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Pollination is the transfer of
pollen from the inside of the flower to the stigma of
the same or different flower. In a natural setting plants are pollinated by a combination
of wind and insect activity, primarily bees. Indoor gardens
require artificial pollination if the plant is to bear fruit.
There are 4 types of
plant pollination:
- Plants needing pollen from different plants.
- Self pollinating plants
- Plants that can self-pollinate as well as receive pollen
from other plants
- Plants that bare Male & Female flower parts
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| Certain self pollinators such as lettuce, peas and beans need
very little help to pollinate indoors. Pepper and tomato plants
however, need to be shook every couple of days to advance pollination.
A gentle wind from a fan is also helpful. As soon as
flowers begin to open, you should pollinate daily, preferably
around Noon time. Early and late day pollination generally will
not produce the best results.
Vegetables needing pollen from different plants, that bare
Male & Female flower parts and other plants can be
hand-pollinated by taking a cotton swab or small paint brush and
transferring pollen from the male flower to the female.
Make sure to use a new swab or a clean brush when pollinating
more than one type of the same plant.
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| Flowers are pollinated
daily by very gently moving the swab or brush in
a circular motion deep inside the flower, then brushing
the stigma, which is made up of long fragile slender
looking tubes just inside the flowers tip . I've
heard of people using vibrators such as an electric
toothbrush to simulate bee activity , I've not
personally done this, as the methods I've outlined have
been adequate. If
you're going to do it anyway use caution as the flowers
are fragile and you could easily damage or dislodge them. |
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| Another method used with
cultivars that produce separate male and female plants ,
such as Marijuana is to collect
pollen from a male plant by putting a bag over a branch
and gently shaking the pollen off for several
minutes. Once you remove the bag from the branch it should be
dusty from the collected pollen.
Take the bag with the pollen from the male plant and cover a
branch on the female plant , seal the bag so as not to allow any
of the pollen to escape. Shake the bag of pollen and the
plant’s stem together at once. After that you let the plant sit
several hours and then shake it again. After a couple
more hours you can take the bag off of the female plant’s
branch. |
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Both the male and the female reproductive
parts of a plant are in the center of the flower. The
male, pollen-producing part is called the anther, held
aloft by a stalk called a filament. The entire male
apparatus is called a stamen. Each pollen grain is
unique to its species. The female reproductive part of a
plant, the stigma, sits on top of a style, or stalk,
which leads to an ovary at the base. The entire female
plant mechanism is called a pistil.“ –Smithsonian
Education
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