Re: HYB: Hybridizing Kit
- Subject: Re: HYB: Hybridizing Kit
- From: p*
- Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2002 04:11:04 -0000
I wanted to elaborate on one of the items in my own hyb kit.
I was very frustrated at first trying to hold the anther with the
tweezers and uncover the stigmatic lip with the other hand and swipe
it across. I always dropped the thing before I was satisfied that it
took. So I started dropping the anther in a clear plastic sandwich
bag, and labeled it on the spot -- name and date. I found that not
only did the bag safely capture the anther with all its pollen, but
the pollen stuck to the sides as the anther went down and was clearly
visible, so I only had to scrape it off the side with the toothpick
enclosed and maneuver the light toothpick easily across the lip.
Those with lots of pollen coated the inside of the bag and gave
enough for many crosses. I could also stick it in the refrig to
cross with later; or if planning a cross much later in the season,
into the freezer until needed. It thaws fast; and someone suggested
blowing a few hot breaths on it to puff it up.
Patricia Brooks
Whidbey Island, WA, where budded stalks are popping up all over.
--- In iris-talk@y..., Linda Mann <lmann@v...> wrote:
> My hybridizing kit consists of a small, shallow bowl (the ones that
are
> smaller than a salad bowl) or big pill minder box,
tweezers/forceps, a
> marking pen, & tags. I walk around staring at plants, trying to
figure
> out what crosses might give me something going in the general
direction
> of my goals (tougher plants), looking for pollen that seems
viable. To
> make crosses, I collect several anthers and either place them in the
> bowl, or if I'm trying to gather pollen from a lot of things, label
a
> small scrap of paper with the pollen plant name, place it in the
bottom
> of one of the pill box cubicles and put the anther in on top.
>
> The pill box thingy was new last year and is really handy -
translucent
> so I can almost make out the name of the pollen source, each
compartment
> has a hinged lid so I can snap it shut (helps keep pollen in the box
> when I trip over my own feet), & the whole thing can be popped in
the
> freezer at the end of the pollination day. I got a big one that has
> separate boxes for morning and evening, and I think has enough
> compartments for two weeks (=28 boxes?).
>
> I swipe whole anthers across stigmatic lips rather than trying to
put on
> a few grains. If I ever have a year where I think I have a lot of
> viable pollen, I may be a bit more stingy with it, but for now, I'm
> globbing on as much as I can get to stick to the lip. I have not
been
> cleaning my forceps between crosses - I should be so lucky as to get
> cross contamination with the low rate of takes I get!
>
> Labels are plastic coated wire 'twisties' and paper tags. I tried
with
> no success to find the store bought paper tags on strings last year
> (closest I came was an empty bin at Wally World) & wound up using
some
> stiff filing cabinet folder paper cut in strips with a hole punched
in
> one end. I label the tags as I go, tag every mama I put pollen on,
then
> go back and enter crosses in my book.
>
> One of our club members uses one of those cloth aprons with several
> pockets across the front, & carries all his supplies with him as he
> goes, including the notebook.
>
> Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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