This is around day 4 of full tepal opening. Good pollen flow. Note the colour and shape of the anthers. Some deep yellow, almost brown and a bit shrunken since the light yellow almost green colour.
Pollen collection
- Thread starter Lloyd Gordon
- Start date
This is around day 4 of full tepal opening. Good pollen flow. Note the colour and shape of the anthers. Some deep yellow, almost brown and a bit shrunken since the light yellow almost green colour.
Just harvested from heterodoxa x minor tonight.
The tiny Ziploc bags are convenient, I support the bag open with a alligator clip and the pollen drops directly in.
Usually the anthers are ready about 5 days after opening. If you use my technique you can try one stamen at a time. When you see the pollen drop, you can harvest all of them. You've got to pollinate when the flower first opens before it is fully opened.
It seems like it is not yet ready i will check tomorrow. I have read from flytrap forums that the pistil in the middle should turn yellow if it is then its ready. Its still green though.
Hello! I’ve found that the anthers start out pale and somewhat perpendicular to the stigma when the flower first opens like your photos show, and eventually they’ll yellow up a bit and start to move more parallel to the stigma when they’re ripe. An electric toothbrush works great to release the pollen!
Like Lloyd said, you’ll have to pollinate the next flower right when it’s starting to open. That’s when the stigma is receptive. If you wait too long you can easily miss the window.
Like Lloyd said, you’ll have to pollinate the next flower right when it’s starting to open. That’s when the stigma is receptive. If you wait too long you can easily miss the window.
Hi Avery, i tried today by pulling up the petals and use an electric toothbrush near the anthers no pollen went down yet. Tomorrow again.
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If you check my method at the top of the thread, you will find it's much easier to collect the pollen.
When I'm testing, (usually 5 days after flower complete opening) I hold the anther over a black keyboard, so you can see the creamy coloured pollen. I cut the filament by closing the fine forceps on it close to the ovary. You don't pull on the filament or break it off at the ovary. If you break open the ovary, seeds will not develop.
If you do break off an anther without the filament: hold the large end with the forceps, with the small end facing down. Touch the tuning fork to the forceps where it holds the anther. Do it a few times as the forceps quickly damps the tuning fork.
When the flower is open enough to look in and see the stigma, it is ready to be pollinated. When it's fully open it's too late.