# How to pollinate your Paphs!



## gore42 (Sep 14, 2006)

Rick's consumer vs. producer post motivated me to start a new thread here that will hopefully help someone out there realize how easy this process is. This is actually a copy of a post I made at the Denver Orchid Society forum last spring if you've seen it before.

If I've left out any important details or made any major mistakes, I hope that you'll let us know!

In this example, I'm selfing a Paph fowliei. 







The pouch on this bloom was disfigured, and I was going to just cut it off, but this seems like a better use of it. Even though I'm only using one flower here, the process would be the same if two were used.

I suppose the first thing to do is to locate the important parts of the bloom, starting with the pollen. The fertile anthers (pollen) can be found on either side of the staminode. The arrow in the photo below points to one of them.






I usually begin by removing the pollen with a toothpick. On Paphs, they are sticky and will stick to the end of the toothpick with little difficulty. Phrags, on the other hand, aren't so sticky (in my experience). I've heard that some people use honey, others use a little spit to help stick the pollen to the toothpick and then to the stigma. Removal of the pollen can be done later, but I like to do it first; this way, if I'm sloppy and drop the pollen, there's a good chance that it will fall into the pouch, and I won't lose it!






Once the pollen has been removed, the end of the stigma has to be exposed. In slippers, this usually means that the pouch is cut off (though in some cases, I simply cut a hole in the bottom of the pouch for access). This can be done easily with a sterile blade. In the photo below, the two sides of the pouch have been slit, but it is still hanging on.






And with the entire pouch removed, the stigma is revealed.






Now, pick up your toothpick again (with the pollen still attached) and stick the pollen onto the flat, bottom surface of the stigma.











From there, it's just a matter of waiting for the capsule to form. Once you've pollinated the plant, you should label the bud with the cross and the date, then, keep an eye on the ovary of the plant.






If the pollination has been successful, when the bloom begins to brown and wilt, it will not drop off of the plant usually - it will just stay on the ovary and dry out. Also, the ovary will start to swell. The swelling is not as pronounced in Paphs and Phrags as many other species. Phalaenopsis pods grow to be quite large; but Paphs may only double in size.

In the photos below, you can see a Paph fowliei pod that was pollinated a bit less than 4 months ago.






And the pod, closer up:






Again, pod development time varies according to species. Some take just a few months, some take about a year, I have been told. 


So, I hope that some of you who have just been consumers in the past will decide to give it a try. 

- Matt Gore


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## kentuckiense (Sep 14, 2006)

Don't you have to take them out to dinner first?


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## Rick (Sep 14, 2006)

That's great Mathew. You can see all the parts clearly.

Typically I only cut a small window on the back of the pouch to get to the stigma. That way I can enjoy the flower longer.

I'm just guessing, but it may have benifits being less traumatic, and leaving more mass for readsorption (a total guess).

Right now I estimate my species pollination (mostly selfs) capsule formation rate at about 75%.


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## Ron-NY (Sep 14, 2006)

kentuckiense said:


> Don't you have to take them out to dinner first?


Paphs are CHEAP DATES:rollhappy:


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## Heather (Sep 14, 2006)

Ron-NY said:


> Paphs are CHEAP DATES:rollhappy:



Yep, not so true of their owners!
Nice photo-tutorial, Matthew, thank you.


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## Gideon (Sep 14, 2006)

Very nice Matt, nicely done


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## Greenpaph (Sep 14, 2006)

Great demonstration!


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## SlipperFan (Sep 14, 2006)

Great tutorial, Matt. You might think about posting it on your website.


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## Marco (Sep 14, 2006)

I love this thread. Thanks Matt.


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## ScottMcC (Sep 15, 2006)

Matt, that's an excellent demonstration, and certainly something I'll have to try eventually (once I get enough flowers that I don't mind "wasting" one).

After the pod develops, how does one know that it's ready? And once you determine it's ready, then what?


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## paphjoint (Sep 15, 2006)

Excellent Demo!! !!


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## gore42 (Sep 15, 2006)

Thanks everyone 

Rick, I frequently do the same thing... I just use a razor to cut out a little access window in the back. I did this one with the express purpose of showing where things are, though, and it's pretty hard to take photos through the little window 

Dot, I think I'll do that... thanks for the idea!

Scott, 

The issue of pod development is another issue  There are two different ways to start the harvesting process: green pod, and dry pod.

