From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Central Illinois

What percentage of your hand pollinations are successful.

Mine is low guessing 1 out of 6

I use several male flowers and when warm I use a one gallon ice jug covered by a cardboard box, and a shade tent over that

7/4/2015 9:00:01 AM

JACKSON, WISCONSIN. ; )

This year... 6/7 so far... Don't use ice , covers , fans. I open female use some male pollen and tie them off and check 24 hrs later... I am pretty harsh eh... I figure just like Mother Nature

7/4/2015 9:29:57 AM

East Jordan, MI

We always have to deal with heat but the excess water this year is making it worse than normal.

Things that have helped us be more successful over the years.

1. Shade baby from the day you see it.
2. Don't cover it with a plastic bag or cup (it can't breathe and moisture develops inside the plastic) Moisture and pollination don't mix. Panty hose works pretty good or just the good old fashions bread tie, zip tie, or piece of string to tie it closed.
3. Pollinate later. I was pollinating at 5 am. Once we started pollinating between 7 and 8 our success rate increased significantly.
4. A Styrofoam ice chest upside down will be 5 to 10 degrees cooler under it in the beating down sun. Over 90 degrees, stick a frozen Gatorade bottle under the ice chest, making sure it isn't too close to the baby, you want to cool the space, not the kin.
5. Be gentle, just touch the male to the female, don't brush it. I think there can be some mechanical injury there if you aren't careful.

Good luck

7/4/2015 10:49:25 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

It is too early to know for sure, but all seem to be growing. We have had ideal weather so far, highs 70 to 81; We are just later than normal by a week or so due to cool weather.

7/6/2015 7:46:50 AM

Central Illinois

I switched from the styrofoam cups to white paper sacks this year I was finding water in the flowers. I can also use my long arm pruners to hold the sack to install it and remove it from the males.

7/6/2015 8:15:13 AM

Kentucky, U.S.A.

Got off to a good start, but the heat stunted the plants going into the sweet zone (12-20 ft.) so I kept my early pollinations although they are very close to the stump. I have been brushing the males, so I may have cost myself a few pollinations. Thanks for the tip Cecil!

7/6/2015 6:33:58 PM

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

Well, this year.....99.8% success. Somebody is gonna have to get the old axe.

7/8/2015 10:11:10 AM

Partlow,Va

Good advice cecil. I will strip the males blooms then gently roll it around the female lobes so it doesn't scrape or drag across the female it justs makes light contact. So it rolls around like a tire on the road if that makes sense.

7/8/2015 11:08:59 AM