Yep… I’ve heard about not playing new reeds for long time sessions, at least during the first week or two.
Besides, this teacher told me to wipe the reed out rubbing its vamp away with your thumb (better if you haven’t washed your hands since hours ago) on a glass surface, right after playing. Small dirt/oil particles in your finger help clogging the pores, as the saliva residues do. This protects the reed from being waterlogged and increases its life.
Let it dry on that flat (ideally glass) surface, for about 10-20 minutes and then put it back into the reed case.