Useful Tips

How to Pollinate Your Garden Plants by Hand

Pollination is something that most gardeners expect to take place automatically. However, there are some cases in which you may need to hand pollinate your plants. Read here to learn how to perform this important gardening skill.

While insects and birds do a great job of pollinating plants, there may come a time when you have to perform this task on your own. In fact, those instances are only on the rise, considering the significant declines in pollinator populations in recent years. To deal with that unfortunate reality, you’ll need to find a way to pollinate your plant by yourself. Read on to learn some techniques that will allow you to do just that.

Hand Pollination for Plants With Male and Female Flowers

Some plants come with both male and female flowers. These plants are often the ones that are most likely to need some assistance with pollination. Since the male flowers typically have pollen while the female flowers have the capacity to produce fruit, there needs to be some way to transfer the pollen from the male flower to the female flower.

In the absence of pollinators to move the pollen from one flower to another, you will need to perform this transfer by hand if you hope to see any fruit form. Here is a reliable process that you should follow to complete that task:

  • Find a small paintbrush or a similar tool
  • Swab the inside of the male flower to collect pollen
  • Brush the pollen from the male flower onto the female flower

That method should get the job done. But if you don’t happen to have a paintbrush, there is another method that you can use. Here is how that alternative approach unfolds:

  • Pluck a male bloom from the plant
  • Remove the petals
  • Use the male stamen to brush pollen onto the female flowers
Hand Pollination for Plants With Perfect Flowers

The methods we described above are fantastic for plants that have male and female flowers. But as you likely know, not all plants have those types of flowers. Instead, some plants have perfect flowers. A perfect flower is nothing more than a single flower that contains both male and female parts.

Plants with perfect flowers usually don’t need your help to pollinate since the male and female parts are in such close proximity. But, if your plant is still struggling to produce fruit, there is an easy way to stimulate pollination. At times, hand-pollinating a plant with perfect flowers is as easy as giving the flower a gentle shake. That motion can cause the flower to release its pollen, leading to fertilization. If that doesn’t work, you can try this technique:

  • Grab your small paintbrush
  • Swab the inside of the flower
  • Transfer pollen from the pistol to the stamen
Be Persistent With Hand Pollination

The processes for hand pollination that we just shared with you should be effective in most scenarios. But what you need to remember is that each method can require some persistence on your part. There is no way to know if your hand-pollination efforts were successful until you begin to see fruit forming. For that reason, you should continue to practice your hand pollination until you see fruit emerge. Try repeating your hand-pollination once a week until you find success.

How to Know if You Need to Hand Pollinate

Now that you know how to hand-pollinate your plants, it is time to understand when you should apply these new skills. As we mentioned before, most pollination happens as a result of the activity of pollinator species. Hand-pollination is only necessary when that activity does not take place. You should consider hand-pollination if:

  • There is a lack of birds, bees, and other insects near your plants
  • You are growing plants in an indoor area such as a greenhouse
  • Your plants are producing under-developed fruits
The Main Advantage of Hand Pollination

Pollination is something we expect to take place on its own. For that reason, hand-pollination can feel like just one more chore on your long list of gardening tasks. However, the good news is that hand-pollination offers you a significant advantage. With this approach, you can drastically increase your crop yields. Since you won’t be relying on a pollinator species, it is up to you to decide how many flowers you choose to pollinate. This can lead to more mature fruits in your garden than ever before.

What Is Happening to Pollinator Species?

Throughout this article, we have alluded to the fact that natural pollinators are on the decline. That decline is what is making and-pollination increasingly popular. However, it also has some dire consequences. Human land use has led to lower biodiversity and an increase in pesticides. Those two factors have consistently cause pollinator populations to decrease. This not only impacts the ecosystem as a whole but also makes it more difficult to produce crops. So, if you don’t want to do the work to pollinate your plants on your own, the best you can do is take action to support the native pollinator species in your region. Planting native species and pollinator gardens are great ways to help these vital species thrive.