If you want to cross the two, and be sure the cross is true, follow these steps.
1: Find a flower that is about to open on one of the plants, this will be the female part.
2: Carefully remove the petals with a needle or a tiny flathead screwdriver.
3: Carefully remove the Anthers (Purple things, depending on species). I find it easy to remove these, by putting the tool behind them and pulling outward. Be real carefull not to touch the Style and Stigma (the part in the middle).
4: Remove an open flower that has pollen (at least open for 2 hours) from the other plant, and carefully remove each petal by pulling them downward, one by one. You may also remove the Style & Stigma from the male flower as it may get in the way.
5: Take the flower you did surgery on (the Female) and GENTLY rub it's Stigma (tip of female part) into the Anthers of the male flower. Make sure it is evenly coated by dipping the stigma into the pollen sacks (open voids) on the anthers.
Note: The Stigma on the female flower is receptive to pollen BEFORE it opens, while the Anthers (Stamen) do not contain pollen untill hours after the flower has opened.
If the Style bends or breaks off, the flower will NOT set, remove it, find another flower and start over.
Once you are done, take a perminant marker (black or red) and mark the stem of the flower so that you can tell it apart from other fruit. You can also loosly tie some string around it, this would make it stick out more.
Do this to a few flowers to insure at least one flower sets. If you are growing outside, you might want to put a teabag over the flower so that insects do not contaminate with other pollen.
I have heard that water and alcohol will render the pollen useless, so do not use a wet paintbrush or q-tip to transfer the pollen if you choose to do it that way instead of rubbing the anthers directly onto the stigma.
Once the flower has set, let it ripen fully before removing it. You can then remove the seeds, dry them completly and germinate them right away or save them for the next season.
1: Find a flower that is about to open on one of the plants, this will be the female part.
2: Carefully remove the petals with a needle or a tiny flathead screwdriver.
3: Carefully remove the Anthers (Purple things, depending on species). I find it easy to remove these, by putting the tool behind them and pulling outward. Be real carefull not to touch the Style and Stigma (the part in the middle).
4: Remove an open flower that has pollen (at least open for 2 hours) from the other plant, and carefully remove each petal by pulling them downward, one by one. You may also remove the Style & Stigma from the male flower as it may get in the way.
5: Take the flower you did surgery on (the Female) and GENTLY rub it's Stigma (tip of female part) into the Anthers of the male flower. Make sure it is evenly coated by dipping the stigma into the pollen sacks (open voids) on the anthers.
Note: The Stigma on the female flower is receptive to pollen BEFORE it opens, while the Anthers (Stamen) do not contain pollen untill hours after the flower has opened.
If the Style bends or breaks off, the flower will NOT set, remove it, find another flower and start over.
Once you are done, take a perminant marker (black or red) and mark the stem of the flower so that you can tell it apart from other fruit. You can also loosly tie some string around it, this would make it stick out more.
Do this to a few flowers to insure at least one flower sets. If you are growing outside, you might want to put a teabag over the flower so that insects do not contaminate with other pollen.
I have heard that water and alcohol will render the pollen useless, so do not use a wet paintbrush or q-tip to transfer the pollen if you choose to do it that way instead of rubbing the anthers directly onto the stigma.
Once the flower has set, let it ripen fully before removing it. You can then remove the seeds, dry them completly and germinate them right away or save them for the next season.
