Why on earth do people water their phals with ice cubes?

[SG in CR]

I encountered the same belief with my sister years ago. She kept buying cheap Home Depot Phals and the directions on the tag said to water them with ice cubes. It's a great marketing tactic. The orchid remains alive for a while but eventually suffers and dies. Then you buy a new one.
Well, my sister gave me a couple that were looking pretty close to dead. After about a year they were blooming again. Only then did she believe me that the ice cubes weren't a good idea.
My method for watering phals back when I lived in colder climates was to give each pot a 10 minute soak in a bucket of half tap water/half distilled water with a little bit of liquid orchid fertilizer every week. Then just leave them in the shower to drain before putting them back on the window sill, where they would get an occasional misting.

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