dianne
AGA Sprout
Excited to expand my AG farm, learn, and experiment!
Posts: 147
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Post by dianne on Oct 23, 2023 10:16:48 GMT -5
Hi, All!
I am currently trying to grow fairy tale eggplants, something that I did successfully a couple years ago.
My plants are huge and look healthy. There are lots and lots of flowers. But despite my pollinating them by hand, the flowers shrivel, die, and fall off without producing any fruits. And I have noticed that I cannot see any pollen on my paintbrush.
I should be able to see the pollen, right? Visible to the naked eye. It's been awhile, but I don't remember invisible pollen!
Is it even possible for a plant to make flowers that don't have pollen? Did I get a batch of really terrible seeds?
Any wisdom is appreciated! ~ Dianne
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Post by scarfguy on Oct 23, 2023 11:25:09 GMT -5
How are you hand pollinating? I had good luck with buzzing the flowers with one of those "be the bee" thingies. I think the vibration frequency is significant. I'll defer to others here that have more experience with the Fairy Tails.
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dianne
AGA Sprout
Excited to expand my AG farm, learn, and experiment!
Posts: 147
|
Post by dianne on Oct 23, 2023 14:42:09 GMT -5
How are you hand pollinating? I had good luck with buzzing the flowers with one of those "be the bee" thingies. I think the vibration frequency is significant. I'll defer to others here that have more experience with the Fairy Tails. I use a small artist's paint brush and twirl it around the stamen and pistil. |
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Post by lynnee on Oct 23, 2023 15:15:00 GMT -5
How are you hand pollinating? I had good luck with buzzing the flowers with one of those "be the bee" thingies. I think the vibration frequency is significant. I'll defer to others here that have more experience with the Fairy Tails. I use a small artist's paint brush and twirl it around the stamen and pistil. Hi, Dianne! Despite what some people say, the blossoms on Fairy Tale eggplants are NOT particularly delicate. The best way to pollinate them is to buzz them with a "bee the bee" thingie, as scarfguy said, or better yet, with a cheap kid's battery-operated toothbrush. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KKVMNMJ/The kid's toothbrush is better because you don't have to hold the button down to make it vibrate. Turn it on, and it stays on until you turn it off. Good when you have a lot of flowers to hit. What I do, is pollinate "early and often". I put the toothbrush directly on the flower part that sticks out as soon as the flower opens. I do all the flowers once a day, and keep doing each flower until eventually (1) the flower releases a fine mist of pollen, or (2) the flower drops off. A hollow flower base with no stem tells you that the flower was pollinated. An eggplant will develop amid the leaves left behind by a pollinated flower. Here's a link to my FTE project that shows a pile of blossoms, some pollinated, some not. aerogardenaddicts.com/post/48488/thread |
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dianne
AGA Sprout
Excited to expand my AG farm, learn, and experiment!
Posts: 147
|
Post by dianne on Oct 24, 2023 17:16:05 GMT -5
Some internet research suggests that flowers falling off without producing fruit may be caused by:
1. Lack of water. (Not an issue)
2. Lack of pollination (Also not an issue)
3. Over fertilization (That ... I might be guilty of)
The article said that over-fertilization can lead to problems with the blossoms.
So, I've drained the garden and refilled it. Fingers crossed that newly emerging buds will not be affected by my previous overzealous application of nutrients.
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Post by scarfguy on Oct 24, 2023 18:41:44 GMT -5
Yes, water is not an issue BUT 2 things:
1. The plant needs to be able to transport the water to the ends of the plant. Building those pathways requires Calcium and Magnesium. That is why we supplement nutes with Cal-Mag.
2. The water needs to be saturated with oxygen. Plants need oxygen through their roots. The purpose of the pump is to oxygenate the water BUT, the water carrying capacity is dependent on its temperature. Water above 80F degrees, can carry significant less oxygen. You can help out the pump by adding 10ml. of hydrogen peroxide (3% food grade) to the bowl once or twice a week. Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. That is just water with an extra oxygen molecule. The H2O2 readily gives up its extra oxygen atom in the presence of the roots. In these concentrations, it will not harm your plants. Another option is to add an aquarium air pump with an air stone. This creates an "extra" bubbler which adds extra oxygen to the bowl AND also makes your grow room sound like you are at the beach!
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Post by lynnee on Oct 24, 2023 23:24:27 GMT -5
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