This is great info. How do you know when Pollen is ready to harvest? I've ruined a few sacks I really wanted, because I harvested too soon. :(

Usually within a week of the flower opening they'll be ripening. If it seems too early, simply wait a few days or a week longer. If your humidity isn't too low, many flowers on both AV's and streps will often last up to about 3 weeks BUT some varieties much less. So by the start of the second week pollen is usually good to collect. On AV's the pollen sacks will usually open on the inward facing side. With streps it will be two anthers fused together that when broken will spill pollen.

There's the saying 'old man' to 'young lady' but even the female parts need a few days to a week to lengthen and ripen on some plants. Unfortunately this seems to vary from one species group to another and to some degree even from one hybrid to another. Humidity and temperature also playing their roll to vary the times.

Also, double flowers often have one or both reproductive parts deformed and can be difficult to obtain pollen or find a pistol. Even if you do, they often do not ripen and prove infertile, even if seed is produced. Try anyway!

At any rate, if you are able to do so, apply pollen several times to the same flowers and do more than one flower on the same plant if available. Sometimes you'll get a lot of seed, or it may be that most of them won't take. AV's can take 6 months (give or take some) to ripen but strep seed pods are usually ready after 8 weeks.

the dot of acrylic paint is a great idea...

i've tried getting pollen from one of my noids to another...just to see if anything happens..i'm not really sure what happens next...i assume the style (is that what its called?? I'm googling and getting a few different things) gets bigger...but unsure of how long it takes..or what to do..or if something else grows...some of the info contradicts another...

What exactly did you cross pollinate, Heather? I can't even begin to guess how long if I do not know what it is. An AV, a strep, an orchid?

an av

Some AV's take as long to ripen a seed pod as Phalaenopsis orchids so be prepared to leave it for 6 months or more. Some ripen faster, some even slower. Depends a lot on temperature and humidity, as well as variety and maturity of the plant. But you should see within a couple of weeks if the center begins to subtly swell and turn green. If it does then you know your pollenation has probably taken. Some though swell even when not pollinated.

Here's a shot from a while back I went and resized today showing African Violet pollen collected and put into the capsules. You can clearly see the pollen grains come loose in some of the caplets. Each number then is written down in a list with the plant's name and the date it was collected. Later when I am able to collect fresher pollen, I'll use the same number and discard the older capsule and change the date on the key card. If the older capsule is recent enough that it is likely still good to use, I might send it to a friend to try making a cross if they don't have but are interested in that variety.

ah interesting..i've seen 6 months thrown around on the interwebs...i didnt know some could swell up without being pollinated..the one i crossed it with had a few swollen and wondered if it was possible it could have done it on its own..i've not had them for very long..the blooms are dying on it though..i currently online have one in bloom (not that it makes any difference in this conversation lol)

interesting though...i'm curious to see if i will have anything come up...i hope it shows something before the blooms die..as i tend to check and remove spent buds..i didnt mark them either...i just used one av to cross (both noids)..and just experimenting

If the blooms die but the /stem/ with the sepal has not dried and withered, then leave it and wait. The flower part itself can perhaps be carefully removed. It's possible some have selfed and swollen. My Yukako may self easily but for some reason the centers always swell up and turn green, but the few I've left to check later didn't produce seed. It seems to be an aspect of some plants. I didn't particularly want seeds from it anyway since it's a chimera. That trait isn't passed on that way.

The plants themselves are variable. I have some that have pollen ready to collect as soon as the flowers begin to open. You touch them and the dusty pollen spills. Others I pluck the anthers and they seem unripe but will dry up and then drop pollen after. So experiment and you'll learn the individual characteristics of each of the plants you work with.

hmm gotcha...i might leave the two i paired together alone..and just wait..

i'll have to keep messing with the pollen...the video i saw seemed like there was a lot of pollen..but when i tried i barely gotten any..and i tried on a pretty spent blooms..newly bloomed..and then somewhere in the middle

Some plants produce tons of pollen, others very little. It's hit or miss. If possible it is ideal to apply the pollen a few times over the course of a week or more but I rarely have time to hit them up a second time, let alone three or more. Mostly I think it's trial and error but like anything else, the more you practice the better you'll get at it.

yeah i only tried once lol..i didnt have many blooms/pollen to work with..so will have to wait and see what this does...and wait for blooms..

thank you..sorry to hijack your post!

After harvesting pollen sacks to bank, you can see one of my Rebel's Splatter Kake flowers appears to be making a seed pod. Too early to be sure but it looks to be swelling and turning green. I've attempted some crosses with minis and also selfed one flower so we'll see what we get later.