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Using pva glue to seal buds shut before they can be cross pollinated by insects is one way to ensure varieties can be saved from seeds. I've pinched some of this from my blog (https://growingfoodsavingseeds.blogspot.co.uk/)
First select suitable flower candidates. In the picture below the lower big fat plump flower looks just ready to burst its petals open, whereas the slightly smaller flower above looks like it will be a couple of days before opening and needs a little longer to develop.
Next for the glue, I'm starting with a little dab in several places on the flower before spreading them out to cover all the petals, but I'm sure there are several good ways to apply a good coat?
Here you cans see the flower buds with their newly applied pva coat, still wet.
You can see start to see the petals below as the glue dries to a dull see through coat. I've applied two coats of glue to make sure there is a good covering, if it is too thin the buds will burst the glue and be able to open. It's good to have a little extra glue at the bottom of the petals, it helps to add strength.
Five days later the bud is at it's maximum size pushing against the glue, but the petals remain closed. The glue coat appears to be good for catching greenfly too!
In another three days, the flowers are fading and the chilli fruit forming is already splitting the glue coated flower and pushing it off. The red thread has been applied to the selfed fruits in order to identify them later on and avoid eating them by accident. It is best to mark them before or as you mark them, glued buds can be hard to spot as the glue dries clear.
Using pva glue to seal buds shut before they can be cross pollinated by insects is one way to ensure varieties can be saved from seeds. I've pinched some of this from my blog (https://growingfoodsavingseeds.blogspot.co.uk/)
First select suitable flower candidates. In the picture below the lower big fat plump flower looks just ready to burst its petals open, whereas the slightly smaller flower above looks like it will be a couple of days before opening and needs a little longer to develop.
Next for the glue, I'm starting with a little dab in several places on the flower before spreading them out to cover all the petals, but I'm sure there are several good ways to apply a good coat?
Here you cans see the flower buds with their newly applied pva coat, still wet.
You can see start to see the petals below as the glue dries to a dull see through coat. I've applied two coats of glue to make sure there is a good covering, if it is too thin the buds will burst the glue and be able to open. It's good to have a little extra glue at the bottom of the petals, it helps to add strength.
Five days later the bud is at it's maximum size pushing against the glue, but the petals remain closed. The glue coat appears to be good for catching greenfly too!
In another three days, the flowers are fading and the chilli fruit forming is already splitting the glue coated flower and pushing it off. The red thread has been applied to the selfed fruits in order to identify them later on and avoid eating them by accident. It is best to mark them before or as you mark them, glued buds can be hard to spot as the glue dries clear.
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