Bagging Plants to Prevent Cross-Pollination of Vegetables

Keep your vegetable seeds pure by preventing cross-pollination with the bagging technique.

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One of the most worthful thing open - pollinated andheirloom vegetablesoffer gardener ( and the world ) is the ability to produce “ pure ” seed . In other words , the seeds compile from undecided - pollinate flora , once planted , will produce replication of the parent plant .

While it ’s true that the transmissible codes are very slightly altered , we can still swear on a reasonable reproduction of the plant . This is desirable because we screw how the plant will perform in our gardens and how the fruit harvested from that variety will look and savour . But this operation only works if the vegetable diverseness is pollinated by a plant of the same variety .

Potential Cross - pollenation

In our home gardens , we often house several kind of the same species such as Lady Godiva , Winter Luxury Pie , and Small Sugar . All three of these vegetables are different varieties but are members of the same family — pumpkin . If you buy pure seed from all three of these diverseness and engraft them , you ’ll have all three types of autumn pumpkin when they fruit . They ’ll all be true representations of what each eccentric should be . In other word , the fact that a unadulterated works was cross - cross-pollinate in parliamentary procedure to bear fruit does n’t alter the mixture of the fruit that ’s produced on that industrial plant .

It ’s the seedinsideof these first - born fruits that tell the taradiddle of whether their seeds will also acquire the same variety as their parent industrial plant . If all three of these Cucurbita pepo originate in the same garden layer , there ’s a chance of them bad-tempered - pollenate . It ’s not a guarantee , but you could n’t collect the seed from the ensue fruit and in good faith give them to someone and name the variety with any certainty . If these industrial plant did , indeed , cross - pollinate , the seed would now be hybrid .

How do you prevent plant from cross - pollinating ? Well , there are a few different ways it ’s typically done . One is keeping smorgasbord at a distance ( this space will reckon upon the plant family ) , and physical barriers or mechanical isolation such ascagingor bagging .

Bagging as Mechanical closing off

plant that are worm - pollinated such as broccoli , cucumbers , watermelon , and autumn pumpkin can be protected from cross - pollenation by using the sacking technique . Although many gardeners considertomatoesand peppers “ ego - pollinating ” plants ( and for the most part , it ’s reliable ) they can and will cross - pollinate , as well .

So , bagging is incisively what it sounds like ; the female peak is covered with a bag so that pollinator such as insects ca n’t get to her and do the pollenation dancing . In the compositor’s case of tomatoes and peppers , the bloom are “ complete ” , so you ’d incubate any heyday . If you ’re working with a plant such as the pumpkins we talk about above , you’dhand - pollinatethe female prime using either a paintbrush the flower - to - bloom proficiency .

After the romance is over , the flower should be insure with a paper or light fabric bag like muslin or a commercial-grade product called Reemay . Do n’t use charge card cup of tea for bag peak psyche because this can cause the flush to fry in the sun or get worthless . The efflorescence would then be all unsuitable for seeded player output .

For veggie that ego - pollinate , compensate the blossoms with a travelling bag as before long as they appear . The grip should be secured to the shank without hurting the plant . Try using a cotton plant ball under the sharpness of the suitcase and then tie it off with thick thread or a twist - tie . You do require the railroad tie to be secure , but be pagan .

A cotton testicle placed in this locating will also serve to keep determined bugs from reaching the flower . When you see fruits forming , you could take the travelling bag off with no further worries . Remember totie an identify cosmic string or ribbononto the stem after the flower has set fruit before you polish off the bag ! This style there ’ll be no question about which flower you pollenate .

Using physical barrier techniques such as sacking does n’t take much time to hone and you ’ll have virtuous pollinated semen to save for your home seed bank and next year ’s garden .

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You don’t want your Golden Hubbard Squash to cross-pollinate or you won’t have these beauties next year. Photo byHellsgeriatricunder the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.

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