Orchid Keikis

[orchidbaby]

So Ive just read and discovered a Phal can have a "baby" and they are called keikis....Now I am curious to know if this will occur all by itself because I had let an old spike stay on my plant for many months before trimming, I never noticed any sort of keiki. Is there a way to get your orchid to produce one? lol thanks.

[Phalcycle]

Hello,

Naturally, Phals do create keikis on their own but only when they feel stressed or if it's in their genetics.
A lot of people use Keiki paste for encouraging keiki growth.
A lot of times, I cut my spikes to the third node, and peel back the sheathing. 50% of the time, something with grow there. About 25% of the time, a keiki grows, the rest, a subspike grows.

The paste encoruages the growth of a dormant node on a phal spike. It doesn't mean it will be a keiki, just means the dormant node will become active.

[orchidlady]

Species Phals also more readily produce keikis-that's the genetics. The more complex Phal hybrids don't often produce keikis unless severely stressed because they are genetically further away from the species.

Susan

[jai_star]

Agree with the above comments even with Keiki paste it does not guarantee the production of keikis. I always thought that only mature Phals that's are several years old can produce keikis
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[orchidbaby]

that is really interesting. I bought my first phal at boxstore April 2011, it is doing really well, even despite being sun burned this passed May (i went on vacation and left my bf in charge of taking care of my plants and he forgot it outside) ugh!... but anyways, theres only 6 flowers left, one is wilting, and a new leaf is already coming up.

[orchidbaby]

oh and it has been blooming since the end of January this year

[poetiscariot]

Phals (and as far as I know all monopodial orchids) can also produce new growths from the side of the main part of the plant. Some people call these "basal keikis," some just call them new growth. They still have to be pretty adult to do that, and being stressed can bring it on (getting crown rot, for example, and recovering from the rot but losing the growth point), but it happens. Since you're asking about keikis.

If your plant has been blooming for 6 months, GOOD WORK. It definitely doesn't sound like it's going to produce keikis from stress!

[Saldalilover]

Can you use any growth/ rooting hormone to promote a keiki growth off a old flower spike? I have for instance Schultz Take Root - rooting powder - would this work?

[jai_star]

Rooting hormone is very different to keiki paste something to do with auxins i'm not too familiar just remeber reading about a post with this discussion

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Best to get keiki paste if that is what you are trying to do.

cheers,
BD