I am ready! Thanks Jodie for all that you do for us :) Happy easter! Barb

Happy Easter to you, too, Barb! It's my pleasure to share my gardening... if not for sharing and enjoying with friends, what is gardening for? :-)

Jodik thanks for your well pictured and explained lesson. Can you post a similar one on how to pollinate doubles? Thank you.

Doubles are a lot more tricky to pollinate... many doubles don't develop the proper "parts" to pollinate with! The extra petals that make a Hippeastrum a double are usually distorted stamens and stigma, etc... most doubles do not have the necessary pollen or stigmas to pollinate the flower.

If I ever do see a double with the necessary parts to pollinate, I will photograph it. However, I doubt I'll ever see that.

Some doubles produce a bit of pollen, and this is usually saved and used on another variety, with a small percentage of the offspring being doubles.

Breeding doubles is not quite as easy as breeding the single flowers.

Thanks Jodi for a well documented pollinating picture series. Now my pollination attempts are more timely ie I wait until the stigma is fully open and pointing upwards.

Before this, I dusted the pollen upon the first opening of the flower or whenever I see pollens bursting which were a few days too early!

Hatta

I like to enjoy the flower for as long as I can, because I know that as soon as I pollinate, that flower will begin to fade. I usually wait until the bloom shows the very first tiny signs of fading on its own, and then I pollinate right away.

Some will pollinate several times, starting when the stigma is ready and repeating the process a couple of time until the flower fades.

Thank you so much Jodi, informative as always! I hope you'll be able to photograph the pollination of a double, as I've got a number of them coming from Maguires.

If I may impose upon you to document a few other steps in the process, I would be eternally grateful.

1. Storage of Pollen
2. Harvesting and storage of seeds
3. Planting/Germination of seeds

You've created a monster! LOL But in a good way! You're helping to create gardens full of assorted and unusual hippi's across the world as we all learn and practice our hybridizing techniques. ;-)

So far I've self pollinated numerous 'Emerald' flowers. I've crossed 'Emerald' with my NOID's named Mimi and Abby. I've crossed Mimi and Abby with each other, and I've successfully self'd Mimi (so far. Hopefully it won't abort). 'Emerald' is the only bloomer outdoors. So I brought its pollen indoors for Mimi and Abby to avoid any contamination.

How quickly do you start to notice the flower fading after pollination?

Photographing the pollination of a double will probably not happen... at least, not with my camera. I have yet to see a double with a workable stigma. I've had a few doubles give bits of pollen, and I had one Lady Jane grow what looked like a usable stigma, but it did not take to an attempt at pollinating. Most doubles do not have the necessary reproductive parts to be successfully pollinated. Somehow, the necessary parts have been bred into the smaller sets of center petals that you see on a double.

Storage of pollen is a subject that I'm not too familiar with. From what I've read, it's best to gather fresh pollen by removing the anthers you want to save, and storing them in gel capsules, then place those in a desiccant... or place the anthers carefully in desiccant, changing out the desiccant after 24 hours, when it has absorbed the moisture. Then, you would either refrigerate or freeze those airtight containers or vials of pollen.

Ann and Maria are probably better at explaining the saving of pollen... I've never saved any, myself.

Seeds are easy to harvest and store... when you see the mature seed pod just beginning to split open, cut it off the scape just below the pod. Allow it to dry on a shelf out of direct sun for 24-48 hours, and then place the seeds in an airtight container and store them in a dark place. I keep mine in little film containers or bottles, and I keep those in a box. From what I've read, they're best stored in a cool place, at about 41-59 degrees F. Desiccant can be used for seeds, as well... though I don't.

Planting the seeds... there are a couple of ways to start them. Some float them in little pans or containers of water, and then transfer them to soil once they sprout and grow a tiny leaf and root... I prefer to start them directly in soil, keeping the soil moist at all times. I believe this eliminates transplant shock from water to soil. Once they outgrow their little spaces in a plug flat, I plant them in little pots, and bump as necessary.

Some things will have to wait until next season... this blooming season is about over for me. I think I've covered the basics, and others have posted good stuff, so there should be enough information logged into past threads to do a pretty good search and find what you're looking for.

As I put my bulbs through their paces, I'll try to remember to record everything so I can share it... keep in mind, though... how I do some things is not necessarily how everyone will do them. We all live in different climates and grow just a little differently.

Jodi, this was an excellent tutorial!

Carol