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The Realities of The ‘Magical’ Growth Hormone

Originally intended for orchids, this potent paste has found its way into the realm of houseplants, promising new growth and endless possibilities. But as with any botanical innovation, understanding its nuances is key to unlocking its full potential.

Contrary to conventional rooting hormones, Keiki Paste harnesses the power of cytokinin hormones, igniting cellular division and replication. While its application has yielded remarkable results in orchids, venturing into the realm of houseplants requires caution and finesse. Join us on a journey as we delve into the intricacies of Keiki Paste, exploring its application, potential pitfalls, and the art of nurturing growth.

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It Is Designed for Orchids, Not Houseplants

In the Hawaiian language, the word ‘keiki’(keh-ee-kee) means child. So it seems fitting that the original and most popular use for Keiki Paste is to create clones of orchids, also referred to as keikis.

Contrary to rooting hormones, which are used primarily for rooting cuttings, Keiki Paste contains a cytokinin hormone. This hormone is responsible for encouraging cell division in plants, meaning if used correctly it can create a genetic copy of whatever cells it is applied to.

While it has usually been used on orchids, it has now made its way into the house plant community, with extremely varied results. Before using Keiki Paste on your own houseplants, remember, it is not designed for them and can cause irreparable damage if used incorrectly.

A Little Goes a Long Way

When applying Keiki Paste, dip a clean cotton swab into the paste and swirl it around until you have slightly coated the tip. Whether you have scored(cut) your plant or not, this amount should be able to cover a couple nodes on one plant. Due to the hormones in the paste, the quantity you apply doesn’t affect the speed or quality of the new growth.

In my experience, one application can activate multiple growth points. If you’ve activated multiple nodes from one application, I recommend refraining from any additional Keiki paste on that plant. This will allow the plant to focus on that specific growth and will result in less dormant growth points.

Because of the consistency of the Keiki Paste, it will stick on to whatever you apply it to for a long time. Over time, it eventually goes away, but until then it is a trap for unwanted dust or pests to get caught, so applying too much could do more harm than good.

Precise Application

One of the great qualities of Keiki paste is its cloning capabilities. However, it is important to keep in mind that the hormones are designed to encourage cell division and growth. This means that whatever plant cell it is applied to, will experience these effects.

This is extremely important to keep in mind when using Keiki Paste on a plant that has aerial roots positioned very close to its axillary buds. If applied precisely on an axillary bud, it should promote a new foliage growth point, perhaps even more than one. If applied on an aerial root, you can expect an extremely increased amount of aerial roots.

While this may not be a problem if you’re trying to encourage your plant to root onto a moss pole or trellis, the plant will be prioritizing the growth of the aerial roots as opposed to the foliage that most plant parents and enthusiasts aim for.

Scoring vs. Not Scoring

If you’ve already done some research on Keiki paste, you’ve probably heard the term ‘scoring’. If not, scoring (or ‘notching’) involves using a sharp edge to cut, prick, or remove part of a plant in order to encourage growth. This method is used in grafting, gardening, but in this case, propagating.

In terms of using Keiki paste, there is a debate as to whether scoring a plant helps the plant utilize the hormone more efficiently. After experimenting with multiple plants here is what I found by plant type:

Please remember this is just based on my results, and results may vary case by case!

If you want to avoid scoring your plants, look on the nodes of your plants for the early signs of new growth. I have found that if you apply Keiki paste to these growth points without scoring, the hormone in the paste will basically jumpstart that growth point. Meaning faster growth than you would’ve seen without the paste.

Nutrients

One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen with plant parents trying Keiki Paste for the first time is not fertilizing enough. It is important to keep in mind that it requires a lot of nutrients and energy for a plant to produce a new leaf, let alone an entirely new growth point.

After applying Keiki paste, make sure to fertilize regularly. During the growing season, I’ll fertilize these plants with every other watering using a diluted 6-4-4 fertilizer. When growth slows down in the winter, I’ll fertilize no more than twice a month.

This doesn’t mean you should go and overload your plants with fertilizers, just be conscious that applying Keiki paste means you should be a little more conscious of your plants nutritional needs.

Optimal Growth Conditions

A lot of us are guilty of putting some of our least favorite plants in the more 'bottom of the barrel’ plant spaces in our homes. This could include the plants in the farthest corner from the window, or plants sitting right under the air vent. Whatever the case may be, we can’t always give every single one of our plants their perfect conditions.

With that being said, if you want to experiment with Keiki paste on one of these plants, I’d suggest giving it a more favorable environment. This might include adding a grow light, humidifier, or it could be as simple as moving your plant closer to a window.

Similar to nutrients, lighting and humidity are some of the main ingredients for healthy plant growth. Without them, your plant won’t be able to produce enough energy being required by the Keiki paste to form that new growth point

Don’t Overdo It

When I first used my Keiki paste, I wanted lots of growth fast. So I applied the paste to multiple nodes of a handful of my plants. I couldn’t keep up with the extra care and attention needed by all of these plants and ended up causing damage to a majority of those plants, even killing a couple of them.

If I could go back in time, I would have only tried the paste on one or two plants to start to get the hang of it first. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect when using Keiki Paste, I’ll apply it to up to 5 plants at any given time. This allows me to observe the growth of each of my plants as well as keep up with the needed care.

Only Use on Developed Plants

I know we all have baby plants, or fresh cuttings that we’d like to see explode with growth overnight. However, it’s important to remember that these plants are still young and developing. They’re root systems are not established and the growth they already have is still immature.

Using Keiki Paste on a plant like this causes the plant to redirect all of its energy to the point of application and abandon supplying nutrients for the root and other foliage growth. This tends to cause irregular and odd looking growth in the future. If your plant stops expanding its root system, you could even see complete plant death.

I would also avoid using this on freshly bought plants from any source. They need time to acclimate to the new environment and using a concentrated growth hormone could shock the plant and set you further back in terms of growth.

To play it safe, I only use Keiki Paste on plants that have been with me for at least a couple months. Once I know they’ve acclimated to their new home and can produce healthy growth on their own, I can start experimenting with Keiki Paste.

It’s An Experiment!

At the end of the day remember it’s an experiment. There isn’t an ocean of information on the use of Keiki Paste on houseplants, yet. No matter what results you see on social media or in your local plant group, results will vary.

If you’re experimenting for the first time and want to take it slow, try Keiki Paste on one of your less expensive or less beloved plants. That way there’s less heartbreak should the worst happen. But if it's a success, that plant could wind up your new favorite.

As we navigate the use of Keiki Paste on houseplants, precision is paramount, for with great potential comes the risk of unintended consequences. From precise application techniques to mindful consideration of growth conditions, each step is important to achieving the best results.

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Keiki Paste: A Complete Guide to Using Cloning Paste On Houseplants