Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi, I'm completely new to growing anything other than flowers but this year I have started growing many different types of veg. This year is just a learning curve to see what I can grow and how to grow them.
I need some advice on pollination of various plants please.

I have Sweetcorn growing in my unheated greenhouse and it is literally romping away. I don't intend to plant it outside at all as I live in the Scottish Highlands right next to the coast and it would be futile. I only have 3 plants growing and I'd like to know how to hand pollinate, bearing in mind I haven't a clue which is the male or female part.

I also have Tomatoes romping away, again staying in the greenhouse. Do I just leave these to self pollinate or do I have to do it?

Same goes for Sweet peppers (which now have yellow flowers), Cucumber and bush courgettes.

All advice appreciated.

Hi Loqueris and welcome to the Vine,

I cannot give you advice on sweetcorn as it is my first year of growing veg too, but can help with the following:

Tomatoes - just gently shake/tap the plant or flower truss, mine fruited indoors
Sweet Peppers - just put your finger inside the flower and gently move about (I'm really sorry for choice of words :-) ), I suppose cotton bud would work as well

Courgettes - transfer pollen with cotton bud or cut off male flower, remove petals and stick the bit into the female flower (again, sorry!!!)

Not sure about cucumbers, if yours are all female variety, you would not need to worry about pollination, but better wait for someone more experienced to answer

Good luck,

norazina

Sweetcorn is wind pollinated, so keep your greenhosue door open?! Sweetcorn has male and female flowers. The male flowers form at the top of the plant and look like grass seed heads. The cobs form on the female flowers lower down the plant and fine hairy tassles form at the tip of the cob. The male pollen must fall onto these tassles so you could encourage this in the greenhouse by tapping the plants when the pollen is forming. You may be lucky with only 3 plants but more is preferable.

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Mark

Vegetable Kingdom blog

The best way to pollinate greenhouse sweetcorn is to give the plants a shake now and then when the flowers have formed and make sure you grow them in a block and not in a row.

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