How to Pollinate Indoor Plants

Pollinate indoor plants by facilitating pollen transfer from male to female flowers.

Pollination is the process of creating seed pods. Outdoor plants are pollinated by insects, birds and the wind. This doesn't occur inside, so if you want plants to pollinate, move them outside or do it yourself. Hand pollination is a straightforward process of transferring pollen from the male plant to the female plant. As long as you can identify the stamen, stigma and pollen, you should achieve good results.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton swab or artist's brush

Instructions

1. Hand-pollinate flowers early in the day, while there is a lot of pollen on the flowers. Over the course of the day, pollen dries or flakes off.

2. Identify the male and female flowers on your indoor plants. The female flowers have a stigma, which receives pollen, and the male ends have a stamen containing pollen. The pollen can be any color, including a light yellow, dark yellow or white.

3. Touch the stamen of the male flower to make sure it is ready for pollination. If your finger has pollen on it, the stamen is ready.

4. Touch the anthers with a cotton swab, artist's brush or your finger. Pollen should adhere to the swab.

5. Transfer the pollen from the swab to the female flower's sticky stigma.

6. Repeat the process until you have pollinated as many of the flowers and plants as you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• If using your hands, wear gloves as protection.

• Pollen germinates and develops a tube down the inside of the style to the flower's ovary. That's where the pollen grain fertilizes an ovule. This causes seeds to form, which is the end of the pollination process.

References

• David L. Green: Hand Pollination: A Gardener's Illustrated Guide
• Pumpkin Nook: Pollination