watering orchids or using ice cubes?

[Optimist]

What causes reblooming, and vegitative growth is sunlight combined with the correct tempretures of water. Ice is not part of the plan. Some orchids do need to be chilled before blooming. This has nothing to do with ice cubes.

If by feel one means "react to stimulii" then roots do feel. Its simantics. Human so called emotions are of course not what we would be talking about. Happiness for a plant is optimal culture, whether it is in the wild, or on someones window ledge.

[mtorchid]

Originally Posted by silken

Children's book , now that is silly...I don't think the word 'feel' was meant that way, but as to the shock of the ice on its roots, not hurting its feelings or some silly thing.

Originally Posted by tropterrarium

unless it is an arctic orchid, it is a VERY bad idea. The temperature shock is severe. Try taking a shower in a waterfall from a glacier, and that's about what it feels to the orchid.

I think "Phyllis, The Phreezing Phalaenopsis" would be a good title! ;-)

Glacier runoff would be approx 66 degrees lower than normal body temp. Ice cube runoff would be approx 38 degrees lower than household orchid root temp. Since orchid roots don't have nerves, I doubt if it senses anything more than- "here comes more water".

[DeaC]

STEP AWAY FROM THE CUBES! Strictly meant to be added to cocktails! Happy Memorial Day to all!

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by mtorchid

I think "Phyllis, The Phreezing Phalaenopsis" would be a good title! ;-)

Glacier runoff would be approx 66 degrees lower than normal body temp. Ice cube runoff would be approx 38 degrees lower than household orchid root temp. Since orchid roots don't have nerves, I doubt if it senses anything more than- "here comes more water".

Orchid roots do not have nerves, but they have phytochromes which react to external stimulii. Warmth, near and far red photons, humidity All signal to the plant what it should be doing as far as growth. Water is only an ingredient in the process of plant sugar manufacture. And all the plant cares about are those two hydrogen molecules.

I've been to Taiwan during the rainy season.

[PaphMadMan]

The dangers of freezing or rotting an orchid by this watering method are rather hysterically overstated. It is 3 ice cubes a week on the top of the media, not bury your plant in ice. It just isn't enough cold to significantly affect the temperature of the media in a normally warm inside environment. Most people who are clueless enough about plant care to actually follow the method have a dozen other ways they can kill a plant just as fast, but the ice is a convenient scapegoat in many cases.

Is it a best practice for long term orchid care? Of course not. Is it a gimmick? Of course it is, to some extent. But the purpose is to prevent the overwatering of a flowering orchid, the most common problem causing rapid death, so it can survive for a few weeks, after which most people will just throw it away anyway.

Saying that the company just wants to kill your orchid so you buy another is ridiculous. They want your purchase to be satisfying, so after it is done blooming you will buy from them again sometime. If you look at all the care instructions on their website it isn't bad advice on the whole.

[Raqsharqi]

I have used ice cubes, and the orchids didn't die. In my climate, an ice cube doesn't stay ice for long anyway! But it was a great way to get the orchids cared for while we were on trips. A couple of ice cubes 2x a week will give them enough moisture to survive, and the danger of over watering is nil...as opposed to what I found when I told orchid tenders to water them until the water poured out the bottom! I lost more orchids that way than through ice.
I have a friend who grows Phals like mad...and only uses ice cubes. It seems to work for her!

[mremensnyder]

This is semi-relevant to the op, but as I am very devoted to giving my orchids the proper conditions for good health, I do this for my mini orchids from montane rainforests to give them a substantial cool down each night (except from November-March when they are outside in a wet terrarium setup and nights are cool). I have the orchids hanging on the inside of a medium circular glass vase with straight edges. Each night I set the whole vase in a 5 gallon bucket and put in 4 cold packs from the freezer. I then put the tightly fitting lid on. The cold packs do not touch the orchids but do drop the temps into the 40s for an hour or two, then temps remain in the 50s for 6-8 more hours. In the morning, I take out the vase and put it back on the sunny window sill where temps are between 75-82F for the rest of the day. This seems to work, though I think I need more humidity for my Lepanthes tsubotae to really take off.

You could apply a similar technique on an orchid or two at a time when it is time for a cool down to induce blooming. You could certainly do this to a medium size collection depending on how many cold packs and buckets you want to buy and how much time and effort you are willing to spend. It takes little time for me with just the one glass vase full of 5 minis.