Orchids come with a reputation for being tricky to grow. A common sight is a leggy orchid with bare stems, often due to natural aging or not repotting it every few years. If this sounds like yours, don’t despair, as there is a way to encourage new sprouts and a dazzling display of blooms.
I hold my hands up and admit I’ve never really nailed down a perfect orchid care routine. There are several in my bathroom, and I've had them for years. Some years they bloom; others they don’t. I would love to reinvigorate them, and while searching for a potential solution, I found this crazy keiki cloning paste on Amazon.
This nutrient-based cloning paste actively encourages dormant buds along flowering stems. Bare stems can then produce new shoots and flowers, and new stems can even be used to propagate new orchid plants. It seems like a really simple way to breathe new life into your orchids, and the paste has received thousands of positive reviews.
A nutrient-based cloning paste made in the USA. The kit includes one 8g vial, applicator sticks, and a QR code linking to a detailed user guide.
What Is Crazy Keiki Cloning Paste?
Crazy keiki cloning paste is made in the USA. It is a paste made from natural wax and a blend of beneficial hormones, compounds, nutrients, and vitamins to encourage growth on all types of orchids, as well as any other houseplants with above-ground nodes.
The product differs from rooting hormone pastes or powders traditionally used to propagate plants from cuttings. It will help encourage new growth and additional blooms on healthy orchids. However, it will not bring an orchid back to life if the plant is suffering from underlying health issues caused by watering, temperature, or a lack of light.
How to Use Crazy Keiki Cloning Paste
The crazy keiki cloning paste encourages the development of dormant buds and keikis. Keiki means ‘child’ in Hawaiian. These are small versions of the plant that appear along the flowering stem, and are identical clones of the mother orchid.
Anyone wanting to propagate orchids can divide plants, start new plants from older ‘back’ bulbs, or grow them from these keikis. Many orchids naturally produce these babies to multiply.
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If you want to gift your favorite orchid to a friend or family member, a new keiki can be cut from the plant once it has aerial roots a few inches long. Repot it into a container filled with a specialized orchid potting mix (available at Amazon).
You don’t need to encourage keikis just to start new plants; they can stay put and breathe new life into an existing orchid. It can revitalize leggy orchids, encouraging new buds to develop on bare stems. Leaving a keiki on the parent plant creates a spectacular display as multiple flowering spikes can bloom simultaneously.
How you use the crazy keiki cloning paste depends on your plan for the keikis. Apply it higher up the plant for more blooms, and lower down if you wish to grow a new houseplant from cuttings.
It is easy to use. Apply the paste to a node after cutting or peeling a small section of the stem. When successful, new buds form in 3-4 weeks, and a new keiki emerges within eight weeks. It only takes one application, as the natural wax keeps the paste in place even with regular watering and misting, keeping the orchid healthy and happy throughout the process.
However, it is not a miracle cure and won’t save an unhealthy, wilting orchid. If your plant is unhappy, if it has orchid root rot from incorrect watering, or if orchid flowers are falling off due to stress, then make sure it recovers before using the product.
An unhealthy orchid can’t safely support new growth – any plant must be thriving to use the paste. And don’t get carried away using it on too many nodes at once. Pick one or two nodes, as overuse will stress the plant.
The crazy keiki cloning paste is for more than just orchids. It can be used on many other indoor plants, too. This includes a weeping fig, monstera, pothos, string of hearts, tradescantia, and more. If the plant has above-ground nodes, it is a suitable candidate.
The crazy keiki cloning paste has got 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 6,700 reviews at the time of writing. It is praised for its effectiveness across different houseplants, with reviewers reporting positive experiences with pothos, peperomia, philodendron, and orchids.
One review claims it ‘works like magic,’ and other users note similar happy experiences.
‘It’s only been about three short weeks, and I’m already seeing an absolutely unbelievable amount of new growth,’ says one five-star reviewer. ‘Seriously, these plants are practically exploding with life. I'm genuinely astonished at how quickly and effectively it’s working its magic.’
Others admit that the crazy keiki cloning paste worked ‘much faster’ than expected. One shopper who used it on a Pearl and Jade pothos says: ‘The nodes started sprouting in just a couple of weeks and now have full clusters of leaves.’
Some reviews mention how small the bottle is, containing just 7ml of paste. However, happy users report that a little goes a long way.
‘I like that they include Q-tips to apply it. You really don’t need a lot, so I don’t mind that the bottle is very small,’ says one such review. ‘I’ve used probably about a quarter of the container on multiple nodes on five plants.’
As expected, there are mixed reviews among the thousands on Amazon, including some that say it didn't work.
There are many variables with propagation, and success or failure can come down to plant health, how the product was used, where the plant is located, and how it is cared for after application. Lots of mitigating factors may cause the product not to work, so success is never guaranteed. However, there are many more positive reviews than negative.
What to Shop
A liquid rooting hormone for propagating houseplants or supporting root growth in established indoor plants.
A specially formulated liquid orchid fertilizer with minerals and seaweed to support strong roots, new growth, and rich foliage and flowers.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix for Orchids
An 8-quart bag of coarse potting mix specially formulated for epiphytic orchids like phalaenopsis, cattleya, epidendrum, and dendrobium.
One particularly tricky aspect of orchid care is watering, which always remains one area people struggle to get right. One way to water orchids is to plunge the plant into water weekly, then let it drain well.
To tell if your orchid needs water, look at the roots. Hydrated roots are green; if they are gray or white, they need more water, while if they are brown, that usually means the plant is being overwatered.
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