We received plenty of questions concerning the “miracle” cloning paste we confirmed on Instagram not too long ago. What’s it? What does it do? And why the heck is it known as “keiki“? Quick reply: keiki paste is an easy-to-apply development hormone in your houseplants that may assist fill out naked spots on pothos, orchids, and extra. It’s a sensible resolution for any plant mother or father, however we’ll inform you what it might probably and may’t do, so your expectations match the end result that you just’re prone to get. This isn’t a sponsored submit, by the best way.
We first discovered of keiki paste from a plant-obsessed neighbor just a few months in the past. We had been skeptical at first – can it actually “get up” a dormant node on our crops? – however now we’re fast to sing its praises. Right here’s why…
What Does Keiki Paste Do?
Keiki Cloning Paste is a plant development hormone that may stimulate new leaf development in your houseplants. It’s nice for filling naked areas on crops like pothos, orhcids, and even fiddle leaf figs. For instance, we used it to assist regrow components of this leafless vine on our toilet plant shelf.
Keiki paste is completely different than rooting hormone, which is used to immediate root development on plant cuttings throughout propagation. As an alternative, keiki paste is utilized to above-ground nodes to assist produce new leaves or branches.
What’s In Keiki Paste?
Keiki pastes usually encompass a sticky medium (like lanolin) that accommodates plant vitamins & hormones. The precise hormone method for every paste is proprietary, however most embrace a artificial cytokinin known as 6-benzylaminopurine, or 6-BAP. Cytokinins promote cell division in crops, and 6-BAP is without doubt one of the most generally used artificial variations. Once more, that is distinct from rooting hormones that used auxins, not cytokinins.
Lanolin is a pure substance that comes from sheep’s wool. It’s possible you’ll realize it as a Vaseline-like substance used as a moisturizer in your pores and skin. In keiki paste, it serves as a water-proof “glue” that retains the hormones in place in opposition to the plant node. It’s fairly sticky, so be sure you clear it off your pores and skin so that you don’t by chance get it in your eyes or mouth.
How To Apply Keiki Paste?
Two issues we love most about keiki cloning pastes is that (1) they’re straightforward to make use of and (2) a bit of goes a good distance. You may apply it following 3 easy steps:
- Rating The Node
- Apply The Paste
- Water & Wait
Video Tutorial
Here’s a transient video (60 seconds!) that reveals how we utilized keiki paste to a different pothos plant in our home. There may be additionally a written tutorial with images beneath should you desire.
NOTE: You may as well watch this video on YouTube.
Step 1: Rating The Node
First, make a small lower on the node the place you wish to develop a brand new leaf. Nodes are the bumps alongside your vine or stem the place a leaf or department was. The lower doesn’t must be deep, so a toothpick or desk knife ought to do the trick.
In case your node is roofed by a skinny shealth (known as a bract) it’s possible you’ll have to peel this off first. This received’t harm the plant. You’re simply making an attempt to assist the hormone penetrate into the node extra simply.
Step 2: Apply the Paste
Use a toothpick or cotton swab to dab a small dot of keiki paste onto the node. Somewhat bit goes a good distance – assume half of the scale of a pea. An excessive amount of keiki paste can stress the plant.
Step 3: Water & Wait
That’s it! Now your job is simply to be affected person and care in your plant as traditional. This implies ensuring it’s receiving sufficient water and lightweight to assist development. Outcomes could start displaying in 1-3 weeks, however can take longer relying on rising circumstances and well being of the plant.
What Does “Keiki” Imply?
Keiki is pronounced “KAY-kee” (kinda like reiki, should you’re acquainted) and is the Hawaiian phrase for “little one” or “toddler.” Within the plant world, keiki refers to new sprouts on an orchid plant, specfically these produced asexually (aka, not from a seed). Since these kinds of pastes had been initially developed for orchids, they earned the identify keiki paste – regardless that they can be utilized on many different plant varities.
What Vegetation Can I Use It On?
Keiki paste was created for orchids, however it may be used on nearly any plant with above-ground nodes. To date we’ve got tried it on lots of our pothos crops, however you should utilize it on a variety of different crops resembling:
- Vining crops like philodendrons & hoyas
- Flowering crops like orchids & begonias
- Succulents like donkey tails & string of pearls
- Small bushes like fiddle leaf figs & rubber bushes
Search for crops with nodes the place leaves, branches, or aerial roots develop (not zz crops or snake crops). It received’t harm to experiment with completely different crops, so long as you don’t apply it to too many nodes directly and don’t over-apply the paste.
Why Isn’t My Keiki Paste Working?
We’ve been wowed by keiki paste once more & once more, however outcomes are NOT assured. So what offers? Listed here are some ideas to bear in mind:
- Keiki paste works greatest on wholesome crops. It received’t clear up underlying well being points like inadequate mild, missing nutriets, or over/underwatering. So in case your plant is struggling, be sure you handle these earlier than turning to keiki paste.
- Solely deal with just a few nodes at a time. We’ve gotten one of the best outcomes making use of keiki paste to only 1 or 2 nodes at a time. Occasionally we’ve gotten overzealous (like when taking photos for this submit!) and concurrently handled 6 or 7 nodes on the identical vine. This probably overstressed the plant and compromised our outcomes. We solely noticed development on 2 or 3 nodes anyway, so be affected person and don’t overdo it.
- Contemplate different fixes too. For those who’re sad with a naked spot or leggy vine, it might be higher to prune it than attempt to rescue it. Bear in mind, most cuttings might be propagated and replanted in the identical pot to assist in giving it a full look. With vining crops like pothos, you can too coil the vine into your pot, pin the nodes proper beneath the soil (bobby pins work nice for that), and it ought to root over time.
These caveats aren’t meant to dissuede you from making an attempt keiki paste. It’s simply good to know its limits and the circumstances you’ll have to get one of the best outcomes.
The place to Buy Keiki Paste
We received our Loopy Keiki Cloning Paste on-line from Southside Vegetation (a really cute sister-owned firm), however a number of manufacturers and web site promote their very own variations. It could really feel surprising to pay upwards of $20 to $25 for such a small jar, however needless to say a bit of goes A LONG WAY. Bear in mind, you’re solely placing half of a pea measurementd dab on every node. So this could final us a very long time!
Keiki paste needs to be saved in a cool, darkish place away from daylight – which is one purpose we like that Southside’s model is available in an opaque storage tube, full with utility sticks.
Extra Plant Guides
For those who’re searching for extra data on a few of our favourite crops, try a few of these posts beneath:
*This submit accommodates affiliate hyperlinks, so we could earn a small fee if you make a purchase order by means of hyperlinks on our web site at no extra value to you.
