Wish I knew specifics on how to keep seeds from cross pollination

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

It's already making seeds. One of a kind in my yard. I've been letting all dark blue/purple bloom and reseed, while pulling all pink or lilac blooms the moment I see the blooms. It's already making seeds, so I can't control what it does from here on out. Sure, I can collect them, but doubt any future generations will look the same. Guess I'll enjoy it while I can!

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rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I guess it worked! Here it is, blooming today, in the spot I put the seeds last year. A spot so far flung, it can only be from the parent plant.

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Comments (17)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
What is it? Is there a reason why you did not post this in an appropriate gardening forum?

Depending on plant, it may not be a case of cross pollination. It could be a hybrid, in which case the offspring may never resemble the parent(s) or it may be a named cultivar that can only be accurately reproduced clonally/asexually.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It's a larkspur. Absolutely cross pollination. I have a yard full for many years. They're annuals which reseed. New plants every year.

I'm sharing my hobby like Rose does with sewing or Nicole does with house projects...
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mmm some say some won't cross pollinate, me i dunno? so i'll leave that one alone, pumpkins are noted for cross pollinating and you never know when it has happened until you keep and grow from your own seed. X-s can be good fruit but have had some that are only good for wood carving unless you like pumpkin soup. i would say if you want to grow a particular pumpkin then source known heirloom seeds open pollinated. from planting to picking is a long gap if picked only when ripe. i have kent/jap and queensland blue's growing together (they are about the best eating)haven't decided what i am going to do about next seasons plantings as yet, a bit of effort paper bagging coming female and male flowers so i can hand pollinate then bag the female again until the next day. anyhow give them a try. a ripe pumpkin is great eating len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page
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I think the little plastic bags might cause humidity problems/clumped pollen, but then again if you can glue a bud shut to induce self pollination (low success rate though) the bags may work to some extent. I had poor results bagging individual buds with the little mesh wedding rice sachets (your 25% sounds about right), but very high pollination rate bagging the whole plant or large branches. I think the weight of the little bag and/or manipulation putting it on may cause damage and promote blossom drop. When half of a plant was bagged it had comparable fruitset to the unbagged half. I was surprised and very pleased with the results, especially when I ended up with dozens and dozens of little pea sized cumari fruits each having only a handfull of seeds. Roadkill, You can pollinate with self-pollen by hand and then bag the same way you do when creating hybrids but you either have to open a mature bud or get to the newly open blossom before a bee does. There is a good chance that fiddling with the blossoms will cause them to abort so its just a lot easier to bag buds.
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the books say that insect pollination with tomatoes is almost imposable because of how the blossom is constructed. they are a self pollinating plant. you can cross pollinate them with a q-tip to breed a new type. i am not the expert but i save seed from tomatoes every year and they are true to type the next year. at least that is my experience. Dean PS i have some seven generation Anne Russian tomatoes. PS for better pollination i tap the supports for my tomato plant with a stick 2-3 time a week to vibrate the blossoms for better yields.
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I've read your posts and the FAQ and have found them very helpful, but I have a lingering question about timing. You see, I didn't think about saving seed until now, and many are rare/heirloom varieties. All of my plants are blossoming and many have fruit growing already. Is it too late to try and "bag" the blossoms to ensure purity? ****** I assume you're talking to me when you say you've read my posts since you posted after I did. Whatever. LOL Cindy, you can read/see from the FAQ that blossoms need to be bagged when they are in bud, well before they open. So if you have any that are still in bud you can bag them. Out of curiousity, what are the rare heirloom varieties that you want to save seeds from? I can see someone being concerned about finances, but I'm just curious to know what you consider to be rare. it may well be that if things don't work out for you that I or others would know a source for your rare ones that might be available commercially or otherwise. And there are places where a pack of seeds costs way less than $2. And those packs would have way more than the standard 20-30 seeds that most places pack. Carolyn
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Appears to be Larkspur. If so they're all likely to end up blue/purple if they keep self sowing. I agree there are lots of gardening forums for just his kind of question, including Seed Saving - GardenWeb and Annuals - GardenWeb .

eta Rob's post was not there when I responded. Regarding which forum to use. In the past plant id and care questions on KT have received a lot of incorrect guesses, so it pays to also post on the specialist forums. Sharing one's hobby is lovely, but if you're seeking factual information it pays to ask where you're most likely to get an accurate answer. As you would with sewing or house projects.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
There was never a question, but thanks!
User
3 years ago
Those are BEAUTIFUL flowers! As I recall you won an award for your yard...and If you have a bunch of these.....WOW!
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
This thread has been loading oddly, so please don't think I added a post floral. Really! ☺️ I value yours and gardengal's views on gardening. You're both quite knowledgeable.

Thanks Nicole! Nice of you to remember. My other hobby is sewing, but I can't even come close to Rose. She's amazing.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
It's loading so strangely, half the time it's not even on the Table? Weird.

Oh well. I just thought it was a really pretty flower.
Patriciae
3 years ago
Pollinating your flowers to control what you get is exacting and finicky work but it can be done. You can collect the pollen of your preferred flower(use a soft paintbrush) and as new buds open use that to pollinate the flowers . You then have to but little baggies over the pollinated flowers (remove petals for this) and wait for them to make seed. I like the old fashioned single columbine that I have here and prefer the dark blue. I despise the oversized more modern form and the super doubles dont do well in rain. I used to take the time to grow and sow the purple.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
I haven't sown any in years. I just let them reseed and have pulled the ones I don't want every year. It's almost all purple/blue now :)
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
3 years ago
That is a very beautiful larkspur, rob333, quite special. Thanks for sharing and don’t hesitate in doing so again.
matthias_lang
3 years ago
I'm surprised larkspur do well in your area. I think of them as needing cool summers.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
3 years ago
They pop up in late spring and last a couple of months. It's as close to delphinium (as I'm sure you likely know, very related to Larkspur) as I'll get 😉

Delphinium do very poorly here.
floraluk2
2 years ago
Note my comment last year "they're all likely to end up blue/purple if they keep self sowing. "

It is much less likely that, even if cross pollinated, you'll get the pinks persisting.
rob333 (zone 7b)
Original Author
2 years ago
Understood.
User
2 years ago
Simply GORGEOUS! Success!
petalique
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
How beautiful! I am so envious. Thanks for sharing.

Wish I knew specifics on how to keep seeds from cross pollination

rob333 (zone 7b)
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Wish I knew specifics on how to keep seeds from cross pollination

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