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red bluff, california, usa

I posted this in genetics last week and didn't get a response, anyone here able to answer question?
My 942.5 Swarts has lagged way behind all the other plants, Its very compact with very thick vines. This week I got 5 male flowers, non of them produced a stamen. The first female today was the best female iv'e seen on any of my plants with 5 lobes twice the size & length of normal.
question: has anyone else seen these traits? is it worth taking the time to try and pollinate?

6/16/2004 1:52:14 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

How could you pollinate, without a stamen to produce pollen?
Is there pollen in the male flowers and if so, where?

6/17/2004 12:27:39 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Why don't you pollinate with the pollen from another plant?
I've never encountered males without pollen. It's easy to see the large yellow pollen grains in a male flower. Just tip the male over on your hand and if you have yellow grains then you have pollen...

The female can only be pollinated on the first day that it opens and only for the first few hours of the morning so it's way to late to try to pollinate that flower in question.
Hope this helps!
Michel

6/17/2004 12:37:00 AM

Wichita, KS

"The female can only be pollinated on the first day that it opens and only for the first few hours of the morning..."

I did not know this. Ya know, that's why I hang around. :)

6/17/2004 1:22:44 AM

[email protected]

There will always be those mornings when a female pops with no males of choice to use as donor. But if other plants have pollen, I'd use them. Likewise you could have no donor males in the patch at all, so perhaps a call to a neighbor grower for a flower donation?

Who can offer suggestions for transporting males flowers safely?

6/17/2004 6:39:40 AM

Ontario, Canada.

I have seen male and female flower deformaties before. Last year I had many a poor flower late in the season. Seams to be related to the flat vine problem in as far as nobody really understands what causes the problem to begin with. When the next female comes I would say yes it is very much worth it to try and polinate with another plants males if you still can't get anything from the self males.

6/17/2004 7:08:54 AM

red bluff, california, usa

thanks for the responses, I plan to pollinate it with the
882 Pugn & 854 Sawtelle as these seem to putting on fruit the heavyest. I had wanted to use Swarts but have not gotten any more males in a week. all the females so far have shown th same traits as the first so when i get some far enough out I'll pollinate. I know you have to pollinate early on the day they open. I tie the top of the flower closed the night before, I've also been doing the same to my male flowers as I have hundreds of bees working my patch.
So far I've removed over 100 female flowers of of 8 plants and am having trouble waiting for July LOL

6/17/2004 2:02:43 PM