keiki question!

[vanda_obsession]

how does a keiki form? I'm so new to this and only discovered a few weeks ago that there is such thing, and I've been watching and learning from my own orchids for about 2 years now. I just took two keiki's off one of my orchids and put it in a 2" pot and it seems to be doing good so far. I was just curious to know if its something with the plant? I read another thread about a phal dying and a keiki was formed on it.. do some of them do that because the plant is dying? Are there certain conditions needed to produce them?
thanks

[rcb]

A keiki on what type? The answer changes depending on which kind of orchid you are talking about.

[vanda_obsession]

phals, Miniature Dendrobium.. anything! Just various examples..

[kmarch]

Not all types of orchids grow keikis, only some. For example slipper orchids (Paphs, Phrags, Cyps, etc) don't keiki. There are different ideas about what makes a Dan or Phal keiki. 1) Some suggest that a plant keikis in response to some kind of stress, to insure its survival. 2) Others suggest it is a response to "wrong" environmental conditions (ex. a nobile type dendrobium that gets fertilized with high nitrogen during its dry winter rest). 3) Still others suggest it is a normal part of their genetic make up (ex. Phal pulchra which produces many keikis - the bigger and healthier the plant, the more keikis). My view, based on observations through orchid growing, judging and this forum, is that it is any of the 3 depending on what kind of plant you have and what your situation is. In Phals we see a lot of 1 & 3. In dendrobiums it is more likely 1 & 2 but exceptions apply (the genus Dendrobium is very large and diverse) and 3 is possible too.

[vanda_obsession]

ok, thank you so much! I thought maybe it had to do with #1.. maybe weather conditions, etc.. one of my Miniature Dendrobium's that I recently split into 3, well one of them put out 2 keikiis.. the plant isnt "thriving" as much as the other two are (which are producing spikes) however it seems to be doing ok, no leaves are brown, roots are healthy, etc.. Its getting the same care as its 2 brothers are.. its just not growing like crazy like the other two are... was just curious! I've heard so many "things" from various people on why orchids do this, or do that... and keiki's is a subject I have no heard any talk of yet.... Thank you very much

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by vanda_obsession

... and keiki's is a subject I have no heard any talk of yet.... Thank you very much

The forum here if full of threads and discussions about keikis. If you do a forum search on the word "keiki" you'll end up wiht more than you can read in a weekend.

You say you have a miniature dendrobium but that doesn't tell us what kind you have. As I mentioned before different dens respond differently and may keiki for different reasons, some benign and some not. Does your dendrobium have a tag or could you post a picture of it?

[vanda_obsession]

I don't know what kind my mini is.. my mother gave it to me about two years ago blooming at that time... all 3 now are putting up spikes... I meant by "keikis being a subject" line of just general talk, not here on the forum. Anyone I've talked to at plant shows or at a nursery is what I was meaning.. I don't get alot of time to get on the computer to really look and read through everything.. These two jobs are sucking my soul out!

[vanda_obsession]

... and yes, it just opened 3 buds finally and as I remembered (it hasn't bloomed in the two years) when my mom gave it to me, the flowers resemble a phal and are white with a purple center. very pretty and petite thing, its always been dear to me cause it was a gift from my mother (we aren't very close) and the fact that I split it into three in July they all have been growing like crazy.. and one of them had a keiki going, and I recently got it off and its in its own little pot doing very well too! here's a picture I took before I left for FL on Thursday.. it has since opened two more buds... at least I hope its a Miniature Dendrobium, from the looking and researching that I could thats what I concluded it to be.. whatever it is, its a pretty one!!

heres some pictures.. its the same plant and spike in its early stage.. and just the other day the other one in the pot with the one blooming right now started a spike too... so ALL my mini's (well, except the keiki) have spikes now. for me being a noob and struggling for 2 years on it is very exciting

[vanda_obsession]

in fact, doing a random search, this is what mine looks like to a "T"...! Demonstration of Orchid Staking