What is the best method to promote a keiki?
A keiki can appear spontaneously on a Phalaenopsis spike or roots, particuliarly if it is a Phal. schillerana or Phal. cornu-cervi. Stressing cultural conditions could trigger such a situation. But if you wish to provoke a keiki, you may use hormones paste. The paste is sent with the proper instructions by Plant Hormones Canada. The treatment must be done with asepsis and the instruments should be desinfected with rubbing alcohol. Desinfect each bud; do not treat the first bud at the bottom of the spike for it is sterile. It is recommended to work on a spike with the last bud open. Dissect delicately the thin tissue layer covering the bud and with a toothpick place a small amount of paste on the bud. Reapply some more paste every 10 days. With a little luck you will see after 4 weeks some little roots and leaves. When two roots are 5 centimeters long, the plantlet can be removed from the mother plant and be potted individually. This plantlet will bloom in the following year, identical
