Days to pollinate?

[Kelo]

Can anyone tell me if there is an approximate amount of days (in general) after the blossom opens before you can pollinate an orchid?

[FairyInTheFlowers]

I would say 8-10 days after the flower begins to open would be the best. Too soon, and the flower will be too immature, adn too late and the potential fertility goes down.

[Kelo]

Thank you, Cody, that is rather later than I suspected but then again I was remembering that I read that vanilla needs to be pollinated after only a couple of days (?). Is there any literature anywhere that deals with the subject, that you know of?

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Vanilla is one of the exceptions I guess. Knowing that Vanila flowers are only open for a very short time, you obviously need to pollinate them as soon as they open. But for your average flower populace, when it is open for 3ish+ weeks, the flower takes the extra time to fully mature. It kind of goes along with the apearance of fragrance in fragrant flowers. In nature, if it takes several days after opening for fragrance to appear, it just goes to show that the flower is not meant to take pollen right after it is open. Of course, this is all from what I have learned from various places, so someone with actual experience will be able to tell you a definite answer.

[prc11]

I would say it all depends on the flower. I never really payed too much attention on when I pollinated compared to when the flower opens, but I would say at least a week and a half to two weeks for most. However, I would just say the best time to pollinate is when the flower is through one third of its life span. I believe the most important variable in the chance of pollination is the genetics and the overall health of the individual plant. In my experience, most of the time you will get a good seed pod out of a pollination.

[Kelo]

Brilliant, thank you guys for your help.