Keiki questions!

[Rachel the Truth]

Okay, so all of my orchids are fairly young!

I would LOVE to have some keikis from a few of them, but I have NO IDEA how this happens.

I know that they show up mostly because of a build up of hormones at the site of the keiki, but what triggers this?

Is there a specific age that the plant must be to begin producing them?

Are there any conditions that promote the chances of them developing keiki?

I have read a whole bunch on what to do with them once you have them, but nothing on HOW to get them!

I have heard of the keiki paste that you can put on the notches on the spikes, but have heard mixed reviews, ranging from it does nothing at all, to all it did was promote another flower spike, to OMg now I have so many keikis they have taken over my house.... lol

I want some babies! lol

Any suggestions?

[mayres]

Genetics has a lot to do with how likely you are to get keikis. Some types of phals produce a lot of keikis naturally - without any interferrance from growers at all. Others need to be coaxed. I use a product called keiki paste - I suggest you get some if you want to play around with keikis. It doesn't work 100% of the time - sometimes you get keikis and sometimes you get subspikes. There are things you can do to increase your chances - when you purchase the product they will tell you what that is - like put your plant in the dark for a few weeks immediately after applying. Even that doesn't work 100% - take it from someone who has done it. The paste is relatively inexpensive and I've enjoyed playing around with it - think it was less than $10 - keep it refrigerated and it lasts several years. I have two phals right now that I applied it to multiple nodes on. The first plant shot out THREE subspikes ( a young plant that had a shortened branched bloomed out spike). The second plant I put it on a month or so ago now has two subspikes about to bloom, one keiki, and two other nodes that have yet to be decided if they are wanting to be flowers or plants - but they are definately growths enlarging out of the stem! You can apply this on ANY age plant. Keep in mind it DOES take patience - maybe 4-6 months for the plant to produce a keiki with roots long enough to remove and then the young removed plant will commonly be at least another 18-24 months to initial blooming.

[patticake]

meyers is the king of the phals, so what he says goes, for me! I've dealt with a lot of keikis on dendrobiums, but they happened naturally.

[Rachel the Truth]

where the heck have you found it for $10!!!!!!


All that I have been able to found has been like $35 dollars!!!!!!!!!

[zcivic]

Price List

i has some questions about this paste to and someone on this forum pointed me to this $14 shipped anywhere not to bad at all i have ordered it and am just waiting for it to arrive. i will let you know how it works but like it was said it will be months and months before i see results if any so i would say go for it, nothing to lose.

[Rachel the Truth]

Awesome!

Yeah i didnt have 35 to spend but 15 sounds reasonable!

[lissie0113]

has anyone used KeikiPro instead of Keiki paste? i found it online at keikipro.com and it seems to be a hormone spray instead of a paste. wondering which is better?

[Rachel the Truth]

it looks like shipping is $5 the bottle is $25!!!

[lissie0113]

yeah i edited my post after i realized that

[Rachel the Truth]

lol kay just saw that!

[kmarch]

I didn't see anywhere where you said what kind of orchids you have. If you have phals and dendrobiums you can get keikis but few other orchids keiki. It's estimated that there are nearly 200,000 different species and hybrids or orchids. What kinds do you have that you want to keiki?

[Rachel the Truth]

Originally Posted by kmarch

I didn't see anywhere where you said what kind of orchids you have. If you have phals and dendrobiums you can get keikis but few other orchids keiki. It's estimated that there are nearly 200,000 different species and hybrids or orchids. What kinds do you have that you want to keiki?

My phals. I have 8 of them and a couple of them i am so in love with that to have more would be a blessing!!!!!

[mayres]

Unfortunately my source of inexpensive keiki paste is no longer available. However, keep in mind that you don't need much. My little less than $5 vial is still 75% full after two years and using it maybe 10-12 times. These companies that are selling several ounces for $35 are selling you enough for a lifetime. If 3-5 people got together you could share a container like that and STILL have enough for years. If you keep it refrigerated it lasts for a long time - I've heard of someone have success with his 8 year old product.