Newbie (and former killer of orchids) here - received very cute little basket with two mini-Phals, both blooming. Very cute. Tag says to just add ice cubes once a week to the top which is covered with some kind of green decorative moss. I wasn't sure if the melted water was getting through all of that moss to the plants. I pulled aside the moss to find two tiny plastic containers with a hole in the bottom. All of the roots are crammed into these tiny plastic containers and I sure don't see much growing medium (not that they need a lot). I did let the little pots sit in rainwater for about 5 minutes and then let them drain. Guess I'm at the point where I need to know what's best for these babies. Can anyone offer some advice?

Did you check the "stickys" at the top of the page? Lots of good info in those. I think the ice cube theory is meant to prevent over watering, or top watering, but we all agree ice cubes on warm skin isn't comfortable for us or our orchids.

Save the orchids and toss the rest including the ice cubes, moss and plastic pots. Go to the thread "Starting Out With Phals/Supermarket Orchids" and follow the advice there. There are lots of friendly folks here to help you along. Welcome to the Orchids Forum.

Jim

Hi Cindy!
Welcome to our little slice of heaven!
How lucky you are to have received such a sweet gift....
Don't forget to post pictures of your plant in our what's blooming in August thread.

All - Thanks!
Jim - thanks for directing me to the right thread! The last time I tried repotting and growing a Phal, they succumbed to my ineptitude. Just wasn't sure if they should be repotted.
Lindsey - my little orchids were blooming when I got them on Mother's Day. They held on to their flowers for over a month. Not sure when/if they'll bloom again soon. But I'll give it a shot.

Cindy, they usually start making that spike when the nighttime temperatures drop. I grew mine on a porch in NC and left them out until the temperatures went into the 50's then brought them back inside. I would see spikes forming around November-January depending on when they actually came inside.

Regarding the "just add ice" -.
This gimmick originated at a company in Oberlin, Ohio
Here is their website
https://www.justaddiceorchids....
We happened to be in Oberlin a couple of years ago and managed by sheer luck to run into a lady who was employed at that place. We wound up talking about her work place and I learned about the ice gimmick.

I would think this company does at least something positive, it employs a huge number of people in their greenhouse ( I think about 2000) to grow Phalaenopsis. So rather than importing Orchids from who knows where, these are "made in America"!
And yes, please follow the advice given here, ditch the ice cubes and read our thread on Phals here.

I always suggest that next time you feel the urge to feed your Phalaenopsis ice cubes, soak your bare feet in a bucket of ice water until the ice cubes in the plant have melted.

Thanks for all of the advice! Until I figure out the repotting thing, I'll put the little plastic pots in a bowl of rain water for a few minutes.
I do appreciate the "made in America" thing. I just wish the "gimmick" focused more on a healthier plant. If I hadn't removed the decorative moss, I wouldn't have seen how far off the mark I was with my placement of ice cubes. I tried to avoid having the ice cubes touch any part of the plant but hard to do when the pots are so tiny.

Cindy! I'm so glad you found us! Here's a warning though...orchids are very addictive and we are horrible co-dependents around here!

Daisy, I LOVE that comment!!! I will be using that all show season as everyone starts asking me about "those new ice cube orchids"! Thank you, thank you!!

Patty - After killing a Phal or two in my past, I was totally surprised by this Mother's Day gift. Now I have a ethical responsibility to keep these poor babies alive in my care. Haven't had a chance yet to free them from their plastic prisons yet but maybe this next week.