So you're going to accept the word of "House Beautiful" magazine, the same publication that also suggested "potting soil" for orchids, over the American Orchid Society?

As someone who has grown orchids for years and volunteers with the American Orchid Society, this makes me roll my eyes. "Water with ice" is laughable amongst orchid growers. Put simply: this is really poor advice.

This is HORRIBLE advice. I have many happy orchids that re-bloom over and over in dry Colorado. I do agree you should repot them after you buy them because they are usually not potted well and usually have way too much potting medium. I usually downsize the pot slightly or just use less medium. I use a mix of…

Thanks for the clarification! Orchid mix is indeed very different.