Making Babies

It sounds like a pet's name, but they are plants, baby plants. In Hawaiian keiki means “baby,” referring to a baby plant produced asexually (usually occurring in Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, or Vandaceous orchid species). The keiki is a clone of the mother/father plant. Although the keikis look neat, they are usually a good indication that your orchid plant is under some kind of stress... unless you are an experienced green thumb and you encourage your orchid plants to make "babies" so you can share with friends. This is my Dendrobium superbum having quadruplet, or even octuplet... The general theory for Dendrobiums is... you withhold watering to produce flowers, and you water abundantly to encourage keikis. I did neither, and left it to Mother nature. The rain did grow these keikis, but... this plant will flower again the next cycle, in April 2010. But wait a minute... it did not rain much this year, so this plant is under stress and it is fighting for survival. Neat!