Ice cubes to encourage blooms??

[TerrynFlorida]

I've heard this method being used on cymbidiums here in Florida to get them to bloom.

[justatypn]

I as well have heard of the ice cubes doing the trick act for blooming orchids, but not a formula which is highly recommended. It does not make any sense to take an orchid and try to reproduce what nature does in it's own due time. How many rapid (quickly come and go) cold snaps do we have in the fall/winter time...none. Accelerating cold at natures pace is the trick, you allow the plants to acclimate slowly which will produce some awesome blooms. I personally do not like my feet to be cold and chances are your orchids are along the same line.

Khyro ... would like to you to the OB, please take a few minutes and go to the "Break the Ice" thread and introduce yourself

[Gin]

I have heard of using ice cubes on Cymbidiums , Never tried it . Gin

[Pupka]

And I've heard the opposite--if you'll shower your orchids with warm water once a week they grow well; however, it does not induce spiking. I tried this method on my cattleya and after a few days I noticed a new growth! Coincidence?

[Ray]

It depends on the plants!

Like Terry, I have heard of cymbidium growers doing that if they are in a climate that does not offer sufficient day/night temperature variation.

Switching gears to the "warm shower" thing, it's all dependent upon the overall temperatures the plant sees, and the only studies I'm aware of are with phalaenopsis.

In phals, warm conditions lead to better growth rate, but somewhat cooler conditions are required for blooming. Dr. Yin-Tung Wang of Texas A&M has published some good work on that very subject. What is interesting to me about it is that phals apparently can "average" the conditions they see, which explains why a plant given several weeks of a day/night temperature drop will still initiate a spike, even though it sees the same warm daytime conditions.

[Pupka]

What is the lowest temperature orchids can tolerate? I wonder if I can put my phals on the deck now for temps changes at night to initiate spiking... It's been a while since blooming.

[cb977]

Here's a copy of the AOS Culture Sheet for Phals. The temp requirements are listed along with other important info. Hope it helps

http://orchidweb.org/aos/uploadedfil...lturephals.pdf

[Pupka]

cb977, thanks!

[wjbrown]

Here in Franca, they recommend ice cubes on the medium to get cimbidiums to flower. They need consistent below 50 degree nights to initiate. I've never tried it, and some years they bloom anyway.

[Skwishee]

Wow, quite a variation in opinions!! Thanks for sharing