Propagating Orchids: Keikis

Aloha!

Keiki (KAY-key), Hawaiian for “baby” is the term for a new plantlet growing on a mother orchid. These plantlets can grow naturally and they can be encouraged by using plant hormones. Phalaneniopsis and Dendrobium orchids are especially prone to producing keikis. Let’s talk about what happens if your orchid has produced a keiki on its own, or how to encourage Keikis using Keiki Power Pro. Using hormones doesn’t always produce keikis, most often the orchid will produce flowers rather than a keiki–and that’s okay too.

Roots and Leaves Growing On the Flower Stalk

Your orchid may surprise you, when one day you notice leaves and roots growing on your orchid’s flower stalk. This is one way that orchid’s propagate. The baby plantlet is a clone of the parent plant. This type of propagation is most common in Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids. If you do notice a keiki growing, look for sign of stress on the mother plant. Perhaps the root system is in trouble. Keikis are not always a sign that something is amiss, but it is something to be aware of.

At any rate, leave the little plantlet alone until the roots and leaves are about 2-3 inches long. Then, with a new razor blade cut the keiki from the mother plant. Using a new, unused razor blade will prevent the spread of disease between plants.

Using a potting medium designed especially for young orchids, pot the keiki in a small, clear orchid pot. Be gentle with your new keiki. If possible, provide extra humidity for your fledgling plant. Otherwise, care for your new plantlet as you do the mother plant.

PERFECT POTTING MIX FOR KEIKIS

Keiki Paste

If your orchid hasn’t produced keikis on its own, or you want your orchid to produce more flowers, you can use hormones to kick-start your orchids. Keiki paste is marketed as as way to asexually produce more orchids. The question though is that when using the paste, you don’t know if you’ll get a plantlet or a flower stalk. My experience is that most of the time, the keiki paste results in a flower stalk, which I am totally fine with. In my experience, keiki paste works best with phalaenopsis, or moth orchids (the kind most often found in the grocery store).

Why the Keiki Paste Works

Keiki paste contains a growth hormone called cytokinin that encourages cell division. The hormone is added to lanolin because lanolin sticks to the orchid and won’t wash away if it gets wet. When the keiki paste is applied to an orchid node, the hormone will (hopefully, it doesn’t always work) result in either a keiki (an exact clone of the mother plant) or in an inflorescence (a flower stalk).

Sounds Too Good to be True

I know, adding a bit of sticky goo to your orchid stalk with the hope of an emerging new orchid or a profusion of flowers sounds like wishful thinking, but I’m telling you, the stuff really works! Using keiki paste is SUPER EASY and a little goes a long way. Once you buy the paste, the small jar will last for many, MANY applications.

Materials

• keiki paste
• chopstick or cotton swab for applying the paste
• gloves, for keeping the paste off your hands
• paper towels to wipe off the chopstick and general cleanup
• rubbing alcohol and cotton balls for sterilizing your tools, knife and chopstick
• a sharp knife, utility knife or pruning shears to cut into the orchid node. A disposable utility knife is the most sanitary method.

Instructions

Begin by locating a “node” along the stalk. If you run your hand along the stalk you will feel a bump. The node will look like a little joint in the stalk.

With a sterilized sharp knife, scissors, or utility knife, cut into the node. Take off enough of the node so the the node is flush with the rest of the stalk.

The orchid flower stalk is prepared for keiki paste application.

Next, put on your gloves and with your chopstick or cotton swab, scoop out a very small amount of keiki paste.

Finally, with the chopstick or cotton swab dab a small amount of the keiki paste onto the prepared node.

It’s good practice to record in your plant journal which orchid you applied the paste and the date.

What to Expect After Using the Paste

After applying the paste, I just kind of forget about it. Several weeks later you may notice a little flower stalk growing out of the node–sometimes at an odd angle. You will know it’s a flower stalk because the end will look like a closed fist with tiny bumps on the end.

Pictured above is a flower stalk. If you see what resembles a closed fist at the tip, you know you’ve got a flower stalk.

The smooth tip is a sure sign that this is a root, not a flower stalk.

It looks a little funky where the new flower stalk emerges and where the the dead flower stalk meet.

With a pair of sterilized scissors, trim off the remaining bump from the dead flower stalk.

In most cases, you will see a new flowers emerging. Or, you may be surprised to see little leaves emerging. These little leaves indicate that you’ve got a keiki, a perfect clone of the mother plant. Do not remove the baby plant until its roots are 1-3″ long.

Rather than a new flower stalk, I was surprised to see this little keiki.

Keiki paste can result in an abundance of blooms.

Make the Most of Your Orchids

Although keiki paste is marketed for growing keikis, I’ve had more success encouraging more flowers. I have had limited success growing plantlets and robust success getting my Phaleanopsis to push out more flowers. And, I’m not the only one. Orchid distributors use it to get the most flowers possible. They know we’ll pass over the orchids with only a few flowers and gravitate to the plants packed with blooms.