Stem breaking on Vanda- help please
 

I have a tall Vanda with a lot of leaves that I recently posted on the forum. It is a NoID red Vanda. It is now dropping it's flowers but I noticed it's main stem where the leaves come from has a break (I think it was top heavy with the double spike full of flowers).
It has started to put out a lot of roots above the break in the stem, which I believe it is trying to survive! Previously there were no roots above the break it now has 6 roots forming, these are very high on the stem. The stem has not completely broken, as I am trying to hold it together until the roots form longer. Should I let it break away from the bottom of the plant that is leafless where all the GREAT roots are. This plant has a ton of roots and almost none above the break. Please help me save me vanda. I can also try and get some pictures. Thanks!

It's good that it's putting roots out above. I would probably try and keep it together as long as you can to get some really good roots above, but at some point it may be best to let the bottom go. If it's not completely broken through them some moisture is getting through from the bottom so the longer you can leave it the better.

I've seen stuff about people cutting very tall vandas hoping for a basil keiki off the base with it's roots, and for new roots from the top. Not something I would be comfortable with, but the fact it can work could be what saves yours.

When growers do what they call "Topping" vamdas, they cut the main stem at a place where there will be at least three large roots above the cut. In your case, I would get a orchid stake or any kind of thin, strong wooden stake, and run it along the back of the main stem of the vanda. Tie it to the vanda at several places along the main stem, with the green tie wire used for orchids and available at Home Depot in the "trellis" section. Leave the vanda like that until several good quality roots have grown above the break. After that, it's up to you. You can leave it or cut it off once you're confident that you have plenty of roots.

:agree: A local grower gets some of his divisions by topping off his vandas, so hopefully your roots will grow in quickly above the fracture and then you'll have two plants!

Great advice, thank you all!
2 plants? If I let it break I will get another plant where the bottom roots are?
Also, would I need to treat the bottom of the break where the leaves are when I place in a basket and can I get water on it?

It's not garanteed you will get two plants, but it's possible.

Vandaceous orchids can grow basil keikis if their crown is damaged. This is basically a new crown that appears near the base beside the existing stem and grows up to replace the damaged crown. A snap like yours is the same as a damaged crown as far as the bottom part is concerned.

However it doesn't always happen, and the healthier both parts of the plant are the more likely both will survive. I would still leave them together as long as possible, to ensure the top half has good healthy roots, that way if that part is likely to do well on it's own then it will be a bonus if the other part also starts growing.

I have supported the stem until the upper roots are long enough to supplement the upper plant. I hope that I do get a second Vanda so I can gift it to someone~ as I have been gifted with plants! Both portions are very healthy so that should be a possibility. Thanks :D

A damaged main stem is just as likely to cause the orchid to produce keikies as cutting the stem completely. So keeping the plant together is your best bet. If you do eventually cut the stem off, you can sprinkle a little cinnamon on the cut if you want to, or use a fungicide. I don't treat the cuts at all and I've never had a one become infected.

I was thinking that might be the case as well tucker, that even while kept together the damage might cause the lower section to keiki. Lets hope so for LovePhals :crossfing:

I've heard of similar ways that you can top a vanda and encour it to grow a keike.
The way that I read, it says to support the plant and cut half way thru the bottom of the stalk with a razor and leave it for one growing season.

So I'm sure if you protect it and stake it well, keep the break dry for the moment, then hopefully in a year you'll have 2 plants

The stem is a 2-way street. Roots send water/nutrients up, and the top sends a keiki inhibiting hormone down. When plant gets tall enough, the hormone no longer reaches the base of the stem, and then keikis start to form.

In this case, try to keep it together till roots above the break are well established. Then cut the top off and plant separately.

Whether base will give you a keiki is unknown. Depends in part on how much hormone is getting through now, in part on whether lower part of stem has any leaves, and in part on who knows what. In a vacuum, in this case it is probably 50/50 whether base will produce new growth.

While on the topic. I have a Vanda coerulea var. supra... I have a six inch kieki below an area I had to top last year due to suspected rot. The whole plant is about two feet tall with decent roots. I've been waiting and waiting for the kieki to develop roots, but it keeps growing... But still no roots? What could I do to promote new roots. I grow in lava rock in a pot, with bright light and intermediate temperatures.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

On Vandas it can take a long time for keikis to form their own roots. I am not aware of anything we can do to get roots going.

*Update*
 

Here is my Vanda about a month later with 12 more roots above the beak on front and back of the plant. The flower stem it still has is going strong after about 3 months and I just noticed today a new spike. Are the roots long enough now?