Question
Hi Jim,

I broke off a part of an orchid from the original orchid about a year ago & re-potted it. It sort of looked like it was dead though I left it & now it has taken nearly a year for it to re-shoot leaves in which it is doing at present. The other stem still looks dead in which I think it is as its gone really yellow & the base of the stem near the roots have all dried out. Though today when I touched the base too see if it was dead or not the stem with the new growth snapped off. Since there is no root attached I was wondering is there any way in which I can get roots to produce from the broken stem & keep this orchid alive?

Answer
Hi Julia,

This may be a long shot but you might give it a try to see what happens.  In my experience it works less than 20% of the time.  Hope it works for you!  

In a vial or small bud vase, put a small sprinkle of sugar plus water (7Up soda works also), cut the bottom inch of the stem and put it in the water.  If all goes well, the stem will take up the sweet water and may start a new growth (keiki) on a dormant node.  

But, if you meant that a keiki had broken off the stem, place it in a plastic bag (ziploc) with a barely moist paper towel then close the bag.  Hopefully it will begin growing roots within several months.  Pot it into a small pot when the roots are over 2 inches long.  

Hope this helped.  Good luck!  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.