When is the best time to pollinate?

[lotis146]

Some time in the future I would like to perform some pollination of my Orchids. But I've been wondering, is it best to pollinate as soon as both parent flowers open or can it be done at any time? One reason I wonder this is, for example, that say I've got two Orchids I want to breed; one is already in bloom and the other in bud. What if the already bloomed flower is on its way out when the other blooms finally open, does this make much of a difference - to your knowledge - with regard to pollination?? I'm sure in the wild as long as the flower is in bloom it can either accept or provide pollen but I had to ask if there is "best" time to pollinate blooms.

Thanks!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I recommend somewhere in the middle of the flower's life for most commonly grown orchids. Do not do it as soon as it opens, and do not pollinate too close to when the flowers start to wilt.

The exceptions to this are with orchids whose flowers only bloom for 1 - 3 days. These you need to pollinate as soon as the flower goes into bloom. The window of opportunity with these are small. One possible reason for these kinds of orchids existing is probably because the pollinators are a dime-a-dozen, and are usually consistently present in very close proximity to the orchid.

[Fairorchids]

I do a little breeding with my plants (Paphs & Vandaceous).

Most Paph flowers last a long time, so any time in the first 4-5 weeks is fine. After that, the pollen may not have enough time to grow tubes long enough to effect pollination.

Paph pollinia will last a long time in the refrigertor, so it is not a problem if desired parent plants are not in bloom at the same time.

In the Vandaceous group, I have only used pollen from simultaneously flowering plants. Here I try to select a flower that has opened fully, but only been open a few days.

Notice that If you are working with two flowers of significantly different size, such as a full size Vanda and a small Ascocentrum, there are two difficulties:

1. Full size Vanda pollinia may not fit into the smaller Ascocentrum flower. You may have to cut it to fit.

2. The pollen from the smaller Ascocentrum might not be able to pollinate the larger Vanda (pollen tubes won't grow long enough).

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

I do a little breeding with my plants (Paphs & Vandaceous).

Most Paph flowers last a long time, so any time in the first 4-5 weeks is fine. After that, the pollen may not have enough time to grow tubes long enough to effect pollination.

Paph pollinia will last a long time in the refrigertor, so it is not a problem if desired parent plants are not in bloom at the same time.

In the Vandaceous group, I have only used pollen from simultaneously flowering plants. Here I try to select a flower that has opened fully, but only been open a few days.

Notice that If you are working with two flowers of significantly different size, such as a full size Vanda and a small Ascocentrum, there are two difficulties:

1. Full size Vanda pollinia may not fit into the smaller Ascocentrum flower. You may have to cut it to fit.

2. The pollen from the smaller Ascocentrum might not be able to pollinate the larger Vanda (pollen tubes won't grow long enough).

So this has me wondering - thank you for the reply btw, both of you - I was thinking of breeding full-sized and miniature Phals/Dtps. Presumably what you describe above is also a problem I could run into with this? I was going to try mini pollen in full-sized and vice-versa to experiment if you will.

[Fairorchids]

It does not have to be a problem, but it can be. Pollen from a small flowered Phal has developed the ability to grow a certain length, and it might not be long enough if used on a much larger flower.

This is also one of the reasons I like to pollinate as early as possible. It gives the pollen more time to reach it's target before the flower fades.

[lotis146]

That all makes perfect sense, thank you. If and when I proceed with this I will share my results.

Thank you.

[lotis146]

What's the best way to preserve pollen?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Keep the pollinia in a bag and put it in the fridge.

If you're concerned that the fridge might be set to too cold a setting, then you can put the bag in a box.

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Keep the pollinia in a bag and put it in the fridge.

If you're concerned that the fridge might be set to too cold a setting, then you can put the bag in a box.

Just any kind of bag? It's so tiny! I read some older posts of people talking about drying it out (dessicating) with things like CaCl or those little silica packets that come in various products, is this really necessary? I've read also that someone stapled it closed in a coffee filter or someone wrapped in foil? Sounds to me like there are a lot of different methods and honestly I am looking for the simplest/easiest method and not dealing with any rare or valuable (beyond my opinion/interests) Orchids. This is all new to me, in fact, accidentally lost some pollinia today when my bird flew off and blew the paper towel off the table that had it on it! There's other flowers...but still!

Thank you.

[Fairorchids]

I have on occasion received pollen from other growers. They usually pack/ship in:

a. A small plastic bag.
b. Folded wax paper.