carolem said:Do you have photos to place here, about the male/female flowers - pollen placing? I did actually take a fine brush out yesterday morning, and again this morning, but can't say I see pollen-laden parts to work with.
Hi Carole,
I do have several pictures that might help. The pollen florets (fuzzy yellow starfish) have the pollen, and the stigmas (Y-shaped tendrils) receive the pollen. (Click on these pictures to see larger versions of them.)
You mentioned a fine brush. You can touch a brush to a pollen floret to pick up some pollen on the brush. Then simply touch the brush to the stigmas to pollinate them.
You can do the same thing with tweezers or a pair of forceps. You can "pick" a pollen floret and then use it as a brush to brush pollen on stigmas.
I also use that same technique when using tweezers instead of forceps. The artist's brush technique is probably gentler on the plants, but I like to pick pollen florets and use them as brushes to apply their pollen. The pollen florets are expendable, anyway. They become useless a few hours after they open. New florets emerge every morning.
The best time to do this is in the morning just after a new set of pollen florets has emerged and opened. I carry a lightweight chair or bench around with me so I can remain seated during a lot of my pollination activities. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.
ZM
