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Re: yuccas

> Subject: Re: yuccas
> ok... i'm just starting this sort of thing.  there are three different
> (kinds??) (varieties??) of yucca i have here that are all in bloom.
atleast i
> think it's three. it's probably just two... anyhow, after reading all
this
> hybridizing stuff on these lists i thought it would be neat to try cross
> pollinating them... if it's possible.

I looked at the yuccas flowering in my yard, and now feel a little more
comfortable making suggestions.

The flower should have six petals, six fuzzy anthers, and a three-part
pistil (with the pistil all fused together into the central structure)
topped by a three-lobed stigma.  The anthers on mine are white, fuzzy, and
topped by a cap of yellow, which I am assuming is or will be pollen.  I
have not watched anthesis (pollen-shedding) in yucca before, so this is a
most likely guess on my part, OK?  

The flowers apparently open before the pollen is shed, and before the
stigmas are ready to receive pollen.  The first thing to do is to remove
the petals from a flower that has just opened. The petals attract
pollinators, and you want to keep them away from the flower if possible.  
For this flower (the one you want to be the seed parent), REMOVE THE FUZZY
STAMENS / ANTHERS.  This is to avoid accidental SELF-pollination. 

The flowers are large and pretty rugged.  It would be nice if you could
enclose the petal-less flower you want to be the seed (female) parent in a
small paper bag to protect it from potential pollinators, and stray
wind-blown pollen.  Plastic bags are not good --- they trap too much heat
and moisture.  And no, it's not absolutely necessary because you removed
the petals, but it does decrease the chances of accidental (and unknown)
cross-pollination. 

You should also protect the flower that you want to be the pollen parent. 
Pollinators can leave cross-pollen behind on the anthers, too.  

The next thing to determine is WHEN the pollen is ready and WHEN the
stigmas are ready to receive it.  I will keep you informed about the ones
in my yard, and describe the process here.  You should simply observe the
plants on a daily basis.  When you can tell that the pollen is being shed,
simply pluck the flower being used as the pollen parent, and use it as a
paintbrush on the stigma of the seed parent.

I suspect that the three lobes of the stigma will open up and curl out a
bit (reflex) when they are ready to receive pollen.  You should begin
cross-pollinating once the reflexing begins.  The pollen of lily family
plants is not very long-lived: you should pollinate each flower repeatedly
over a number of days.  That means preparing multiple flowers from the
pollen parent (I would do it daily), just to make sure you have good pollen
available when you need it.

You should also prepare and pollinate multiple flowers on the seed parent,
just in case.  Pollination is just the first step.  Nothing is more
heart-breaking than to apparently make a successful cross --- and then have
the plant die, or the fruit eaten by a pest, before the seed is ripe.

You should be careful NOT to remove all of the stamens from all of the
flowers.  You will need a pollen source.

If you are crossing more than two varieties, you will need to carefully
label the seed parent flowers being cross-pollinated.  You will also need
to keep the fruit that forms labelled so that you can identify the crosses
after the flowers have faded and you have forgotten what you have done.  It
is the seed in the fruit that will produce your hybrids.  Outdoors, I use a
small plastic nursery tag that has a thin copper wire for attaching it to
the stalk of the flower.  Indoors, I use paper-and-string tags.  Mice and
birds and rain and sunlight make the paper-and-string tags worthless
outdoors.  

Realize, too, that the crosses may not "nick" --- the varieties may not
cross.  But it's worth a shot.  Go for it.


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