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How to Propagate Orchids at Home

Published on November 2, 2021 โ™› By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
Read full disclosure statement here.

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You can propagate orchids by cloning the plants using keiki paste. This synthetic hormonal paste stimulates the growth of new baby orchids complete with roots and shoots. The new plants are genetic clones of the mother plant.

If you are new to growing orchids, this has helpful tips for beginners. For more on propagating houseplants, see How to Root Pothos Cuttings.

Large and small potted orchid plants.

Propagating Orchids With Hormone Paste

If you follow online discussions about growing houseplants, you may have heard keiki paste mentioned in recent years. Itโ€™s a hormone paste used to propagate orchids and other tropical plants.

Moth orchid and keiki for transplanting.

The name comes from the Hawaiian word keiki (pronounced KAY-KEE) meaning โ€œchildโ€ or โ€œlittle one.โ€

Used on epiphytic (air plant) orchids like Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, and Neofinetias, this synthetic hormone has the potential to trigger the growth of a baby orchid complete with shoots and rootsโ€”a rare but exciting event for any avid grower.

Results tend to be very hit and miss but when it works, itโ€™s very cool.

Once the baby orchid (โ€œkeikiโ€) has roots a few inches long, it can be cut from the mother plant and grown as a whole new plant. Because it grows vegetatively from the mother, the new plant is a genetic clone.

This paste also has uses for other tropical plants.

Before propagating plants, it is important to know that some plants are patented. This explains when propagation is prohibited and how long patents last.

Letโ€™s look at what keiki paste is and how to use it.


Contents

  • Rooting Hormone Versus Keiki Paste
  • How to Use Keiki Paste
  • Use on Other Tropical Plants
  • Resources

Rooting Hormone Versus Keiki Paste

Orchid flower branch with white moth orchid flowers.

Rooting Hormones

Most gardeners are familiar with rooting hormones (powders, liquids, gels) that we apply to plant cuttings to stimulate root growth. Most of the time the active ingredient is a synthetic version of a plant hormone called auxin.

Keiki Paste

Keiki paste (see it here on Amazon) uses another class of plant hormone with a different function.

While the specific formulation of these products is not always listed, we know the primary active ingredient is a synthetic form of cytokinin.

The cytokinin in keiki paste is most likely 6-Benzylaminopurine or BAP, also known as 6-Benzyladenine or BA. The product may also include some B vitamins, auxin, and lanolin.

Cytokinin occurs naturally in plants, helping to break bud dormancy and promote growth. But, there is a lot more to bud activation than just cytokinin levels, so the hormone alone does not ensure this happens. And thatโ€™s why using keiki paste does not guarantee success.


Small orchid growing in blue glass jar.

Related: Orchid Care for Beginners (Tips From a Lifelong Grower)


How to Use Keiki Paste

Orchid baby keiki ready for transplanting.
Orchid keiki ready for transplanting

These instructions are for Phalaenopsis (moth orchids) but the steps are similar for other epiphytic orchids as well.

Keiki paste is available in stores or online.

It comes in very small amounts but you just need a tiny dab at a time. You could also buy the ingredients separately and mix your own.

Tips For Success

There are several important things to get right to increase your chance of growing a keiki.

Plant Age

  • Choose a mature orchid that is healthy and actively growing and has flowered previously, not a really young or old plant.

Timing

  • For timing, wait until the plant has finished flowering and is in a vegetative growth state, producing new leaves. This is generally when temperatures are warmer (spring, summer). Itโ€™s during the cooler seasons that regular flowering occurs.

Application

  • On the plant, the paste is applied to a dormant bud (node) on a flower branch (known as the โ€œspikeโ€ or โ€œinflorescenceโ€).
  • Counting from the base of the flower stalk, apply the paste to bud number 2 or 3 or 4. We do this because the first bud is least likely to produce babies and the fifth bud is most likely to produce a new branchโ€”if anything.
  • Before applying the paste, peel off the leafy sheath that protects the dormant bud. The bud may be tiny but, if itโ€™s there, it has potential to grow.

Some growers cut off the remainder of the spike, about an inch beyond the chosen bud.

Quantity

  • For quantity, use a scant amount of paste and treat just one bud to avoid overwhelming the plant. If the keiki grows, it will demand a lot of resources from the mother plant until it is ready to be separated.

Growth

As mentioned, itโ€™s impossible to predict what youโ€™ll get, if anything. It may be a new branch, flower stalk, or a keikiโ€”a complete baby orchid.

If it is a keiki, within a few weeks you should see the bud swell, then leaves and roots gradually develop.

The time until itโ€™s ready for transplanting can be months or longer.

Video

This video by MissOrchidGirl on YouTube shows the application of keiki paste and the transplanting of babies from the mother plant.

YouTube video

Potted houseplants and ice cubes.

Related: Watering Houseplants With Ice Cubes: Pros & Cons


Using Keiki Paste on Other Tropical Plants

If you want to try keiki paste for propagating other plants, suggestions include African violet, monstera, philodendrons, hibiscus, and roses.

We don’t know how keiki paste can affect all these houseplants but, if you have some to spare, it could be fun to try some experimenting.


Resources

Listen

Subscribe to Podcast

More About Orchids

  • The American Orchid Society | Education. Conservation. Research.
  • The Orchid Whisperer: Expert Secrets for Growing Beautiful Orchids | Bruce Rogers (book)

Fungus Gnats

If you notice tiny mosquito-like insects flying around your houseplant, it may be fungus gnats.

You can trap the adults using these sticky yellow cards which will in turn prevent females from laying eggs.

This has more tips for dealing with fungus gnats.

More Houseplant Propagation Tips

  • How to Propagate Aloe Vera Pups
  • How to Grow Christmas Cactus From Cuttings
  • How to Propagate African Violets

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt โ™›

Pink orchid flowers
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How to Clone Orchids With Keiki Paste

How to use keiki paste with the plant hormone cytokinin to encourage epiphytic orchids to grow new baby plants, also known as "keikis".
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Steps15 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Makes: 1 baby plant
Author: Melissa J. Will
Cost: 25.00

Equipment

  • Chopstick
  • Keiki paste

Supplies & Materials

  • 1 Orchid plant mature, not in flower

Instructions

  • Choose a dormant bud on a flower branch of your orchid to propagate. Counting from the base, this should be the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th bud on the (not-in-flower) stem.
    1 Orchid plant
  • Gently remove/peel off any leafy sheath covering the bud.
  • Use a chopstick to apply a scant amount of keiki paste directly onto the bud. Discard any excess.
  • Continue routine care of the plant. If a keiki (baby orchid) is going to form, you should notice the bud swelling and beginning to grow within a month.

Notes

See the article for important tips on choosing the best orchid to propagate, timing, and application of the keiki paste.ย 
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Moth orchid and keiki for transplanting.
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Comments

  1. Corry Oosterhousec says

    February 2, 2022 at 4:50 pm

    I didnโ€™t use any type of paste to start a baby orchid but one spontaneously grew of one of the nodes on my orchid! Itโ€™s got two very healthy leaves and some what I think maybe roots? What should I do wit it? Leave it on the stem or take it of and put it in a pot of itโ€™s own?

    Reply
    • Melissa J. Will says

      February 3, 2022 at 6:44 pm

      Hi Cory,
      The process is the same whether keikei paste was used or not. The video on the post shows the process. Good luck with your little one!

      Reply

Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
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