Step by step pollinia removal (Cattleya)

[jeffrey6115]

I was fortunate to receive 2 flowers from a plant so I could harvest and save the pollinia. So I thought a little step by step would help those who were interested in pollinating some day.
I kept the flowers in water till I was ready to harvest. This was mostly for my own enjoyment. I just love this flower.


Expose the anther cap which is at the end of the column. With some Cattleyas this is already exposed.


Remove the anther cap with a toothpic, Q-tip, etc... (I prefer a nut pick)


Pollinia should stick to the tool used to remove the anther cap. Always be prepared to catch the pollinia should they not stick. Trying to find dropped pollinia is NOT fun. (Trust me)

[jeffrey6115]

I use waxed paper envelopes to store pollinia. They are placed in an air tight pill bottle and stored in the refrigerator. I've had some success with pollinia stored this way for up to 6 months.
Eight pollinia ready to be used in a future pollination. I have decisions to make now.


Always be sure to properly label the envelope for storage.The date of harvest is especially important.

[Daethen]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[Cewal]

Were the little yellow things (hope I'm not being to technical for you ) inside of the anther cap? What is the next step? This is very interesting. Thanks.

[jeffrey6115]

Were the little yellow things (hope I'm not being to technical for you ) inside of the anther cap? What is the next step? This is very interesting. Thanks.

Yes the "little yellow things" pollinia are inside the anther cap. In pic 4 you can barely see the cap still sticking to the underside of the pick. The next step would be to place a pollinia into the stigma of another plant. The stigma is the sticky cup shaped area just behind the anther cap visible in pic 3.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Great shots and description of the process. If you would like, you can repost this in the orchid article library here when your have time. I think it would be a helpful DYI article for the library.

Cheers,
BD