Breeding Hippeastrums

[M Farooq]

Very good info Hamad. I wasn't aware of these approaches.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Another fine point, if you don't want the insects to interfere, slide a drinking straw slightly longer than stigma over the stigma.

[Farhan Ahmed]

Are you suggesting that if a flower is pollinated once can be pollinated again? or this consideration is once we are waiting for flower to be pollination ready, so that insects do not pollinate it before us????

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Before and after, if you want no contamination.

[Farhan Ahmed]

In this specific case, when there is only one stamen, which is manually pollinated, Can it be contaminated? I guess it should start the onward process and stop releasing nectar and no further pollination could take place.? Any one with any scientific knowledge?

[Heinie]

The following explanation goes for any type of flower.

Once a flower is pollinated successfully the Sperm cells move down the Pollen tubeand starts forming the seed and no more pollination will take place. One tiny pollen grain can cause successful pollination. I know of growers that mix varies pollens to pollinate a flower. I do not like it because then I cannot keep proper records of pod and pollen parents. For the members not familiar with the flower parts I attach two photos below.

The best times to do pollination is between 10h00 and 11h00 and again between 15h00 and 16h00. This is the best times when flowers should have nectar on the point of the Stigma.

If a Stigma is damaged or broken one can cut the Style back about 2mm and put a mixture of sugar water on the point of the cut Style to simulate nectar and you can put your preferred pollen on the tip of the Style.

[Farhan Ahmed]

So what i understand from above. Flower can not be pollinated twice but to preclude the chance of unsuccessful pollination done by hand we can cover the stigma. If we are sure we have pollinated it well we can leave it. Thanks

[Heinie]

If you pollinate a flower by hand there is a chance that the pollen from the pollen parent is not compatable with the pod parent, or the reverse applies too, thus there will be no positive pollination that took place unknown to you. In such a case stray pollen on the pod parent Stigma will result in a mismatch as you planned and you will not know it.

We also make use of the straw method over the Stigma and Style with a length of straw a little longer than the Style and we "weld" the end by warming the one end of straw up with a match and pressing the straw together so that end closes.

We also put a dab of Vaseline over the Stigma especially when a plant is on show then straws will disqualify the exhibited plant.

[Farhan Ahmed]

Thankyou for explaining

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Aoa,
Friends we are lucky to have Hienei With us he is an excellent teacher and does not summaries like me.
For a very selective pollination you have to ensure that other pollinators don't get there first and in case your pollen is not accepted you get an abortion and not a stray pregnancy. That is what I meant by before and after.