Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [pollination]

Process of pollen transfer in plants, enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction.

Process of pollen transfer in plants, enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction.

Pollination is desirable if you wish to produce seeds for propagation, or to produce fruit for consumption.

Different plants have different methods of pollination - eg. wind, insects, birds. Most plants will not require human help, but occasionally this may be beneficial if the plant does not pollinate easily, or if you wish produce a hybrid.

Use this tag for all of your plant pollination questions.

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How do cucumbers happen? What does "very poorly pollinated cucumber" mean exactly? How can pollination be "uneven"?

This answer to Strange Fruit from Tomato Plant begins: That looks like a poorly pollinated cucumber (the type of distortion on the fruit is exactly what you'd see if pollination were uneven). Apparently my understanding of the "birds and the bees"…
uhoh
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How do you tell if a tree is male or female?

I was reading through some of the questions on fruit trees, because I've been thinking about getting some blueberry bushes and cherry trees, and I see a lot of people mentioning that the trees don't self-pollinate, and that you need a male and a…
The Flash
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How long can a bell pepper plant thrive while maintained indoors?

I haven't found anything stating that the plant dies off after producing fruit and it is my understanding that if I keep the environmental conditions correct, continue manual pollination, and add fertilizer to the soil every few weeks/month that the…
Enigma
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What is the proper technique to hand pollinate an eggplant?

I have an eggplant that has thus far produced several flowers, but no fruit yet. I have read that hand pollination is often necessary for eggplant to produce fruit. How do I go about hand pollinating the plant? Do I need any special equipment?
wax eagle
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What causes flowers to fall off of a blueberry bush?

My blueberry bush's flower bells are falling off, leaving only the center stalk (stamen? pistil? whatever it is, its part of the sex organs) Is this what happens when a blueberry flower is properly pollinated or is some type of disease/blight…
Peter Grace
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What is the difference between male and female asparagus plants, and is it important for growing?

Yesterday I found a box of two asparagus plants among some bags of bulbs at a local store. I couldn't open it, so I don't know what they look like, but the box was about 6 inches tall and 3 inches front to back. Although I have a lot of experience…
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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Can I cross pollinate basil and chili peppers?

If I want to plant 2 different species of chili pepper, should I be careful to prevent cross pollination? I heard that chili are self-pollinating, but I don't understand this. Wouldn't any plant become self-pollinated if we use their anther to brush…
lamwaiman1988
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Rotating indoor plants outdoors for pollination, fresh air, etc. How often?

Following up this question, I have a rock filled border surrounding the outside of the screened-in porch. I'm planning to have container plants both inside the screened-in area, and outside on that border. Periodically, I am planning to switch the…
Henry Taylor
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Do tomatoes require pollinators to bear fruit?

I ask because I have a small raised bed wrapped in hardware cloth to keep the wildlife out, and then it's covered in shade cloth to keep the hot southwestern sun out. The plants (one "container tomato" and some herbs) themselves have thrived since I…
CDspace
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Why does my Goji Berry produce many flowers but never bear fruit?

I have a 4 foot tall Goji Berry plant that has been prolifically producing flowers all year long. None of the flowers ever become fruit. I've witnessed hummingbirds poke into each flower because they love purple flowers more than any other color.…
JoJo
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What can I plant to attract butterflies and other pollinators in Minnesota?

A lot of plants can pollinate themselves. Fruits: Tomatoes, Strawberries Vegetables: Peppers, Eggplant, Snap Beans, Lima Beans, Lettuce, Endive, Peas, Cabbage, Broccoli, Beets, Kohlrabi Other: Chicory, Oats, Wheat, Barley, Dill, Lentils Some…
Logicalunatic
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Is it practical to breed new cultivars at home?

Is it sensible and possible for a home gardener to attempt to create new cultivars (e.g. of citrus) via manual/controlled pollination in a home garden without specialist equipment? For instance, if I wanted to cross two different apple cultivars is…
Lisa
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What steps can I use to encourage pollination?

I have some plants that have many flowers but not very many vegetables being produced; sometimes it seems as if I'm growing the plants for the pretty flowers and not for the vegetables that may eventually appear. The flowers look healthy, though…
Michael Todd
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Increasing Olive Pollination

I have a Mission Olive tree, and I've read in several places that Sevillano and Ascolano will both increase fruit set as these 3 are good cross pollinators of each other. Unfortunately I cannot find any Sevillano or Ascolano in my area, all that…
WebChemist
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Why have only the female flowers bloomed in my pumpkin patch

I planted two Giant Atlantic pumpkin plants in my garden around 9 weeks or so ago. The male flowers where the first to show, many of them but haven't bloomed and are quite firm to the touch still. Since then three females (1 on one plant, 2 on the…
Ross Drew
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