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What is the BEST hand pollinating technique?

Hammerfall

Hammerfall

Hi Guys,

what are the best practice to set more flowers?

until summertime i would like to set more peppers...

qtip? brush, fingers, ???

can you share your experience and technique and tell if it does good results?


this thread my help a lot of grower in the futur.
 
i use a soft paint brush works very well
wet the brush then i run it over the back of hand til dry feeling
also the prim time for polllinating is noon till 3
make sure ur flowers r all the way open petals straight out
i follow this and it always produces a pod
 
wind and bees/insects
 
Peppers are great self-pollinators. Just gently shake the plants from time to time. This simulates the wind action that occurs in nature, and avoids damage that can be done by using a brush.

PS - AJ's response is great (and the best) if your plants are outdoors. However, if your plants are indoors (as I was assuming when giving my initial response), go for shaking them.
 
You want to flower indoors? Do you have adequate lighting and space for that?
I usually pick off early flowers to encourage more growth early on, but if you want them to pollinate indoors I'd suggest setting up a fan
 
thanks guys... yes it's for indoor.
just want to set some peppers to set for now... i have some big plant already 2 to 3 feet tall nicely place in the window having plenty of sun. grows like crazy! cant wait to plant them in the garden!
 
Electric toothbrush. One of a few method that I've tried, only method that has worked with 100% success, and no possibility of damaging the flower either..
 
bricke said:
i use a soft paint brush works very well
wet the brush then i run it over the back of hand til dry feeling
also the prim time for polllinating is noon till 3
make sure ur flowers r all the way open petals straight out
i follow this and it always produces a pod
Click to expand...
+1
 
The electric toothbrush is a necessity for tomatoes (particularly certain varieties), as they somehow rely on the exact buzzing frequency of a particular bee, which electric toothbrushes seem to mimic. (Interesting that other bees don't work, either, because their buzzing frequency isn't the same.) At any rate, it's not necessary for peppers. However, if you choose to use this method, note that you will not put the toothbrush directly onto the flowers, but onto the stems - this is why it avoids damage to the flower parts.
 
All my peppers have been indoors. I've only pollinated by finger and have never had a problem so I don't think you have to be too fancy with it.
 
I don't ever hand pollinate and I've never had a problem with flower set indoors or in my greenhouses. All you need is a small breeze, a fan, or an occasional shake
 
bricke said:
i use a soft paint brush works very well
wet the brush then i run it over the back of hand til dry feeling
also the prim time for polllinating is noon till 3
make sure ur flowers r all the way open petals straight out
i follow this and it always produces a pod
Click to expand...

+2 - even outside where I live, Manzanos/Rocottos need help with a brush to pollinate - Noon to 3PM works great
 
you know, my first post said wind and insects...that is the most natural thing to do, but I confess during pod set, I shake the shit out of each plant with pollen on it...I just grab ahold of the stem and shake it rather violently...I want the whole plant to move...

plus this helps get rid of the older leaves that are almost ready to fall off anyway...
 
I’m bagging all my seed plants this year and I was wondering, since air does a lot of natural pollinating, why not use a small ear syringe and shoot a moderate blast or two of air into the flowers each day. Faster than hand pollinating with a brush and cheaper than a battery run toothbrush. With over a hundred seed plants, I have to have a faster way.

I haven’t tried it yet but just wanted someone’s opinion who knows more than me, of course that would include almost everyone LOL

Curt
 
fishing4fun2 said:
Here is what i use it shakes the entire plant when you stick it on a larger branch---> http://www.amazon.co...9V2QXPV793DN9R4
Click to expand...

Damn it, you got me!

Windsong said:
I’m bagging all my seed plants this year and I was wondering, since air does a lot of natural pollinating, why not use a small ear syringe and shoot a moderate blast or two of air into the flowers each day. Faster than hand pollinating with a brush and cheaper than a battery run toothbrush. With over a hundred seed plants, I have to have a faster way.

I haven’t tried it yet but just wanted someone’s opinion who knows more than me, of course that would include almost everyone LOL

Curt
Click to expand...

What about using a portable air compressor with a blower nozzle? I would think that would be even faster.
 
A small breeze or fan, or a couple of shakes is all that is needed
Air/wind is very rarely responsible for pollinating chiles which are inbreeders and do not throw pollen in the air for wind dispersal. For the most part chiles are self pollinating and each flower pollinates itself
 
I so far prefer using a white very soft and small makeup brush with round tip for evenly touch. Soft so I don't break the flower pistil. Using one from MaxFactor now. Looks like like this one:
mcbrush219300.jpg


I make the tip of the brush wet but not dripping so it absorbs the pollen. Prefer white because I can see the tip becoming yellow from the pollen, then I know the plant is giving out some.

Other than that I have a fan blowing at the same time as I shake them quite a lot.

Maybe I'm overdoing things haha
 
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