Re: Pollen Maturity

Rick Tasco wrote:

:  I don't normally use pollen from freshly opened flowers.  I usually wait
:  a few hours or look for 2 day old flowers.  Not all varieties will have
:  immature pollen on first opening.  Some varieties pollen looks good on
:  opening. 

This may be due to a difference in the varieties we grow, but I think it's more
likely to be a matter of climate.  I've rarely found good pollen on a freshly
opened flower.  It seems to take time to mature.  My climate theory comes from
the fact that some TBs manage to produce pollen on some of their flowers but not
on others -- and that is definitely linked to weather conditions.  

:   Rain is a nemisis.  If its coming, and you need pollen , get
:  it before the rain.  Heavy dew is bad also. 

Rain?  Dew?  What's that????  Just kidding, but I do agree that wet pollen is
useless pollen.  I make a point of harvesting pollen BEFORE I hose down the
canebreak to raise the humidity in the garden.

:   I never tried too much
:  experimenting.  You don't get too many chances sometimes.

One year, when I was young, energetic, and blessed with more time than common
sense -- I kept detailed records of the weather, did not let any flower go
uncrossed, and recorded the date & time I made the cross on each and every tag.
I even went out & made crosses in one of our infamous New Mexico mud storms.
That's how I determined the optimal hybridizing conditions for my own garden.  

But as the saying goes, "results may vary" so I want to issue a lurker-alert:
DON'T use any of my tricks for raising humidity if you're gardening in a humid
climate!

Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@compuserve.com)
Hybridizing in hot, dry, & windy Southern New Mexico
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