Emily Chan
Because of their beautiful, long-lasting blooms, orchids are among the top-selling potted plants in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They aren’t incredibly finicky, but when it comes to giving them the right amount of water, it can get a little tricky.
One of the most common reasons for the death of indoor orchids is too much moisture. If you’re the owner of an orchid plant, you may have heard that watering them with ice cubes makes for an easy solution.
But does it really work? And will the tropical plants suffer from the cold? Here’s what to know about the technique and how to use it to keep your orchids healthy and hydrated.
Generally, tropical plants don’t do well with freezing temperatures. However, using ice cubes to water an orchid plant does not cause any harm. It’s a safe and effective method. It even reduces the likelihood of underwatering or overwatering your orchids.
If your orchids do not receive enough water, their roots and leaves will become damaged, which affects bloom production. Too much water will also injure the roots. Instead of letting the pot sit in water and waiting for the excess water to drain out, water your orchids with ice cubes.
Place three ice cubes on top of the orchid media, which is usually bark chips or sphagnum moss. Do not let the ice cubes touch any roots or leaves poking out of the pot.
As the ice cubes melt slowly, the water trickles through the media and is absorbed by the roots. This way, there is no excess water pooling at the bottom of the pot.
The cold does not hurt the orchid because the ice melts quickly. Researchers from Ohio State University and the University of Georgia have conducted studies to test the safety of the technique. They found that the temperature of the bark media dropped just a few degrees as the ice cubes melted.
The temperature drop was not enough to cause any damage to the roots. The experiment involved only moth orchids, but other types of orchids can be watered with ice cubes, too.
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