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First select a suitable flower buds, I find it best to select ones that look like they will open the next day or so. If they are too young they are fiddly and more fragile to work with, if they are too advanced, pollen may have already been shed. But you can check to see if the holes in the anthers are open or if there are grains of pollen on the stigma which I find are usually visible with a magnifying glass.
I'd emasculate the two biggest buds at the front of this bunch and possibly the one behind the largest bud, although I wouldn't pollinate until the following day.
A nice bunch of buds, the three in the front all look ok to me, though if left for several hours they might have started to open. I know some might say they are on too far, but I find here they work fine at this stage and pollen is unlikely to have been shed.
Once selected
it's time to start taking off some of the petals and anther cone. I don't bother removing the sepals on potato flowers, there doesn't usually seem to be a need to, unless they might be exceptionally long and get in the way when you pollinated the flower.
Carefully with your fingers pinch off most of the flower petals. Leaving some petal gives you a good indicator of when the flowers would have been open to apply pollen.
If the stigma is exposed you will see it sticking out of the anther cone.
Next start taking off the anther cone, I usually use my fingernail or a pair of tweezer, and sort of pluck or flick off the bits, this one is half completed. Be careful not to bend or knock the stigma off.
Two competed ones, if the flowers are advanced you can try them with a dab of pollen now and perhaps the following day. Easier still is to wait until the petals have opened before pollinating.
To be continued...
I'd emasculate the two biggest buds at the front of this bunch and possibly the one behind the largest bud, although I wouldn't pollinate until the following day.
A nice bunch of buds, the three in the front all look ok to me, though if left for several hours they might have started to open. I know some might say they are on too far, but I find here they work fine at this stage and pollen is unlikely to have been shed.
Once selected
it's time to start taking off some of the petals and anther cone. I don't bother removing the sepals on potato flowers, there doesn't usually seem to be a need to, unless they might be exceptionally long and get in the way when you pollinated the flower.
Carefully with your fingers pinch off most of the flower petals. Leaving some petal gives you a good indicator of when the flowers would have been open to apply pollen.
If the stigma is exposed you will see it sticking out of the anther cone.
Next start taking off the anther cone, I usually use my fingernail or a pair of tweezer, and sort of pluck or flick off the bits, this one is half completed. Be careful not to bend or knock the stigma off.
Two competed ones, if the flowers are advanced you can try them with a dab of pollen now and perhaps the following day. Easier still is to wait until the petals have opened before pollinating.
To be continued...
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