Should Employ Frozen Water to Irrigate Your Plants?
This Core Issue
Numerous potted plant succumbs to overzealous attention; hydrating your plants every time you look proves fatal. The practice for watering offers more measured and more deliberate moisture. However, is it truly function?
The Proposed Trick
Position a couple of frozen cubes atop the soil. The concept suggests when the ice melts, it steadily provides water, allowing the roots a chance to drink in it and preventing soggy soil.
Examining the Practice
This approach works best for little planters and species that dislike overwatering, like moth orchids. However, most of tropical-loving houseplants do not appreciate cold temperatures. Their root structures developed for temperate conditions, and freezing water can shock or harm them. The surrounding climate is a major part in the technique's efficacy: in a heated space, the ice will dissolve almost instantly, providing scant advantage, whereas in a colder area it may stay excessively, lowering the temperature of the roots and impeding absorption. Make sure to use ice cubes are composed of clean, filtered water and do not press them directly against stems or the root crown.
Conducting a Experiment
I experimented with on a common orchid. A couple of cubes weekly maintained the roots evenly hydrated preventing saturation. But, employing the same technique on a Calathea resulted in brown edges at the foliage margins, a clear symptom of temperature shock.
The Final Verdict
This frozen water method might succeed for Phalaenopsis, however it isn't suited for most tropical indoor plants and relies greatly on room temperature. Therefore, this method isn't endorsed; lukewarm water poured slowly continues to be the safest method to thoroughly hydrate your green companions.
