- 1
The female stigma's base contains a seed or tiny fruit.the deep flower 4 image by Anton Chernenko from Fotolia.com
Look closely at your flower to locate the anthers. They will be on the tip of the stamens, the stalk-like male reproductive parts growing from the center of the flower in a circle around the female stigma. On a mature open flower, the anthers will be covered with powdery pollen grains. If the flower is still closed, open it to see if the pollen has been released from the pollen sac. - 2). Separate the pollen from the anthers with a stiff paint brush. The procedure is basically the same with all genera of plants. Lightly wet the brush so the pollen will stick better. Roll it or brush it across the anthers until it is fully coated with pollen. If you're collecting pollen from a long, narrow flower, make sure the brush is long enough to reach the bottom of the flower. If not, you will need to open the flower or remove the petals.
- 3). Remove the male stamens with tweezers or cut them off with scissors. Put them on sheets of paper until they are completely dry and the pollen falls off the anthers. Scrape up the pollen and put it in a covered petri dish or similar glass container if you're not using it right away, or you are fertilizing plants in a controlled greenhouse or an indoor environment.
- 4). Load your brush fully with pollen, taking care to avoid getting pollen on the female stigma unless you want to self-pollinate the plant. Wipe the brush on the sticky stigma of the plant you want to fertilize. The transfer of pollen by hand is necessary to produce seed in plants of the same species that do not self-fertilize or in dioecious plants, which require a male or female individual to reproduce.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
