Date: 08/01/2010
See the photo on the right side (Photo 2). You can see few plants growing on top of the original plants. These new plants are called Keikis.
Is it a good thing? Not really. Keikis indicate bad health of the mother plant. The mother plant is 'under stress' and is trying to propagate itself before it dies off.
Photo 1: New roots clearly visible arising from the keiki. A sign of new life.
Why are these mother plants stressed? They could be stressed due to a number of reasons.
a) Too much water or less water
b) Too much or too little sun
c) Lack of humidity
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Photo 2: Orchid Keiki, new plants arising from the old bamboo-like stem. You can see that the mother plant is weak.
This plant above is an example of dendrobium which has send out a keiki to protect its life instead of sending out a flower spike.
Which one do you save? Keiki or the mother plant? The mother plants are grown up and flowering size plants. Saving them can save time. Keiki's can take years to be a full adult. It is entirely up to you which one you save. If you wish to save the mother plant then cut the plant 1 inch from the base and grow them again if they have roots. If you wish to save keiki's remove them sensitively. How to remove the keiki's will be later published in this section.
Good care of the mother plants with optimal water, sunlight, fertilizers and humidity can prevent keiki formation. |
