots. People mean well but sometimes the free advice from nearby gardeners is based on old wives' tales instead of actual plant science.

thomas.tyler2mo ago

Hold on, is a little gravel at the bottom really gonna nuke your whole orchid? Seems like people have been doing it forever and their plants are fine.

paulschmidt1mo ago

I gotta disagree with you a bit @the_patricia - the ice cube thing is bad advice for sure, but gravel at the bottom for drainage has actually worked fine for a ton of people I know including my mom for years.

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