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hybrid thinking about making a few crosses

F

Flchilehead

Im thinking about trying my luck with a few crosses next season. I understand the concept of selective breeding but i was wondering exactly how to inject the pollen. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Travis
 
Timing is everything if you are not emasculating the flower of the "mother plant".
Got to get it before it's own stamen produce pollen, and the pistal is ready to recieve it.
 
Pepper porn @ the link above. :dance:
 
Thanks everyone, that link was very helpful. Anyone have any advice for trying a chinense - annum cross. I understand they can be a little more difficult to grow out when you're crossing 2 different species.
 
Gotrox said:
Timing is everything if you are not emasculating the flower of the "mother plant".
Got to get it before it's own stamen produce pollen, and the pistal is ready to recieve it.
Click to expand...
The fruit of a Capsicum is a berry that may contain seed that developed from multiple pollen donors. I have an incidental hybrid was the result of one grain of pollen from another plant. The other 29 seeds from the same berry were the result of self-pollination. Better to emasculate per Fatalii's Growing Guide as referenced by Haj.
 
What I said.
Timing is everything unless you emasculate.
It is easy to overload a pistal with pollen, using a brush, not a q-tip.
 
Agreed, the right way is best.
 
I rip off a flower of the male and rub open anthers on the stigma of the emasculated flower (use forceps to remove anthers just before the flower opens). You can see if the stigma is ready with a hand lens; the pollen will stick and be visible. You could emasculate and leave the petals intact. This could be handy to let you know when it's ready by the flower opening up. You will want to try to cross it both ways with different species. Ideally you would do that for the same species too, but it's more important just in case one way is more fertile than the other. It's also a good idea to cross 4-6 different flowers just in case it doesn't take. The more the better really.
 
Edit: Observe and note when your anthers open up. You will want to be there when they open, before the wind blows the pollen off, unless you're inside. Also pay attention to when flowers open up. You should be able to guess which ones are going to open up the next day or two. Those are the flowers you will want to emasculate. You will also need to be gentle with the stigma. It's easy to break the style. I don't suggest a q tip or a brush. I also reuse the same flower picked from the male on 4-6 crosses on the same female. Sometimes I scrap pollen out of the slits of the anthers with the forceps and put it on the stigma. I do mine outside, so it's a bit more difficult than indoors. I also like to see tons of pollen on that stigma!
 
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