Ordered keiki paste how best to use?

[Skirril]

Ok, so the orchid which got me hooked on orchids had a terminal spike when I got her She is beautiful and I am desperate not to lose her altogether. Perhaps I should be patient and see if she gets keikis on her own, but one of her flower spikes is now completely flowerless (the non-terminal spike), and the other is down to 5 flowers.

So I decided to get some keiki paste to give it a go before the spikes are gone altogether. I have ordered it, but it hasn't arrived yet and I want to know my plan of action before it does.

I have read a little about it, but some of it confuses me. I know how to apply it, but at how many nodes should I try? (I have read it can kill the plant and am somewhat afraid of raiding the chances by applying it to many nodes at once). Also, which should I try? Here seeds 123SEED it says "apply KEIKI on the lower nodes only or if you want to higher your chance for a flower spike, then apply KEIKIBOOST to the upper nodes." So I am confused, if I want keikis which do I apply to...? (there aren't many nodes left on her, most had already had flower spikes on when I got her, she was magnificent!).

On the same site it also says "you apply KEIKIBOOST one week at least after the last flower fell", does that mean I should wait until all flowers are off the plant? Or that I can apply to the spike which has already lost it's flowers, but not the other?

I have also read that dark and warmth promotes keikis rather than flowers, true or myth?

I also at some point read a post somewhere (can't remember if it was on this site) of someone putting a drop of hormone (but they didn't say which!) onto a freshly cut flowerspike and it caused 3 basal keikis to grow. Would this work? I only saw anything about that once.

Is there anything else I can do to encourage her to have keikis? Normally I wouldn't be bothered if it risked losing the plant, but because of the terminal spike and the pattern on the flowers being so beautiful (I have looked and looked and I haven't found any pics of ones quite like her) I really want to get keikis from her so I can relax and know that while she will not flower again her baby/ies will

[camille1585]

I think you can go ahead and apply the paste on the nodes of the bare spike. I don't think which node you apply it to makes any difference at all, I don't see why it should. All the natural keikis I've had have come from upper nodes. I would say that you can apply it to as many nodes as you want, and then once they start developing you can remove some/ remove any spikes that may have started.

I have also heard about low light/warmer temperature favorizing keikis rather than spikes. I tend to believe it, because the 3 times I have had keikis grow instead of side spikes (without adding hormones, plants did it on their own) they happened to have been in somewhat dim light before that (moved them to enjoy the blooms)

[Kelo]

I suggest you read the post 5th from the bottom on this link. Theo works at Laminar Flow in Austria that specialises in orchid production....

The UK Orchid Forum - with resources for the EU • View topic - Keiki grow/boost

[Skirril]

Thank you Kelo, I had already read that thread though

And thank you Camille, that's very helpful

[Kelo]

No worries!