Sarracenia pollinating question

[Lil Stinkpot]

When are the stigmas receptive? Is it as soon as the pollen starts dropping, or when the flowers open?

Just kinda curious here. I read the Sarracenia pollinating sticky, but I didn't see a mention to when they're ready. or when they're no longer receptive, for that matter.

 

[Fred P]

I have found that it is shortly after the pollen starts dropping.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

When do you suppose they stop being receptive? Is it about when the pollen stops, or when the petals start falling?

I'm doing some fun crosses this year; thankfully, just about every flower I've tried has dropped it's petals the day after i swiped the pollen onto them. Next year I'm so totally bagging them.



BTW, off-subject-- I've noticed a little green caterpillar that LOVES Sarr. flowers and pitchers. What's up with that? I've squished five already!They'll also eat mimulus flowers.

 

[Not a Number]

This might help:
http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/full/93/11/1660

If you can find it in a local library (only the abstract is online subscription only):
Thomas, K and D.M. Cameron Pollination and Fertilization in the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea American Journal of Botany 1986 vol73 no5 678

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

Wow! that's pretty heavy reading. but interesting.

Thanks!

 

[Fred P]

When do you suppose they stop being receptive? Is it about when the pollen stops, or when the petals start falling?

Don't know exactly but definitely before petal drop. It's a fairly short window of a few days depending on the weather.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

Interesting. Is there a visual cue? Probably fuzzy stigmas, if I can get my big Human nose in there to see it.

 

[sarracenia]

i think pollination has an affect too. once they've been pollinated, hormones are released that basically seal it off, so to speak. if you're doing the pollinating, once you start, you have no more than a couple of days left. or if a couple of bees do it a couple of days before you start, your pollination will be all for nothing.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

When you put it that way.... Sometime between now and next spring, you'll find me at the local craft store getting little net baggies. Actually sooner-- I have some heirloom tomatoes and green beans that need keeping.


Thanks for all the info, guys!

 

[kulamauiman]

the tomatoes are "wind" pollinated but you get bigger fruit more seeds if you have a real pollinator. Tested this in the greenhouse. found a tuning fork "C" worked well. Big steel fork lots of vibrations to simulate a large bee visiting the flowers. Initially did it with large forceps in place of tuning fork. PM me I have some net baggies taking up space that could be sent along to you.

 

[saturniid]

A suggestion. We use "sheer" wedding favor bags fin our field work. The fabric is quite weather resistant/proof and they have a built in drawstring that is easy to undo later. Come in colors so you can spot them easily or hide them. Recommend you remove petals as they might mold (develop botrytis- grey mold) but the bags do breath well protect the capsules/fruit from attack and capturing quite small seeds that shed before you get back to them. We used to use old nylons with rubber bands but broke to many stems that way. Using bits of string require high functioning opposable thumbs ;-) Murphy's Law of Seed Harvesting states that a green pod on Friday afternoon is an empty pod when you return home on Sunday afternoon.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

the tomatoes are "wind" pollinated but you get bigger fruit more seeds if you have a real pollinator. Tested this in the greenhouse. found a tuning fork "C" worked well. Big steel fork lots of vibrations to simulate a large bee visiting the flowers. Initially did it with large forceps in place of tuning fork. PM me I have some net baggies taking up space that could be sent along to you.

I have a half dozen different heirlooms that I don't want cross-pollinating. Net baggies a must!

PM in 'da mail.

A suggestion. We use "sheer" wedding favor bags fin our field work. The fabric is quite weather resistant/proof and they have a built in drawstring that is easy to undo later. Come in colors so you can spot them easily or hide them. Recommend you remove petals as they might mold (develop botrytis- grey mold) but the bags do breath well protect the capsules/fruit from attack and capturing quite small seeds that shed before you get back to them. We used to use old nylons with rubber bands but broke to many stems that way. Using bits of string require high functioning opposable thumbs ;-) Murphy's Law of Seed Harvesting states that a green pod on Friday afternoon is an empty pod when you return home on Sunday afternoon.

Opposable thumbs I have! If Kula's baggies don't have drawstrings yet, I can easily install some. Thanks for the tip on removing the petals. I will do that next time, since all of mine fell off already.

BTW: B-E-A-U-tiful avatar. I once raised some polythemus moths, but the males and females didn't mature at the same time. If those guys (cerecopia?) were in my area, I'd definitely give 'em a try. But they're not.