Use of Keiki Paste

[Floridan by Choice]

Just a couple of weeks ago I purchased some Keiki paste and on 5 Feb smeared it on two or three nodes of several Phals as kind of an experiment – had never used it before. I used several Phals that were budding and several that were through with blooming and the tops had been trimmed off. I grow outside in Central Florida and the Phals come inside if it gets below 60 degrees at night. It stays at or above 50% moisture all the time where I keep them and I use moisture trays when the plants are indoors.

I removed the protective sheath from several nodes and left some nodes like they were but made sure the sheath was fully covered with paste. I have growth on all of the experiment Phals but whether they are keiki or bloom spikes I’m not too sure of yet. Some of the new growth has the little mittens so am pretty sure that those are bloom spikes. Have no roots showing up on any of the new growth yet.

I read somewhere that keiki paste should be reapplied after several days but I think that would only apply to nodes that have not started growing yet but don’t know for sure.

My question is: Should I add a new layer of keiki paste to the base of the new growth in order to keep supplying the growth hormones or just let the new growth live off of whatever the mother plant provides?

Any comments would be appreciated. Here are a couple of pics of two of the Phals. I used the paste on the left spike – of the dual spike Phal – just last week and am already getting some reaction. I think growing outside and the level of moisture that is usually available has something to do with the rapid growth of the “keiki”.