Ice cubes to encourage blooms??

[Skwishee]

A friend of mine is sure she read somewhere about a woman who put ice cubes on her orchids (presumably on top of the potting medium) to encourage her orchids to bloom.

Has anyone heard of this or done this??

[cb977]

I also read that! I just don't remember where it was. The thinking is that a small cold--snap triggers blooming What I read was that she used it on her Phals, don't remember her mentioning any others

[dave b]

There are many orchids, especially warm growers, that do not react well to being watered with cold water. It can affect plant health and damage the roots. Dripping water thats just above freezing onto my orchids roots does not sound like a plan im willing to try. it would seem that the entire plant needs to experience the temp difference anyway. Placing ice or very cold water on most orchid leaves is a recipe for disaster. Waiting for mother nature to do her thing takes patience, but worth the wait.

[Ross]

I had a bunch that went through a similar experience with hail and they all puked! So I wouldn't recommend it.

[dave b]

Originally Posted by rsfrid

I had a bunch that went through a similar experience with hail and they all puked! So I wouldn't recommend it.

I too had a bad hail experience last spring. They made it thru, but many sulked for months. I also had leaf damage at the impact points of the ice balls.

[khyro]

I think hail would hurt any plant. And ice cubes right on the leaves wouldn't be a good idea, but what about an ice cube on the potting medium?

[Ross]

I just don't think shocks like this are good for any plant. They don't experience this in nature, so why do it in your own environment. Can't see where ice that is not in direct contact with the plant would have any effect all. Now cooler temps, maybe

[20jlr]

I have my orchids next to a window. They get plenty of tempature change as I live in chicago

[phalman]

I put my Phals outside on my screened porch in the early summer and do not bring them back in the house until it hits 45 degrees. The change in temprature does help them to start thinking about blooming. Usually they start to bloom in Jan. I have had a lot of success with this method, but have never tried the ice cubes.

[Tindomul]

My grandma used to do that on the coir substrate of her orchids. It got terribly hot in Colombia, and she did it to cool them down right after midday. The water from the cubes was probably much warmer by the time it hit the roots.