Watering plants with ice cubes is one of the trending and effective ways to keep houseplants alive. Ice cube watering helps the plant suck the right amounts of water slowly, preventing overwatering, which causes root rot.
But, you must do it correctly to keep the plant alive. This article will tell you how watering house plants with ice cubes works and how to do it.
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Is It Safe Watering Plants With Ice Cubes?
⚡ Yes, it is safe watering plants with ice cubes, however, you must be keen on the plant and its life. The reason is that if it is an indoor plant, it can become weaker to the cold temperature, and the roots may get harmed for an extended time.
Ice water is not bad for plants. It works best for some plants, like water orchids which require minimal watering. However, some plants are sensitive to cold, and too cold water can affect them.
Always check if your plant requires room-temperature water before placing some cubes in the pot. Ice cube water could also kill plants with less draining soil because the soil becomes waterlogged.
Watering indoor plants with ice cubes will also not work well with Zanzibar Gem. The plant prefers taking room-temperature water instead of overly cold one from ice cubes. Other plants like the Dracaena trifsciata require little water to thrive, so you can use ice in order to water them.
How Does Watering Plants with Ice Cubes Works?
Watering plants with ice cubes works because it will minimize the water pooling in the plant’s pot, which means it won’t be neither overwatered nor under watered.
In addition, it is an easier method to water the plant.
– Minimizes Water Pooling
Under watering or overwatering houseplants causes root rot, leading yellowing of leaves. Getting the right amounts of water for your succulents can be challenging.
When you use little cubes of ice in the process of watering the plant, the cubes will start to melt slowly, allowing the plant to sip water at a lower rate, and this would adjust the quantity of water that you are adding.
The act of adding these cubes of ice is a method that would minimize water pooling at the bottom of the plant pot, which happens when you pour water using a water can. On the contrary, the roots will be receiving water slowly and growing well.
– Easier Method
Although the ice cube watering method seems more straightforward than pouring water into the succulents, you must do it correctly for your plant to thrive.
For example, some houseplant experts advise on the preferred number of cubes of ice that you have to use on a plant. However, plants are of different sizes and types, and they have varying water requirements.
How Many Ice Cubes to Water Plants?
Two small ice cubes will be enough for a particular plant, however, bigger ones would require three to four big ice cubes. In addition, this also depends on the plant’s soil type, and the vastness of the pot, and the location where you have placed it.
Also, plants in a dark room need fewer cubes than those near a window or on a balcony. These experience high evaporation rates, meaning little water from the cubes reaches the plant’s roots.
The type of soil you use for your plants matter too. Although ice is one that will make sure that it has a slow water intake, some soils retain water fast and can get waterlogged if you use many ice cubes. Also, soils like sand have high drainage, meaning water is lost fast, requiring more ice cubes.
Plant owners should research plants that need ice cubes and other flower needs before placing some of these cubes on the soil. Some plants are affected by cold, meaning you must give them room-temperature water, this is because the cold cubes would easily damage such.
When To Water Plants with this System?
To water plants with ice is when you do not have access to the plant in an easy way. On the other hand, it is also a great option to water it with cubes when the plant has a well-draining soil, and if the technique is used in summer.
Besides using the ice cube watering method to regulate the amount of water your plants take, other times you can use it are whenever you are going to miss irrigation for a couple of days, and you wish to water it in a way that it will not get dehydrated.
– Challenge to Access the Plant
Despite growing your house plants in the most excellent pots and placing them in the right corners, they can grow in awkward positions, making them hard to access.
If this happens, an easier way to water them is by throwing chunks of ice in the pots. You will also not struggle using a watering can and spilling water on the floor.
If you take the example of watering orchids with ice, it is a tricky notion that works so well, because the water does not evaporate fast. However, this technique works for some plants, like moth orchids. The orchids are native plants in the tropics that require less watering to thrive.
Pouring uncertain amounts of water into orchids can cause root rots. Therefore, since the plant sips in little water at a time as the ice cubes melt, they grow healthy leaves and bloom beautifully.
– In Well-Draining Soils
You can use ice cube watering if the plant’s soil is well-draining. It prevents water logging, which causes root rot. The method will also work well if you are a new plant owner and are unsure when you should water the flowers or if you left your house to travel for a few days.
– Summer Season
It is more recommended to use ice when you water your plants in summer season, because the weather is hot, and the ice would not cause any damage to the plant. This is the case if the plant is a sensitive one, or is prone to have a certain temperature requirement.
When the coldness of meets the soil and the roots, then, the plant may go through a shock.
For instance, snake plants get a cold shock that turns the leaves yellow or pale white. Using ice in order to irrigate these indoor plants could cause shock, leading to their death.
However, the watering method works during summer when the temperatures are higher. It also means water is absorbed into the soil faster, reducing the chances of water retention.
Will Ice Cubes Kill Plants?
Yes, the failure to use the cubes correctly can kill your plants. As some plants are sensitive to cold water, so watering them with ice might not be a good idea. Always check the plant’s requirements to know what works best for them.
The ice is a beneficial factor that helps to make sure that you are adding slow water intake for your plants and maintain the soil’s moisture for long hours.
On the same notion, watering succulents with ice cubes could kill them, because of the soil. Some, like the spider plant, are used to room temperature water and hot areas, so the ice cube water causes the plant stress, reducing its growth rate and beauty.
– Over or Under Watering
Although ice helps plant owners give their plants the right amounts of water, it can lead to overwatering or under watering. Under watering can occur when you use ice on highly draining soil, in this case, the plant will not get enough water, and it will always feel thirsty.
Overwatering happens when the soil does not lose moisture fast and continues to take more from the ice cubes.
These issues would harm the plant in the long run, because you would be thinking the quantity is little, and adding more, however, you are slowly giving the plant too much water.
Conclusion
Watering plants with some ice is an effective method for new plant owners who could forget to water their flowers.
Here is a summary of this article:
- Ice watering can favor some plants and cause death to the cold-sensitive ones.
- Before watering your indoor plants, check their growth requirements, including temperature requirements, to determine if ice water can affect them.
- Plants growing in water-logged soils are not ideal for ice cube watering because too much water could cause root rot.
- Ice cube watering is best for hard-to-access plants because it minimizes the use of water cans.
- The plant watering method also works perfectly for some house plants like orchids. However, some flowers will react negatively to ice water, so ensure you water houseplants the required water temperature.
Not all plants do well with ice-cube watering. The first safety measure is ensuring this watering method won’t affect your plant. Also, note that no specific number of cubes is required to water a plant. The number depends on your plant’s size and soil type.
References
- Ellen Scott. (3 Sep 2020). Should you water your plants with ice cubes?. Metro.
Retrieved from https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/03/should-you-water-your-plants-with-ice-cubes-13218228/
