Tried watering my orchids with ice cubes like a friend said and got brown spots

I put three ice cubes in each pot every Sunday for a month and the roots started rotting. Learned that tropical plants hate cold water, so now I use room temp tap water instead. Anyone else get bad advice from a well meaning plant person?

3 comments

3 Comments

grays131mo ago

Blew out my roommate’s whole succulent collection last year doing the cold thing. Thought they’d like a little winter simulation in the fridge, but I forgot about them for two weeks and they turned into sad little mush piles. My haworthia was the only survivor, and it came out looking like a deflated basketball. Learned the hard way that succulents in the fridge need like a strict schedule and dry soil, not just tossed in there with leftover spaghetti.

the_jake1mo ago

Did your friend also suggest putting the pots in the fridge? My buddy killed all his succulents that way.

-1

paul_taylor211mo ago

The thing is, your buddy probably kept them in the fridge way too long. I know a guy who literally cold stratifies his succulent seeds in the fridge for exactly 3-4 weeks and they sprout like crazy. The trick is you can't just leave them in there for months like you would a leftover pizza. You gotta pull them out the second that cold period is done, then get them under some strong light. I've had way better luck with cold treatment on my Lithops than without it, honestly. Most people just mess up the timing or leave the pots soaking wet in there, which is basically a death sentence.