I’m a newby to breeding and want to learn from the folks who have the experience in the field of successful breeding.
I’m in the prime pollination season but because of the rain lately nearly everyday here in WA state I just do not feel like sitting on the ground getting wet to pollinate flowers. I’ve also heard that when pollen is wet it does not take very well so I should wait for a sunny day. Makes sense but what have others learned about what conditions are best for pollination to take place? Morning, evening, sun, what variables are important? I also have dry pollen in the fridge. Will it take even on a rainy day?
The one thing I have observed is that I have more pollination success in the early to mid blooming season. In the past, the last two weeks of Blooms Late April, Early May my success rate of making seeds goes down dramatically.
Tom Throckmorton used to say, “Pollinate when the bees are out.” I think he also went on to say, facetiously, that if the bees weren’t out, rub your legs together so the flower will think you’re a bee. :-)
Hi Bill,
You can give it a try when the weather is cold and rainy. A nothing ventured nothing gained sort of a thing. A strategy might be to record the cross attempts during non-optimal weather and then go back and remake them using newly opened blooms. You might also try reapplying pollen on the same stigmas when the weather moderates.
If it is any consolation, the weather is supposed to become spectacular in Oregon and Washington from Sunday through at least next Thursday. Warm and dry with temps close to 80 degrees. Hopefully, most everything will “hold” in your garden for the next few days.
Steve
Hello Bill,
Yes, there are probably optimal times to do your pollination. Sunny to partly cloudy sixty to eighty degree days when you and the bees are comfortable outside are best. Unfortunately we have very few of those days during the blooming season. If you wait for the perfect days, very few crosses will be made. Go ahead and make your crosses whenever you can. If rain is coming, you can cover your newly crossed flowers, not so important with 1’s and 2’s as the trumpets somewhat protect the stigmas unless they are looking up. Pollen you want to save can be saved by covering the bloom also. In my opinion, some seed is better than no seed. About the only time crosses can not be made is when it is raining especially if you are using the gelatin capsules to contain your pollen. A drop of rain on those and they dissolve in you hand.
Before I retired, leaving for work early and returning late in the evening, I sometimes went out at night and made crosses with a flashlight or my coleman- lantern, as it was then or never. The daffodils didn’t seem to mind night time rendezvous, they set seed just the same. In my opinion, apply the pollen when ever and however you can, the daffodils know what to do with it.
Good luck.
Larry
Steve and Larry – Thanks for the advice. The rain stopped about 2 Pm today so it was an afternoon of pollinating. It got to about 60 Deg today so I’m not sure what weather station Steve watches. When I pollinate I take a photo of the cross so I can keep better records. When my camera battery died I had to go and do some real work by chipping up a bunch of branches. I also learned don’t get a bit of water on the gelatin capsules. I had one that the cap sort of melted to the capsule body.