If you're going to do it with the dry pod method, you just wait. Eventually, the pod will turn yellow and dry out, and crack open. When it appears that this is about to happen, many people wrap a paper filter (like a coffee filter) around the pod to make sure that no seed is lost. Then, once the pod cracks open, you drop it in the mail to a lab and they flask it for you  Or you sterilize the seed and flask it yourself.

With the green pod method, you wait until the pod is mostly developed, then you cut if off, sterilize the outside of the seedpod, and then sow the seed. If the pod hasn't cracked open, the seed inside is sterile and doesn't need to be sterilized. The difficutly, of course, is knowing when to harvest the pod. Some species take a few months, some take over a year. There are some references on the subject out there, and a lot of conflicting opinions, as usual.

Anyway, both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. I'm still a novice myself, and I've had terrible luck with the dry pod method. I suspect that some of the more experienced members in here can give more complete information on this aspect.

- Matt


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## Sangii (Sep 15, 2006)

great tutorial ! I had made a similar one on one of the French orchid forums some time ago but I think the pictures in yours are far superior ! :rollhappy:


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## DavidM (Sep 17, 2006)

Nice tutorial, thanks


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## Happypaphy7 (Nov 10, 2015)

Hmmmm I can no longer see the images.


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## eggshells (Nov 10, 2015)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Hmmmm I can no longer see the images.



Well... This is a 2006 article. The hosted photos have most likely expired and was deleted.

Lucky for you I cached it. 

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s44/...c02a0517b3af/18f75a6a7e96674151199c7aa30c7738


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## SlipperFan (Nov 10, 2015)

Good foresight, eggshells!


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## Happypaphy7 (Nov 10, 2015)

eggshells said:


> Well... This is a 2006 article. The hosted photos have most likely expired and was deleted.
> 
> Lucky for you I cached it.
> 
> https://www.evernote.com/shard/s44/...c02a0517b3af/18f75a6a7e96674151199c7aa30c7738



Thank you so much!!! 

By the way, I guess there is no front, back, up or down for the pollen sag?
Just place the whole thing on the stigma in whatever orientation?


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## PaphMadMan (Nov 11, 2015)

Happypaphy7 said:


> ...
> 
> By the way, I guess there is no front, back, up or down for the pollen sag?
> Just place the whole thing on the stigma in whatever orientation?



If it is just the pollen bundles (pollinia) orientation doesn't matter. Often the little stalk and cup structure that holds the pollinia is still attached though. Make sure the pollen itself is in direct contact with the stigmatic surface.


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## troy (Nov 11, 2015)

Thanks eggshells!!!


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## Stone (Nov 12, 2015)

Has anyone heard of or tried mashing the pollen mass for better contact with the stigma?


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## PaphMadMan (Nov 13, 2015)

Most often I have mashed and spread the pollen somewhat as I place it in contact with the stigma, but I can't offer any objective evidence that it helps or hinders fertilization; it just seems to make sense. Some pollinia are too firm to mash, and I would recommend that care be taken not to bruise or scrape the stigmatic surface with the pollen mass or whatever tool you use.


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## eggshells (Nov 13, 2015)

The only issue that I encountered is if I use a dry-ish pollen (saved from a later date or gotten from someone else) to stick. In which case I use a small amount of honey as a sticking agent.


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## Happypaphy7 (Nov 13, 2015)

Is smashing the pollen sags typical or??


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## Rick (Nov 13, 2015)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Is smashing the pollen sags typical or??



I wouldn't say its typical for actual pollination by bugs, but it doesn't seem to hurt as Paphmadman indicated.

I rarely smush pollen up much before application and rarely have a problem getting them to take.

As Eggshells noted sometimes the pollen is dry and difficult to get to adhere. I haven't tried the honey trick (yet), but just misting the stigma with a bit of water has got the job done for me. Especially for phrags.


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## PaphMadMan (Nov 13, 2015)

I have some concern about using honey to make pollen stick. It is a biochemically complex and variable material of plant origin, and an international commodity that can come from virtually anywhere in the world, and is fairly commonly adulterated. There is at least some chance of carrying plant viruses, bacteria, hormones, pesticides, phytotoxins, etc. I have no doubt it is usually safe and effective for this use, and I certainly eat it, but for this use I would prefer and have used a pure glucose or sucrose syrup.


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## Happypaphy7 (Nov 17, 2015)

Or would saliva safe enough? given that one does not suck on their cattleya flowers on a regular basis, or not right after eating fresh veggie and fruits??
lol


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