897tgigvib
Garden Master
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I cross tomato flowers a bit differently.
Basically I do a temporary transplant of the anther cone.
Tomato flowers make a cone of anthers that are attached together as a ring on the bottom of them. This anther cone is removable all in one piece with some practice. I use a pair of flat diagonal tweezers to do the deed.
First an almost opened flower is chosen which will be the female parent. I open it with the tweezers and my fingers. If a petal or two comes off that's not a problem. In fact, sometimes a bit later, if I need to remove all the petals to make the anther cone I'll be putting on it fit, I will. Just do it carefully.
After opening the flower, separate some of the anthers at the top, and gather them together in the tweezers and lift. That takes practice. For removing the female's anther cone neatness is not needed. Later, to remove the male's anther cone, it must be done so it's all pretty much in one piece. May as well practice getting it in one piece with the female anther cone removal. They like to call this DEMASCULATING. eeegh... Be careful you don't harm the stigma!
After removing and throwing away the now female only flower's anther cone, wipe the tweezers clean. Then go to your selected male flower. It needs to have an anther cone slightly bigger around than the micro baby tomato on the female flower because the base of that anther cone is going to fit around it's widest part to hold it in place. This anther cone must be removed in one piece. Usually the best way, after opening the flower, is to grab the top of it, stigma and all in the tweezers, and pull it off. If the stigma comes off with it, no real problem, just let it fall out.
Take that anther cone to the demasculated female flower and put it on just like it belongs there. Careful you don't harm the stigma of that one during any part of this operation.
Often the fit is not tight enough to hold the cone on because tomato flowers face sort of downward. Have some string to put around the flower stem and tie it in such a way as to make the flower with the newly transplanted anther cone not face downward. A bit upward is needed if the anther cone is too loose.
That's basically it.
I usually repeated the process on the same flower with another anther cone from the same male parent in a couple of days just to make sure.
Also, I try to make sure the new anther cone covers the stigma for little to no chance of cross pollination that is not desired. But i think that happened at least once.
Pollen on the anthers of tomatoes is mostly on the inside of the anther cones. Almost all of it happens a day after the flower begins to open. Do it before that happens.
===
I know, there are better more modern ways. This works for me.
How do you do it?
Basically I do a temporary transplant of the anther cone.
Tomato flowers make a cone of anthers that are attached together as a ring on the bottom of them. This anther cone is removable all in one piece with some practice. I use a pair of flat diagonal tweezers to do the deed.
First an almost opened flower is chosen which will be the female parent. I open it with the tweezers and my fingers. If a petal or two comes off that's not a problem. In fact, sometimes a bit later, if I need to remove all the petals to make the anther cone I'll be putting on it fit, I will. Just do it carefully.
After opening the flower, separate some of the anthers at the top, and gather them together in the tweezers and lift. That takes practice. For removing the female's anther cone neatness is not needed. Later, to remove the male's anther cone, it must be done so it's all pretty much in one piece. May as well practice getting it in one piece with the female anther cone removal. They like to call this DEMASCULATING. eeegh... Be careful you don't harm the stigma!
After removing and throwing away the now female only flower's anther cone, wipe the tweezers clean. Then go to your selected male flower. It needs to have an anther cone slightly bigger around than the micro baby tomato on the female flower because the base of that anther cone is going to fit around it's widest part to hold it in place. This anther cone must be removed in one piece. Usually the best way, after opening the flower, is to grab the top of it, stigma and all in the tweezers, and pull it off. If the stigma comes off with it, no real problem, just let it fall out.
Take that anther cone to the demasculated female flower and put it on just like it belongs there. Careful you don't harm the stigma of that one during any part of this operation.
Often the fit is not tight enough to hold the cone on because tomato flowers face sort of downward. Have some string to put around the flower stem and tie it in such a way as to make the flower with the newly transplanted anther cone not face downward. A bit upward is needed if the anther cone is too loose.
That's basically it.
I usually repeated the process on the same flower with another anther cone from the same male parent in a couple of days just to make sure.
Also, I try to make sure the new anther cone covers the stigma for little to no chance of cross pollination that is not desired. But i think that happened at least once.
Pollen on the anthers of tomatoes is mostly on the inside of the anther cones. Almost all of it happens a day after the flower begins to open. Do it before that happens.
===
I know, there are better more modern ways. This works for me.
How do you do it?
