[nafex] hand pollination

["Nell Lancaster" <nlancaster@rockbridge.net>]

In Helene's account of her hand pollinating experience with apples
[below], I was particularly struck by the emphasis on moisture.  My
experience with intentional pollination is entirely with much larger
flowers (peonies and daylilies), where the blooms face upward.   In
those cases, moisture is the absolute enemy of success.  Daylily
pollen stays viable for up to a week if kept dry and cool, up to a
year or more if frozen.  But let it get wet, and there's no hope of
successful fertilization.  I'd assumed, apparently mistakenly, that
this was true of most flowers.

So far bees have done an adequate job on the Dolgo crab and two small
apple trees here, but it's good to have such a clear, simple how-to
for future reference.  Thanks, Helene.  Any other reports from
members?

Nell Lancaster
Lexington, Virginia (western foothills of the Blue Ridge Mts.)
USDA zone 6b

--------
Helene Dessureault <inter.verbis@atreide.net> said:

>> I used a small paint brush and a small round metal box (the type
that you buy expensive cough drops in drug stores). I put a few drops
of water in the metal box for humidity and on my way from work I
stopped at a couple of roadside apple trees in full bloom to collect
pollen. Now, you have to choose the fresh pollen as you will notice
that not all flowers are at the same stage of development and some
pollen is already too dried up.

I shook the pollen off with my brush and held the small metal can
underneath to receive the pollen. At home, I picked up the pollen with
the brush, chose flowers that had nice fresh pollen (to make sure to
pick a flower in the same stage of development) and plant the pollen
amongst the rest. The pollen sticks to the wet brush if you do it
carefully and it stays where you put it if it's fresh. <<







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