| A toothpick is the standard instrument for pollinating orchids. Orchid pollen is in two clumps (pollinia) located at the tip of the column in the center of the flower and covered by the anther cap. The pollinia are transferred by the toothpick from there to the stigma, a sticky hollow on the underside of the column behind the pollinia. To accomplish this, make the tip of the toothpick sticky by dipping its tip into the sticky material of the stigma. Then push off the anther cap and detach the pollinia, using the tip of the toothpick, to which the pollinia will stick. Now press the pollinia into the stigma of the flower you wish to pollenate. Attach a label to the stem so you will remember the parentage and date of the cross. If pollination is successful, the flower will collapse within a day or two. After that, the ovary will enlarge into a pod and you will be on the way to having ripe seed. Sowing and raising the seed is another story, a long one. Jim | 
