For friends who grow peppers indoors, pollination is an important link, which is directly related to the yield and quality of peppers. As a plant expert, I will explain in detail how to pollinate pepper plants in an indoor environment to help you achieve a harvest easily.
The Importance Of Pollination
Chili peppers are self-pollinating crops, and in theory, each flower has a stamen and a pistil that can be pollinated by its own pollen. However, in the indoor environment, due to poor air circulation, lack of natural wind and insect pollination, the pollination efficiency of pepper will be greatly reduced. Therefore, artificial pollination is particularly important. Through manual pollination, it is possible to ensure that each flower can be successfully pollinated, thereby increasing the seed setting rate and yield, and also helping to improve the quality of the pepper.
Preparation Before Pollination
1. Wait for flowers to bloom
Before pollinating, we first wait for the pepper flowers to open. The flowering period of pepper is usually in the growth boom, the flowers are small, and the color is mostly white or light yellow. When the flower opens, pollen is produced and released, and pollination is ready.
2. Prepare tools
The choice of pollinator is crucial. Commonly used pollination tools are small brushes, cotton swabs, fine brush, electric toothbrush and so on. The tools need to be clean and soft to avoid damage to the flowers. Electric toothbrushes are especially suitable for use with a large number of flowers due to their gentle vibration function.
3. Pollination time
The timing of pollination is also critical. Morning is the best time for pollination, because the air humidity is higher, the indoor temperature is suitable, and the wilting degree of flowers is low, which is conducive to the success of pollination. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the indoor temperature is above 10 ° C to maintain the normal physiological activities of flowers.
Pollination Methods
1. Pollinate by hand
Manual pollination is the most common and direct method of pollination. Pollen can be transferred from the stamen to the stigma of the pistil by lightly brushing the pepper stamen with a finger or a fine brush. This method is simple and easy to do, but it needs to be careful that the pollination process should be gentle to avoid causing damage to the flowers.
Specific steps:
Moisten pollinating tools: Before pollinating, moisten pollinating tools (such as cotton swabs, fine brush) slightly, which will make it easier for pollen to adhere to the tool.
Brush the stamens lightly: A pollination tool is used to gently brush the stamens, collect the pollen, and then transfer it to the stigmas of the pistil. It can be repeated several times to ensure successful pollination.
Single plant rotation: Pollination is performed on the same pepper plant in rotation to ensure the quality and quantity of pollinated flowers.
2. Use wind to pollinate
If the number of pepper plants is large, manual pollination is more cumbersome, and wind pollination can be used. You can turn on the fan and set it to a weak setting to let the wind blow through the pepper plant and spread the pollen. It is also possible to move pepper plants to a windy area and use the natural wind for pollination. It should be noted that the wind speed should not be too large to avoid blowing off the pepper branches.
Specific steps:
Adjust the wind speed of the fan: Adjust the wind speed of the fan to a weak gear to avoid blowing directly to the pepper flowers, causing damage.
Observe pollination: After turning on the fan, observe the pollination of the flowers to ensure that the pollen can be evenly distributed.
Turn off the fan: After pollination is completed, turn off the fan in time to avoid adverse effects on pepper plants caused by long-term wind.
3. Use vibration for pollination
Vibration pollination is a more efficient pollination method. Tools such as electric toothbrushes and vibrators can be used to vibrate the flowers slightly, causing pollen to fall off the stamen and float to the pistil. This method is particularly suitable for situations where the number of flowers is large and manual pollination is difficult.
Specific steps:
Choose vibration tools: Tools such as electric toothbrushes and vibrators can be used for vibratory pollination. Select the appropriate tool and set it to gentle mode.
Vibrate the flower: Gently touch the vibrating tool to the flower and vibrate slightly. Pay attention to control vibration amplitude and time to avoid damage to flowers.
Observe the pollination effect: After vibration pollination, observe the pollination of flowers. If pollinated successfully, the flowers will gradually bear fruit.
Cotton Swab Pollination
Cotton swab pollination is a fine pollination method with high success rate. After pulling the cotton swab loose, gently scrape the pollen from the stamen, and then dot it onto the stigma of the pistil. This method is suitable for situations where the number of flowers is small and precise pollination is required.
Specific steps:
Prepare the cotton swab: Pull the cotton swab loose to make it softer and easier to handle.
Scrape the pollen: Gently scrape the pollen from the stamen with a cotton swab, making sure to collect enough pollen.
Pollination: Apply pollen from a cotton swab to the stigmas of the pistil to ensure an even distribution of pollen.
Repeat operation: Repeat operation for each flower that needs to be pollinated to ensure successful pollination.
Precautions After Pollination
1. Control temperature and humidity
After pollination, the temperature and humidity of the pepper planting environment should be kept within the appropriate range. Too high or too low temperature, too high or too low humidity will affect the growth and development of pepper and pollination effect. Generally speaking, the indoor temperature is maintained between 20-30 ° C, and the humidity is maintained between 60% and 80%.
2. Avoid frequent pollination
While pollination is an important means of increasing yield, frequent pollination can also adversely affect flower growth and development. Therefore, when pollinating, it is necessary to properly control the number and frequency of pollination to avoid over-pollination.
3. Trim regularly
Regular pruning of pepper plants can not only make the plants look more tidy and beautiful, but also help the growth of the plants and the development of the fruit. By pruning, you can remove excess branches and leaves, improve ventilation and light conditions, and reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases.
4. Pest control
Before and after pollination, the pest control of pepper plants should be strengthened. Check the growth of the plant regularly, and take timely measures to prevent and control diseases and pests. You can use professional agents for treatment, you can also use biological control, physical control and other methods.
Evaluation And Adjustment Of Pollination Effect
After pollination, it is necessary to closely observe the growth and pollination effect of pepper plants. If pollination is successful, the flowers will gradually fade and produce fruit. If the pollination effect is poor, the number of fruits is small or the quality is poor, it is necessary to adjust the pollination method and strategy in time.
1. Observe the pollination effect
A few days after pollination, you can observe the pollination of the flowers. If the flowers gradually fade and produce fruit, pollination is successful. If the flowers do not produce fruit after fading or the number of fruits is low, it is necessary to check whether there is a problem in the pollination process.
2. Adjust pollination methods
If you find that the pollination effect is not good, you can try to adjust the pollination method. For example, from manual pollination to vibrating pollination or cotton swab pollination; Adjust pollination time and choose more suitable pollination time; Strengthen pest control to ensure the healthy growth of plants.
3. Evaluate yield and quality
After pollination, the yield and quality of the peppers are regularly assessed. By comparing the yield and quality differences under different pollination methods and strategies, we can find out the best pollination methods and strategies. At the same time, the planting management measures can be adjusted timely according to the evaluation results to improve the yield and quality of pepper.
Conclusion
Growing peppers indoors requires pollination to increase yield and quality. By choosing the right pollination tools, mastering the correct pollination methods, paying attention to post-pollination management, evaluating pollination effects and adjusting strategies, we can ensure that pepper plants pollinate successfully and bear fruitful fruits. It is hoped that the introduction of this article can help people to better pollinate indoor pepper plants, achieve harvest and quality improvement.
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