Tried saving a dying orchid with ice cubes and learned my lesson the hard way

Overwatered my favorite phalaenopsis for 3 months straight in my kitchen in Portland before a retired florist told me ice cubes don't work for tropical plants and now I just water it with room temp tap water every 10 days has anyone else fallen for that bad advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_perry618h ago

wait are you telling me the ice cube thing is bad? that's literally all over social media right now. I almost tried it on my peace lily. I guess it makes sense though since orchids are tropical and ice water would shock the roots.

robin83612h ago

HOLD UP. Peace lily? You were gonna put ice cubes on a peace lily? Oh no no no those things are tropical too, they like warm soil and humidity. I literally gasped when I read that part. Peace lilies droop when they're thirsty but they bounce right back with room temp water. Ice would just make the leaves turn brown and crispy at the edges. My neighbor killed her entire collection of pothos doing that ice cube trick last winter. Their roots got all mushy and black.