Orchid Pollination
Within a few days if pollination has been successful the end of the column will swell to enclose the pollen masses. On cymbidiums the lip will turn bright red and the sepals and petals lose their colour and wilt. On Phalnenopsis flowers the sepals and petals thicken and turn green as they become full of chlorophyll. Any flower on a spray can be pollinated, but it is usually one of the lower flowers which is selected. One seed capsule, or on very strong plants two or three, is as much as any plant should be asked to carry in one year.
The stein immediately behind the flower will gradually develop as the fertilisation of seeds takes place. A Cymbidium capsule will swell to the size of a lemon and other orchids can produce even larger capsules. These capsules, often incorrectly referred to as seed ‘pods’, may contain many thousands of minute seeds. A record attached to the capsule shows the date of pollination and the parents used. The unpollinated flowers can be removed from the main stem, which should he left intact above the developing capsule. It will remain green and ensure a good sap supply to the capsule.
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