I had Lauren take pics while I was gathering pollen. She's a good photographer. (she thought it was the silliest thing, this pollen gathering) I'll put the rest in my journal if anyone wants to see step by step.
Getting the pollen
Great picture Lauren! Cala - You just use a brush? I've been pulling an anther right out of the flower. It's not always easy either lol! A couple of times I've pulled out the stigma by accident.
Poppysue, some brugs won't set seeds if you pull out too many anthers. I have pulled out a few stigmas, that's when I had to find an easier way. The only time this is dangerous is when the brug is way over your head, you're looking up and whoosh, down in your face comes the pollen!!
Cala, you telling me to brush upwards to get the pollen, and to get it early before the bees really rewarded me today! got a lot off of one I needed the pollen from. you explained it very well.
Whew, I was hoping you could understand me. I'm terrible at giving directions.
no, you were great!!! it was all there, nice and fluffy. just never thought that the reason I wasn't finding any was because the bees beat me to it!
I found that out by accident. I opened a bloom one day to get the pollen and there it was on that little honeybees legs!!! Little stinker had taken it all. I got to noticing, the ones that hadn't popped open still had pollen, but as soon as the end opened up, they were in there and in no time all the pollen was gone. I've got pods on everything,even ones I didn't pollinate. Hope the pollen I put on stayed long enough so I will know the crosses.
Today was the very first time in all my years of growing brugs that I saw a bee go into a flower (brug)......moths yes..bees no. :-)
I have bees in mine all the time. must just be a southern bee thang!
Mine are full of honey bees. I had a humming bird(actually 2 of them) trying to get into Insignis Pink.