Pollination: Fan vs. Q-Tip

[SciurusDoomus]

Is an oscillating fan aimed at the plants good enough to pollinate the flowers? It should be there anyway because airflow is an issue indoors, but do I still need to go through and manually pollinate every flower? How good is pollinating by wind?
 
If you need any details about my grow setup, I'm happy to post pics
 
S

 

[SmokenFire]

I can't speak for fans.  I use one of the water color brushes from my kids painting set with excellent results.  Takes very little time to pollinate multiple plants. 

 

[Scorched]

I can't speak for fans.  I use one of the water color brushes from my kids painting set with excellent results.  Takes very little time to pollinate multiple plants. 

 
I use the exact same thing and have great results. I don't really care for the q-tip at all

 

[pepperguy1]

I use the exact same thing and have great results. I don't really care for the q-tip at all

I was think about doing this,but didn't know if it would work well.Now,I know it works well.Thanks for sharing your ideas.

 

[geeme]

Chile peppers are fairly efficient self-pollinators - all it takes is a shake of a branch, or brush your hand by, and it happens. Using Qtips and paint brushes is fine if you have tons of time on your hands, though, or you are being careful to avoid cross-pollination and have several varieties. Of course, you still need some kind of barrier between the varieties, regardless. I grow in pots and just periodically thump the pots when it's not windy outside.
 
That said, an oscillating fan is a good idea when you have your plants indoors, as it serves three purposes. The first is to simulate the wind, which helps keep the stems strong. The other is to help keep the soil surface dry, which helps prevent top-of-soil fungi from growing. And yes, the third is to provide motion so the flowers self-pollinate. 

 

[Blister]

Putting a fan on your plants is good for all the reasons outlined above. In terms of strickly pollinating plants I've found the easiest way is to use a water bottle with a bit of Epsom salt. I give my plants a weekly spray of Epsom to keep them green. Spraying the underside of the leaves often blasts the pollin into the flower and get the job done.

Neil

 

[chilicheesebeard]

I have a fan on 24/7 and use a little teaspoon to tap the pollen into and then dip the middle in the collected pollen. Works pretty well but is time consuming.

 

[Dreamweaver]

From my limited experience I think it depends on the variety...

My Thai and Mushroom seem just fine with a fan and a shake every now and again.

However, my jolokia seems to prefer q-tips.