Watering orchids with ice cubes is controversial ... some people swear by it, but they're generally warm weather plants, so why would they want freezing cold water on their roots?

Now, I'm going to preface this with the fact that our orchid has yet to rebloom for us, so I may not be your best source on that front, but it's happy otherwise. Orchids don't like to be wet, but dry is also an issue, and generally orchid pots will have holes in them for airflow, as well. Our Phal. lives in a plastic pot inside a pretty ceramic pot, both with holes. It gets watered when its medium has dried out completely but its roots are still nice and green (clear plastic pot lets us see in to check); to water it, we take the plastic pot and submerge the pot (not the plant ... just the pot) into a bowl of water for about ten minutes to let it soak up the moisture it wants, then it gets pulled out of the water, allowed to drip any excess off of itself and then put back in its decorative ceramic pot. Make sure no water gets into the crown between the leaves, as that can cause crown rot.

You may also need to check the medium it is sitting it ... a lot of orchids are sold in pretty old or incorrect medium ... it shouldn't be like dirt, more like moss and wood chunks. If its medium looks degraded or like its been potted in soil, it needs to be repotted, likewise if it's in a pot that doesn't allow proper drainage and breathing of the roots. If you repot it, only cover roots that were previously covered, the others are air roots and want to be up out of the medium. I'm sure others can give better advice on repotting beyond that if you need it.

As for the buds dropping off, the plant may be stressed by change in environment or by its watering, since you said it didn't seem to be working. Orchids will abort their flowers if they aren't perfectly happy or if there are too many changes ... actually, a lot of plants do, not just orchids.

Hope this is somewhat helpful ...

Here is a link to notes provided by the Canadian Orchid Congress.

Canadian Phalaenopsis Notes

About every 10 days I take mine to the sink, use the spray and let it run through for 20 seconds or so. Wait until the water stops dripping through the bottom and then put the clear plastic pot back in the ceramic one. But mine's a grocery store special. I've gotten them to rebloom, but second generation blooms don't last very long. Mine is in what looks like wood chips. The expensive ones my mother used to get from a chi chi florist were in mossy stuff and never lasted as long. You couldn't water them and let them "pee" through the bottom.

I am in similar conditions to you, that said I am new to orchids so take my advice accordingly.

I immediately repotted my two phalaenopsis, even though they were in bloom, and they never lost a blossom, bud or leaf. After reading info on this forum I realized that the original medium was not very good so I put them in a mix of repti bark, and sphagnum moss. They are in a clear pot with holes (dollar store cup with holes drilled) and set in a ceramic pot. Once a week I submerge the pot in a weak mix of rain water and fertilizer. One month later they seem to be fine, the buds are still opening, but I hear that to raise orchids it takes patience so maybe with time they will die. LOL.

Search this forum and learn, the advice is excellent. Beware! it can be addicting. I now have tentatively bought a Vanda and a Paphiopedilum, with a Phragmepedium on order.