From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Fairport,NY

When do most of you remove the petals from the flower after pollination? I use zip-ties to keep the flower closed after pollinating. I have found that if I do not remove them after a few days to let air in, I get black fuzzy mold develop on the stigma (lobe area)? I have peeled off the petals now after a day or two. What do you do?

6/25/2008 7:59:47 PM

Nova Scotia

24 hrs after I pollunate i just cut back the petals to let blossum dry. When it gets soft enough (about 10 days) I tug on it gently until it comes off if not on day 10 then 11 or 12

6/25/2008 8:11:33 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Use a fine mesh bag. My wife uses (well not during pollination time) mesh bags to put her bras and such in for the wash. They allow air in, but keep the bugs out. I don't cut any petals off the females, just wait until they shrivel up and I slide them off.

6/25/2008 8:31:11 PM

Waquoit Mass

for the first time on this site ill say nothing lol hamr

6/26/2008 8:10:23 AM

Clarence, NY

I've had the ugly black mold form in the past. There's a real weather dependency element to that. Last season I cut the female flowers, only leaving a small cup around it's base, and pollinated them & covered (sock & bucket with holes on the sides for air flow) them up for about 48 hours. I was 5 for 5 on attempts. This prevented the petals from covering the lobes and causing the nasty mold. It also made pollinating very easy. On the side I cut the female petals on a few I didn't intent to go with an noted that the insects really lost interest. This is worthy of some additional experimentation this season.

6/26/2008 10:07:21 AM