Tropicals & Tender Perennials: How long before the plants produce fruit?, 1 by LouisianaMark

LouisianaMark wrote:
Guavagirl,

Here is a pic of a Blue-Eyed Susan passie flower that has the anthers and stigma labeled. The anthers carry the pollen (looks like yellow dust). To pollinate, you can put some pollen on your finger and touch the stigma, or use a paint brush, or just pick an anther, and dust the stigma with that. The pollen can remain viable on the picked anthers for several days (longer if properly dried), so if you don't have 2 blooming at the same time, you can pick the anthers and use them the next day or 2.

Hybrids and regular species can also be bud pollinated. This is the only way most hybrids will form fruit. To bud pollinate, you find a bud that is ready to open in the next day or 2, and peel back the petals. This will expose the tips of the stigma, and you can pollinate them, and close everything back up (see next pic).

Mark