Rescuing this indoor plant?

Question

This is a neighbor’s plant that I’m trying to rescue.

The 1st picture is what it looked like before I brought it to my apartment. The picture’s about a month old.

Today the hanging pot broke. The 2nd picture shows what it looks like now. I was going to move it to another pot, but wanted to check with the group before doing anything.

As you can see, the top part is just really dry and brown. But the bottom part of the roots still have lots of green and blue (from the flowers).

Two questions:

1. Can someone identify this plant?
2. How can I rescue this plant?

Should I prune it? I have no idea what to do.

Btw, we live in 100-degree weather and the plant receives the strong afternoon sun.

I’ve added a 3rd picture: it’s a close-up of the leaves to better identify it.

Answer 1

This might be a Tradescantia of some sort. Tradescantia plants are vigorous growers. You could stick the healthy vines into water or straight into soil to root them up. If put into soil make sure to keep the soil on the moist side for 1-2 weeks so the cuttings could stay hydrated until they grow roots.

Answer 2

It comes as no surprise that the plant has come-up to this condition.

First, Tradescantia plants assume a "Crawling" growth habit: The plant grows on the forest floor, sending-out roots as it grows. That is why it is often grown as a ground cover. The plant may branch as it grows and the old growth eventually dies. When grown in a hanging basket, the old growth may die but the new growth, dangling over the edge, has nowhere to root. The end result is many dead branches that accumulate.

As Bence said, grow new ones from tip cuttings. Just stick them inside the new container each time you replace a dead branch.