Plant Care Tips

You probably saw it on the care tag that came with your orchid: three ice cubes, once a week. It sounds almost too tidy. And if you have spent any time in orchid forums since then, you have discovered it is also controversial enough to start arguments. “Ice cubes are safe.” “Ice cubes damage roots.” Both camps sound certain. Both are talking past each other. The reason for that divide is not that one group is right and the other is wrong. It is that the ice cube method has a specific scope, and that scope almost never gets explained clearly. Whether it helps or harms depends less on water temperature than on the orchid genus, the potting medium, the condition of the roots, and whether water is actually reaching the right places. ...

By KnowYourPlant editorial team, last updated June 15, 2026. Your calathea’s leaf edges have gone brown and papery. Not just the tips – the whole outer edge of older leaves is drying out and pulling inward, and it is spreading to newer growth. You have read everything you can find. Every article says the same thing: these plants need high humidity. So you have been misting it almost every day. The crispy edges are still spreading. ...

If you’ve ever come home to a wilted plant after a few days away, you’ve probably wondered whether self watering pots are actually worth it. The short answer is yes, but with some caveats worth knowing before you buy. A self watering pot is a planter with a built-in water reservoir at the bottom, separated from the soil by a barrier. The plant draws moisture upward through a wick or soil column only when it needs it. Water on demand, from below, without you hovering with a watering can every two days. ...