Some daylilies have internal blocks against self pollination. So using any flowers closely related as pollen parents will ultimately fail to set a pod. Diploids are much more fertile than tetraploids generally. Expect only about a third of your tetraploid crosses to produce a pod with seeds. Diploids are more fertile, but some do have problems with fertility. Generally, the most refined are the least fertile it seems. Expect about 75% average success with dips. Dab the pollen on the tip of the pistil, the stigma. I try to cover it with pollen, hopefully to prevent bees or other insects from coming along later and adding pollen to the mix. Adding the wrong pollen at the wrong time can cause the pod to abort. If you are breaking the pistil or the stamen as you handle them, then you are being too rough. Lighten up. The unusual formed flowers with the extremely long pistils are notoriously infertile. Especially the tets. There are several schemes to try to overcome this infertility. One being cutting the pistil to shorten it. I don't know of anyone being successful with this scheme. Primarily because there is nothing to anchor the pollen grains, nor stigmatic fluid to activate the pollen. I think it will take more than just cutting off the pistil and dabbing pollen on the end to succeed. Have fun, Ed

Stigmatic fluid needs to be present before it will set a pod. If it is nocturnal blooming, then it would need to be pollinated at night but for the girls who don't open until the a.m., it probably is wasted effort. Brooke

Thanks to everybody. I have started to do it because I have very low fruit set on Habanero and TS Moruga, the Habanero one has been dropping a lot of flowers and I have only gotten ONE pepper. In other hand my other type of pepper are having a good time with a lot peppers, the blessed ones are: *Jalapeno *Cayenne *Apache *Super chili *Basket of fire *Thai *Hungarian Yellow Wax *Giant Marconi *California Wonder *Chocolate beauty

This has been a fun process for me because I've decided to downsize considerably in order to justify having a few nicer things in the small space. I'll be going from an 1,800 sq ft home with separate garage/workshop to a 530 sq ft apartment above a 500 sq ft garage/workshop. This is an experiment for me both in simple living as well as in designing a living space that will cost as little as possible to heat or maintain. I'm also a bachelor, so it's a bit easier making a tiny space work. This structure is also being built on the edge of an heirloom fruit orchard of mine (16 acres), and much of my time is spent outdoors. The apartment is a comprised of a main living space divided into three areas: a well-equipped little kitchen, a dining area, and a home office. There's also a separate bedroom with a large closet as well as a full bath. The workshop/garage is large enough to hold a pick-up truck, tractor, a laundry area, a workbench, and three large chest freezers for storage. My challenge has been to take a serious look at what I truly need and I'm willing to give up in order to make this space work. I've learned a lot about myself in the process. In particular, a piano is more important to me than a sofa! When guests come to visit, our time indoors will have to be spent around the dining table. This is a concession I decided to make in order to have space for an upright piano. I also had to give up having a big, comfortable leather club chair and ottoman for reading and relaxing. Instead, I opted to have an over-sized bed (California King), really comfortable dining room chairs and an ergonomic chair for my desk (Aeron). Having sized down so drastically though, I will own my home outright (and all of its contents.) It's also been designed to be so well-insulated and airtight that I'll have a monthly utility bill of around $195/mo that will cover all space heating, air conditioning, hot water, electricity and propane, including a gas range and a top of the line steam shower. My Scrimps have turned out to be what I've simply given up: *No formal living room *No sofa *No space for a comfortable leather chair *No guest room My Splurges are: *Kohler Unwind Luxury Steam Shower (with six shower heads) *Sun Valley Bronze architectural hardware *Custom made Cedar garage and entry doors *Custom made Cherry kitchen cabinetry *Custom made Cherry rolltop office desk *Custom made Cherry Shaker Panel bed and nightstands with storage drawers beneath *6 Cherry dining chairs & table by Gary Weeks & Co. *BlueStar LP gas range *Yamaha Avant Grand N2 piano *Lie-Nielsen Roubo workbench (in garage) *BR-111 Tiete Rosewood floors and staircase *Sorpetaler Triple-Glazed European windows (from Germany) *Farrow & Ball paint *Caesarstone countertops *Rohl faucets and apron kitchen sink *Fisher & Paykel refrigerator/freezer *Bosch dishwasher *Motawi tile for bathroom and kitchen backsplash *Jaga...