Pollinating Indoor Plants in 5 Easy Steps
Natural pollinators, such as bees, birds, and even the wind, are not available when plants are grown inside. This is one of the most significant disadvantages of growing plants indoors. However, pollination is required for certain houseplants in order to develop fruit or seeds, whilst for other plants, it is not necessary at all.
What you should do in this situation is as follows:
Pollination is important for several reasons.
We’ll get into the specifics and procedures later, but first we’ll go through the reasons why pollination is required by various plants. It is important for every plant to produce fruit or seeds because pollination brings together male and female cells, which is an element of the plant’s reproductive cycle. Pollination occurs during the flowering stage.
In other words, if you have your regular leafy or blooming houseplants, you may probably skip this duty and not be concerned. For those who wish to save seeds to propagate their favorite plants or cultivate specific indoor veggies (remember that “vegetables” such as tomatoes and cucumbers are really botanical fruits), pollination is essential; otherwise, your plants will not produce any fruit or vegetables.
Some Botany for the Thrillseekers
Becoming acquainted with the anatomy of a flower is recommended before attempting to hand-pollinate it so that you know what you’re going for when hand-pollination fails. You can readily distinguish the essential components without having to look at botanical diagrams.
A normal flower has multiple tiny filaments that may be seen when you peek inside. An important feature is that it should be at the middle, with numerous smaller ones around it. The stigma, or feminine component of the flower, is located in the center of the flower and connects to the ovaries located within.
In addition, the stamens are responsible for producing male pollen. A thin yellow dust or powder is formed by the pollen itself.
Detailed Anatomy of a Fruit Tree’s Flower
Technically, pollen (male) must be delivered into the ovary (female) of a flower in order for it to bear fruit, and this is true of all plants in this respect. However, there is a little snag to this seemingly straightforward solution. It is not true that all plants need the same amount of pollination.
Each of these processes has a few different iterations. In order for a plant to be really self-fertile, it must generate blossoms in which the pollen may remain inside the blossom and fertilize its own stigma. Even before the bloom opens up, pollination may take place in certain situations, if the conditions are right.
The pollen from one bloom on the same plant has to be transferred to another flower on the same plant in order for additional plants to be self-fertile. In all other circumstances, you will simply need to transfer pollen from one bloom on one plant to another blossom on a different plant, albeit the plants must be of the same species to be considered successful transfers.
Attempting to cross-pollinate between a geranium and a philodendron will not result in fruitful fruiting of either plant.
Then there’s the case when plants generate male and female blooms that are wholly distinct from each other. This is not the case with most indoor plants, but if you are growing vegetables in a greenhouse, such as squash or melons, it may become a problem.
This little botany instruction, I hope, has been understandable to you. Pollen must be transported from one bloom on a plant to a different blossom on a different plant in the most usual scenario.
As you get more knowledge about hand-pollinating, you may put your attention on it.
Techniques are used in many situations.
You’ve made the decision that your indoor plants need pollination; now comes the difficult part: figuring out how to achieve it.
If you are working with self-fertile plants, such as certain tomato kinds, where the pollen may remain inside a single male/female flower, the procedure is straightforward.
When it comes to plants that are grown outdoors, it just takes a little wind to disturb the blooms enough to knock the pollen from the stamens to the stigma. However, it may be difficult to find breezes inside.
As long as you are cautious not to do any harm to your plants while you are shaking them, a gentle shake should suffice. Use of an electric toothbrush, placed against the plant while running, is another method for shaking up the pollen.
There is enough movement in the stems and leaves to release the pollen, but not enough movement to cause any noticeable movement in the flower.
Shaking tomato plants to pollinate them as shown here in a short video.
In order to pollinate plants where pollen must be moved, you’ll need to alter your strategy. The most common and most effective way is to gently dab the pollen from the stamen of one bloom to the stigma of another using a fine, soft paintbrush.
In order to move the pollen to the center stem of the flower, you must concentrate on doing so, as I previously mentioned. This is quite tough to overlook when working with really little blooms.
In order to target the stigma of bigger flowers after your brush is laden with pollen, you must have a steady hand and a firm grip on your brush.
Using a Paintbrush to Pollinate
Picking and choosing is a way of life.
If you want to make particular selections regarding the way your plants are bred, you may take your pollination plans to a whole new level. Making your own unique strain by crossing the DNA of two successful plants is the best approach to produce plants with more blooms, larger fruits, or any other qualities that appeal to you the most.
Instead of utilizing low performing plants in your breeding schedule to screen out weak genes, you may avoid doing so by employing high-performing plants instead.
It is possible to make a few notes on which plants you are cross-pollinating with others and to maintain a rough track of the outcomes without becoming a genetic engineer. However, you should be reasonable in your pollination expectations. With only one cross-pollination between a pair of blooming houseplants, you won’t be able to produce a spectacular new hybrid.
Important to understand is that breeding plants for a certain purpose will only have an impact on the seeds produced, not on the fruit that is harvested right away. Take into consideration that it will take many generations before you begin to see any variations in your plants.
Success?
What is the best way to determine if your efforts were fruitful or not? While the timing may vary depending on the plant, a flower will die back and remove its petals shortly after pollination.
Pay careful attention, and you should soon see a fruit beginning to emerge at the base of the blossom. Keep an eye out for this.
It is beginning to grow an orange fruit.
Pollination efforts that fail to produce a bloom that falls off without developing are unsuccessful. However, although it is frustrating that you will not get any fruit or seeds from that bloom, the plant itself will not be adversely affected and will continue to develop normally until the next flowering cycle occurs.
That’s the fundamentals of how to pollinate indoor plants, and perhaps you’ll have success as you embark on this new level of houseplant upkeep and maintenance.
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