On 21/04/2013 11:57, Dave West wrote:
Indoor orchid stem with five nice developing buds has accidentally just been
snapped off.

We have put it in a vase of water. Is it best to:

1. just change fresh water regularly
2. sprinkle a little phostrogen in the water
3. years ago i read putting in a couple of copper coins in the water was a
good idea?

Grateful for any advice on the above and any other suggestions. Thanks.

Treat it like any other cut flower, if you have one of those sachets of
cut flower food use that in the water, if not a few drips of bleach in
the water will stop the water going "Bad".
Looked after properly cut orchids can last up to 3 months, so worth
taking a little trouble.
When the stem broke did you get it straight into water?
If the cut stem was out of water for ah hour or more then it could help
to have a deep container of hand hot water and one of cold (It's final
vase is fine), shorten the stem by an inch or so and place it in the hot
water, stem only, not the flowers. leave it for half a min or so, then
move it into the cold water.
The hot water expands the water in the stem and will push out ant air
that has been taken up, then the cold water contracts the fluid in the
stem and gets drawn up into the stem.
I have known gerbra pushing out air for over a minute, you could see the
little stream of bubbles.
David @ a damp end of Swansea Bay, but waiting for the real rain.