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[Karen Tillou <arboretum@homeorchardsociety.org>]

jerry - thanks for those awesome photos and explanation of pawpaw pollen receptivity - i am i correct then in understanding that first the flower is receptive to outside pollen, gets fertilized, then ripens and sends out its own pollen?  what is that type of flower technically called? 

thanks,

karen

On Apr 19, 2008, at 6:19 AM, Jwlehman@aol.com wrote:

In a message dated 4/19/2008 12:51:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ehills7408@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.
<pp-pstl-cut.jpg>

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. 

<flr&pollen .jpg> 

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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