Hello Toni! It's so good to see you back and feeling better. Nice:-) My sister and my friend actually use the ice cube method and they have had more success with their orchids than if they had been watering the old way, treating them like a houseplant, and they are in bloom. Although neither of them water the way I do or try to mimick their environment when it comes to a good rain, their orchids are still better off than just a quick watering in which the water just runs past the roots. How long their plants will flourish this way is yet to be seen, but now they want to fertilize them and asked me how too since the leaves on theirs are not quite up to par. Rose I do both. I submerge many of mine and others I will sit in a pot of warm water covering the top of the pots until I see the roots green or plump up again. My guess would be that an ice cube sitting at room temp that sits on bark, not on the roots would not drop freezing water onto the roots, but maybe room temperature water drops? Not sure. One thing is true of most orchids is that they like a thorough watering followed by quickly dried roots. Most orchids grow from trees and crevices which allows good air flow to the roots after a drenching or misty rain. If it was my orchid, I would dump the holess pot for one that allows plenty of air movement and much needed oxygen between the roots. Do something for me.? Soak that clear plastic pot once the roots have dried in warm water for about 5 minutes and tell me what happens to the roots on the inside. What do they look like? That's why many sell clear pots, so you can see what is going on with them while the roots actually grab sunlight as needed on many orchids. Mike This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Sun, Mar 17, 13 at 13:26

- Angraecum didieri is a wonderful miniature, and suited for windowsills. Mine were never happy potted, so I'd recommend mounting or propping in an empty clay pot. - E. cochleata is not a miniature, at least by my def. My (late) plant was bursting from a 7" pot and the spikes ran at least 2-3 feet high. - Neo. falcata is also a great choice. Stays small, beautiful in all seasons. Probably the easiest to grow of those listed here. - Dendrobium unicum. A neat mini dend, only 3-4" high, 2" pot. Gorgeous orange flowers. Light more toward the lower, dend-phal intensity. Drawback: deciduous, so the plant looks like a cluster of dead sticks for about 5 months of the year. Positive: you can mostly ignore it during the winter. - Rupicolous laelias from Brazil, including L. milleri, briegeri, lucasiana, liliputiana, mixta, etc. Small plants (usually under 6") with nice flowers. Needs more light than the plants above, and will definitely need a summer outdoors. - Mini dend hybrid and mini catt hybrid people, what say ye? Gotta be some good, cast-iron miniatures out there. (Sorry for the powerpoint style post.)

I am of the school of doing as little as possible......it depends on what sort of growing conditions you can provide wherever you are in the USA. The condition of the plant and the roots. The number of drainage holes at the base of the pot, and even what sort of horticultural knowledge you have.....Some posters here have never grown anything and yet they are told to do major "surgery" on a first time plant, when maybe better advice would be to try and get growing experience by sitting back and observing. The ice orchid thing is a gimmick to prevent overwatering. There are many past emotional threads you can read on that subject. Anyway, tell the posters here more about the growing conditions you can provide, your state code or climate zone, temperatures, light from windows and the potting material in the pot which is probably sphagnum moss.

I gave what was left of my rescue one to a friend after growing it in leca for a while. She still has it and it's doing well for her. Meyermike, I'd love to convince him to join but he's not a computer nerd. His specialty is rare cacti and succulents. Most of the stuff he tells me about, I don't understand at all. I posted a picture of one of his orchids in the orchid forum. He showed me this when I was there the other day. I didn't even know orchids could be this small! https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6137145/miniature-more-like-tiny-orchids#n=0 He is a super interesting guy!