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Discussions on how to propagate your plants sexually and asexually, by seed, natural division or leaf pulling

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By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58367
Hello VFT growers. When i read a post about "Propagation of Venus Fly Traps" , I didn't understand the most important thing. I didn't understand the 'details' about the VFT flower, because I'm from Lithuania, so I don't understand english so good ( :? ) . So.. :
1. Maybe someone could post a picture with details writen on it? (where is the stigma, pistils, anthers....) I just want to know, where 'something' has to go in 'something'. I think this photo would be the best. :arrow:
Image

2. Would it be the same tu rub two flowers together, or "DO IT" with each one. (I mean pollinate each flower)
3. How to get best results? :D

Thank You very much
Best wishes,
Donatas
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By Steve_D
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Posts:  3913
Joined:  Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:06 pm
#58381
This may help--
dionaea-seed-production-pollen-transfer.jpg
dionaea-seed-production-pollen-transfer.jpg (82.48 KiB) Viewed 13987 times
By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58395
So I need to pollinate like this? (click on it to get bigger photo)
Image

Can I do that with each flower? Will it be the same pollinating as yours? Will it receive same results?
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By Matt
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Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#58406
donciukas wrote:So I need to pollinate like this? (click on it to get bigger photo)
Yes, what you show in the photo is right. The only potential problem is that sometimes the pollen is blown off the stamen before the stigma becomes receptive. It's better to use a flower that's just opened with stamens that are heavily laden with fresh pollen and use that pollen to pollinate a flower that's been opened a day or two and has a receptive stigma. The stigma gets larger and fuzzier when it becomes receptive, but starts to lose receptivity after 2.5 to 3 days.
By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58410
Omg, I just can't understand it... If i pollinate the older flower with the younger, then the older one wont be pollinated?
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By Matt
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Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#58411
donciukas wrote:If i pollinate the older flower with the younger, then the older one wont be pollinated?
All that I was trying to say is that the youngest flowers have the best pollen, so you should use the pollen from them.
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By Steve_D
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Posts:  3913
Joined:  Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:06 pm
#58417
donciukas wrote:Omg, I just can't understand it... If i pollinate the older flower with the younger, then the older one wont be pollinated?
A young flower cannot be pollinated, because the stigma in the center of the flower is not ready yet. But a young flower has lots of fresh pollen to fertilize older flowers (that are a day or two older).

An older flower has usually lost most of its pollen, so it must be pollinated with the pollen from a young flower.
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By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58418
So if I pollinate the old flower with a younger one, then I have to pollinate the young flower with it's own 'DETAILS' ?
Wouldn't that be the same as pollinating each flower individually? These are my most important questions.
Thank You - Matt, and Steve , You're a great team ;)
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By Matt
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Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#58421
donciukas wrote:So if I pollinate the old flower with a younger one, then I have to pollinate the young flower with it's own 'DETAILS' ?
I suppose so. The last flower to bloom likely has to be self-pollinated or it won't get pollinated.
donciukas wrote:Wouldn't that be the same as pollinating each flower individually?
You can pollinate each flower with its own pollen if you'd like. It's just easier to use fresh pollen from a different flower and using pollen from another plant is the only way to make interesting crosses.
By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58526
Matt wrote: It's just easier to use fresh pollen from a different flower and using pollen from another plant is the only way to make INTERESTING CROSSES.
Ok, thanks Matt, now I know what I need. So I pollinate the young flower with the old one, and then, I pollinate the young flower. But I didn't understand that :| (look up) ^
By Linguist__
Location: 
Posts:  33
Joined:  Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:41 pm
#58531
About the 'interesting crosses'; venus fly trap is only one species. All those varieties that you see have been achieved by crossing the plants - taking the pollen from a flower on one venus fly trap and transfering it to the stigma on a flower of a completely different venus fly trap. This way, you take the genes from two different plants to make one new plant. If you only self-pollinate your VFTs (rub pollen on the stigmas of the same plant) then there will be some slight variations, but the new plant will be the same, generally, as the plant you pollinated from.

I think you got mixed up in your last post - you pollinate the old flower (which you will identify by the stigma that is more open and fuzzy) with the young flower's pollen (which should have more pollen than on the older flower). Remember that the 'old' flower' and 'young flower' may have only a few days difference in 'age'. As long as the stigma is receptive - fuzzy and open - and your paintbrush has pollen on it, you should be pollinating your plant. Feel free to make bee noises to get into character more as the pollinator.
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By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58537
What dou You mean by saying completely different venus fly trap? Could You give me an example?
In my VFT I see growing two flower stalks. So when I pollinate the young one with the old one, wich flower will produce some other varations of VFT? Or won't they? And what would happen if I pollinate two flowers from 'low giant' and 'akai ryu' ? what would I get?
Thank you very much
By Linguist__
Location: 
Posts:  33
Joined:  Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:41 pm
#58548
An example of cross-pollination would be doing what you described in your last sentence: taking the pollen from a flower on an 'Akai Ryu' and pollinating a stigma on a "Low Giant" flower - that is what I meant by two completely different VFTs. I barely know a thing about cross-pollination, but I'm guessing if you did this, and the seeds germinated you would probably label the plant as 'Dionaea muscipula 'Akai Ryu x Low Giant'.

Think of it somewhat like humans. A VFT that was bred from pollinating two completely different cultivars of VFT - such as 'Akai Ryu' and "Low Giant" - would give plants that are like the brothers and sisters of parents from two different races: they will show resemblence to both their parents' races, but won't look the same as each other. A VFT that is bred from the the same cultivar would give plants that are like the brothers and sisters of parents from the same race: they will be the same as their parents and show resemblence to their parents, but still have slight variations between one another. Plants germinated from a VFT that you have self-pollinated - that is, pollinated using only the flowers on the same VFT - would be like a twin of the original plant.
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By Matt
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Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#58582
An cross is when you pollinate a plant with pollen from a different plant. For example, B52 X Red Piranha would be an example of an interesting cross where B52 is the mother plant and Red Piranha would be the plant from where the pollen was taken.
By donciukas
Posts:  42
Joined:  Mon May 31, 2010 8:11 am
#58610
Ok, I got it now, thanks. And a few more questions that have been 'questioned' lots of times :) (I just need a simple, short answer.)
1. Can You tell me when should I be giving the seedlings more light? I think : When I sow them, keep them in a shaded place. When they grow first leaves, give them more and more sunlight?
2. How do You water the seeds, spraying on them or filling water in the tray?
Thank You
Best wishes,
Donatas
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