How to Hand-Pollinate Flowers
Although flowers are commonly grown for their color and scent, the purpose of flowers is to reproduce the plant. The act of pollination is usually carried out by insects, small mammals or even the wind. If you want to control pollination, to ensure seeds are true to their parents, or just remove the element of chance from seed production, hand pollinate your flowers. Because flowers come in all shapes and sizes, pollination may vary slightly from one species to another, and may be easier with some varieties than other, but the basic anatomy of all flowers in the same. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Self-Fertile Flowers
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1
Locate the stamen of the flower in the early morning, before the dew has dried from the leaves. The stamen is a long, thin protrusion from the center of the flower. At the end of the stamen, you will see the anthers, which look like tiny knobs and produce the pollen.
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2
Gently touch each of the anthers with a cotton swab or paintbrush to gather the pollen. The tip of the cotton swab or brush will turn yellow with some types of pollen, but other pollen has little color and can't be seen without a magnifying glass.
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3
Identify the pistil, or female part of the flower. This should be longer than the stamens. At the end of the pistil is the stigma. The stigma has two sticky lobes. Transfer the pollen collected on your swab or brush to the stigma.
Cross-Pollinated Flowers
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4
Determine which flowers are male and which are female. Some plants have male and female flowers on the same plant; other plants have exclusively male or female flowers. Male flowers have stamen and anthers. Female flowers will have the pistil, and for flowers that turn into fruit, there will be a small ovary under the base of the flower that looks like a thickening of the stem.
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5
Swab the anthers of the male flower with a cotton swab or paint brush to collect the pollen. Transfer the collected pollen to a the stigma of a female flower.
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6
Repeat this action until you have pollinated each flower.
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Tips & Warnings
Some flowers, generally angiosperms such as the night shade and tomato flower, need floral sonication, or vibrations, before pollination can occur. These flowers are usually pollinated by bumble bees. Hold an electric toothbrush to the petal near the base of the stamen to release the pollen and then collect it with your cotton swab.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Flower and bee image by Sean Gill from Fotolia.com
