My aunt said my orchid care was basically plant torture

Holly Singh · 2026-03-30T10:20:05.037886+00:00

She saw my setup in Phoenix and told me to ditch the ice cubes and actually water it properly. Anyone have tips for repotting a phalaenopsis that's outgrown its container?

elizabethhayes6mo ago

Yeah, your aunt is right, ice cubes are a scam. @seth683 gets it, just repot in bark mix and soak the roots weekly.

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grace5086mo ago

Oh man, the ice cube thing is such a stubborn myth. Your aunt is totally on the right track. I saw what @elizabethhayes said about soaking weekly, and that's good, but with a bark mix in a hot place like Phoenix, you might even need to water a bit more often than that. When you repot, just be super gentle with the roots and pick a pot with tons of holes.

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seth6836mo ago

Plant torture" lol my mom said the same thing about my old cactus. She walked in, saw it leaning like the tower of Pisa in a tiny coffee mug, and just sighed. I had it in regular dirt and everything. Had to watch a whole youtube video about gritty mix and drainage holes. Felt like cactus school.

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