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Location

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Mid Michigan

Been checking links, and how to's......but have yet to find a place that actually tells you exactly how long the females should stay covered after pollinating. They all say you should cover them back up afterward, but for how long?
8 hours.....4 or 5 days? Until the female petals shrivel, and fall off? Dont want to do anything that would make it abort. How long is too long to keep it covered?
Cuzbiker

7/1/2001 9:03:43 AM

PA

In the past I've not had the best of luck with my hand pollinations but this is what I plan to do this year. I'm going to cover the females and males the night before with cheesecloth, then after pollinating in the morning I'm going to use a bread bag twistie and tie the female shut and let it go.

7/1/2001 9:21:14 AM

Long Island,New York

You would do better to cover the yellow bloom with the cheesecloth after you twist-tie Amy. CCB's will eat a hole in the flower to get inside...they are attracted by the fragrance of the bloom and the color yellow...if you cover the yellow your one step ahead of them....2 cents worth !..G

7/1/2001 10:06:46 AM

Mid Michigan

I covered the female, and 2 males with zip-lock baggies/with hole punched for air circulation the night before they were to open. The next morning when i took the baggies off, the petals opened right up. As soon as i was done pollinating, i covered the female back up so no bees could get at it.
How long should it stay covered tho? I still have it covered....if the pollination takes, it probably shouldn't matter if it's uncovered the next day, should it?
I still cant find an answer as far as how long to keep it covered after pollination takes place.
Cuzbiker

7/1/2001 12:25:03 PM

Choctaw, OK

i use a rubber band to close the flower after pollinating and then i put a ziploc sandwich bag over the flower....at this moment i do not have a problem with cuke beetles...only seen one so far, so i don't plan on seeing any drill a hole into my female flowers......

Case

7/1/2001 12:44:03 PM

Choctaw, OK

i just keep the female covered the day i pollinate them and over night...by the next moring if you uncover it or not, it does not really matter for nothing can alter the pollination that took or didn't take because females are only fertile for so long....

7/1/2001 12:46:01 PM