Hand pollinate Dahlias

How to Hand Pollinate Dahlias

• Dahlias do not have "male" and "female" flowers. Each flower has both male and female attributes.

• Cut a dahlia flower "A" off the plant, leaving several inches of stem attached. Remove all the petals.

• Place the stem of the flower "A" in a glass of cool, fresh water. Label it with green tape. Allow the flower to develop more dry pollen.

• Select another dahlia flower "B" for the "seed" dahlia. Label it with green tape, but do not cut it off the plant.  Choose a flower with a center that is just starting to open. Do not choose a flower that has already been pollinated. Pollinated flowers have separated disk florets in the center.

• Remove all the petals from the flower. Cover the remaining center of the flower with a small plastic bag if there are insects.

• Uncover flower "B" when the stigmas in the center have opened. The stigmas are the small U-shaped filaments extending out of the tubular structures in the center of the flower.

• Dust the stigmas of the dahlia with the pollen-coated center of the flower "A". Brush the stigmas gently in several directions. Cover the flowers immediately after pollinating.

• Repeat the pollination process daily until the flower's stigmas turn brown and start to shrivel. Cover the pollinated flower for three or four weeks.

• Remove the "seed" flower from the plant. Leave a few inches of stem attached.

• Place the female flower's stem in a glass of water. Wait for the seed pod in the center of the flower to turn from green to pale yellow.

• Remove the seed pod when it has turned yellow and dried. Break open the seed pod to reveal the seeds.

Store the dahlia seeds in an envelope until you want to sow them. Write the name of the parent plants on the envelope.