[NAFEX] pawpaw flowering & hand pollenating
Jwlehman at aol.com
Jwlehman at aol.com
Sat Apr 19 09:19:28 EDT 2008
In a message dated 4/19/2008 12:51:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
ehills7408 at wowway.com writes:
> My problem is that the likelihood of well timed blooms is a crap-shoot.
>
> Is there an easy way for me to save pollen to facilitate pollenation should
> the need arise?
>
> Also, how does one tell when the flowers have changed from male to female
> (or am I mis-understanding what is going on with these trees?
Hi Scott,
It isn't as much of a crap shoot as it may seem. I have well over 50 trees
and they all overlap in flowering time. Timing shouldn't be a problem. But in
case, pollen can be refrigerated and is viable for several days.
This picture is of a pawpaw flower in the receptive stage. The peddles are
cut away to expose the sexual parts.
The large green mass at the bottom is the unmature anthers. There are 5
stigma protruding up through mass. If pollinated there is a possibility of 5 fruit.
A flower with only say three stigma will develop only three fruit if all are
pollinated.
The next picture is of a flower which is past the receptive stage and the
anthers have matured. The green mass has turned gray and if you look closely,
pollen is on the peddles. The problem is getting this pollen to flowers that
are receptive.
This is easy to do. Most flowers hang up side down. Simply take a fine
scientific instrument called a tooth pick and a small bottle such as a prescription
bottle hold it under the flower and rake the anthers which contain pollen into
the bottle. Be careful to not break off the stigma and ovary which is under
the anther mass.
Don't worry about separating the pollen from the anthers. Now take a Q-tip,
pull off some of the cotton, not all, Then twist into a smaller ball, dip into
the pollen mix and touch to the stigma of receptive flowers. You will get
anthers and pollen, but the flower doesn't care and the pollen will find the
stigma.
Pollen isn't available when the first flowers open due to the delay of
maturing anthers. But again that is no problem as the bloom period is nearly two
weeks. So don't try pollinating until several days after the first flowers open.
Jerry
5b
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