Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa) branch broke off!

I accidently broke off one the main branches of my Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa). Can I save this branch? I have it sitting in a pitcher that has potting soil and water in it--like a loose mud. I feel so bad :( Any help would be greatly appreciated.

That should save it emily, the branch will grow roots, and then you can either start a new plant or pop this one back in the same pot. Mud is a good idea; you could also use just water, or you can even plant it and keep the earth damp until new growth starts.

ceedub, thanks so much for your reply. The leaves on the branch are looking really wilted. I wonder if I should take some of them off so the plant can focus on developing roots instead of keeping all of the leaves nourished. Should I add any fertilizer to the mix?

Good idea to lop off bad leaves, you're right. I personally don't add fertilizer to cuttings though, it's too strong and may burn. Some people use rooting powders to encourage quick rooting, you might try that.

Regarding lopping off the leaves, nearly all of them are "wilting". I took off about 4 of the bottom leaves so not sure if that's enough or not. I'll look into the "rooting powders" and see if the local nursery carries those. How long does it generally take for the "cutting" to grow roots?

It shouldn't take more than a week for you to see roots starting; before you plant it though, make sure the roots are 2-3" long. One thing I just thought of, is that if the branch that fell off is leggy, i.e., has lost lots of leaves, you should cut it back so that there's no more than 6" of stem to root (measure from the lowest healthy leaf). Also, if you root it in water, if you use clear glass do not put the glass in sun; its best to use something not clear anyway (pottery vase maybe). Let me know how it works out for you, I'll be watching this thread. Thanks.

You might want to dip the end in a bit of rooting compound. I've been really impressed with the way that stuff works!

Is there a particular brand that works best? I still haven't had a chance to get to the local nursery as I work later than it stays open so may have to do that on the weekend.

What I have done so far is take about 1/2 of the leaves off, take 2 inches off the branch, and put into a jug of water. It's looking pretty saggy and the leaves are mostly wilted. Poor thing.

Regarding a rooting hormone, what is the best to use? I did a little reading and some people say that powder is better while others prefer it in a liquid form. With the stem sitting in water, wouldn't a powder form just disolve?

I can't help you, I've never used them.

I've had the branch rooted in medium consisting of half sand and half peat moss for around 3 weeks now. I've kept the mixture moist but not wet. I'm already seeing little signs of some new growth :) Thanks to all of the advice I've received here and my local nursery, I think it's going to pull through.

How long should I leave it in this mixture before transferring to regular potting soil?

I like a good root on mine - say 2-3 inches - before its planted. But if you say its already sending out new growth, it should be ready now to be planted. Just water it really well once its planted, and let it nearly dry out before you water it again. Glad to be of help!
Chrisitine.