anything can be pollinated ....

the issue is whether what you start with is sterile or not ....

a lot of the named varieties .. of anything .. end up being sterile.. so no matter what you do.. you wont end up with seed ...

if you are just using free range .. self gathered seed .. then odds are they are not at the end of the fertility spectrum.. and can be pollinated ...

so.. speaking of zen.. BE THE BEE .... lol ..

and research when the pollen is most mature.. and when the female part is most receptive ... ya know.. it always helps when the pollen is actually useful ... been there.. wasted a lot of time with useless stuff.. [wasted a lot of time pollinating hosta AFTER WORK .. only to find out.. its best used.. or stored.. near dawn .. or as soon as the flower opens [which was when i was on the way to work] ... schmuck .. lol ]

sorry.. i dont know the specific answer to cosmos though.

sooo what are you starting with????

ken

albert, I believe that many species of cosmos are self-incompatible, meaning that they need to be cross pollinated. If that's what you're asking. Various insects do the job outdoors, and you can do it inside.

Remember, any seeds that may result from your efforts are not likely to reproduce offspring like the mother plants, unless your cosmos are not hybrids.

I don't know of too many cosmos that are sterile, other than the chocolate variety. If you look that up, let us know.