Subject: keikis on keikis on keikis
From: "Diane Mancino"
Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2003 8:10 PM
Message-id:

I won another old orchid this month. A Den kingianum Ruth, very bushy, out
of bloom but kiekies everywhere some on other kiekies with roots on them.
Should those Kiekies stay on, or should I remove.

Further down in this thread K Barrett reviewed a few comments I have made re
this clone.
This was the first kingie to win a flower award in the AOS system, and I
obtained a keiki the following year and thus began my love affair with Den
kingianum-this is my favorite of all the orchids. This is a wonderful plant,
but today there are numerous, and far superior kingies available.
In kingies, keikis are the function of genetics, and within reason have nothing
to do with culture. I have plants which in spite of correct culture ( my term)
will only have one keiki every 3 or 4 years; others, such as 'Ruth', now in a
16in pot, will have about 120 keikis/year.
I can only again urge one to always remove all keikis after flowering, but
leave the current year's keikis on as they will increase the number of flowers
during flowering. Without removal, the plant becomes a weed patch and is
unsightly.