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prettygurl
Senior Member
Posts: 189
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:52 am

Hand Pollinating Eggplant

How much luck do you have with the paintbrush method? I'm 50/50 with the electric toothbrush. I am wondering if I should switch.

tomc
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Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:52 am
Location: SE-OH USA Zone 6-A

I'm putting my wager on eggplant being another perfect bloom. I'd probably stick with the electric toothbrush.

Disassembling the bloom and manually applying pollen is something to do when breeding eggplant, not trying to get a crop in. But thats just my unwillingness to stuff my face in the dirt--talkin'.

veggiedan
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Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:18 pm
Location: Central TX 8b

For eggplant and others, I just smoosh my finger gently into one flower, in a non-destructive way, and then smoosh it gently into the other. Seems to work fine. I've heard of people using paintbrushes, but I've never understood why.

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prettygurl
Senior Member
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Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:52 am

This is a very tiny flower so there is no hand smooshing! :lol: I am trying to grow bambinos indoors.

veggiedan
Cool Member
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 6:18 pm
Location: Central TX 8b

Ah, I've just grown asian eggplants, and the flowers are about half an inch across. So yes, even for that, you've got to smoosh with some delicacy.



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