Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Good hydro thread. That gives lots of alternatives, doesn't it? I've been pretty successful with a paint brush. The other method I use (if I don't have a paintbrush on me at the moment) is to pick off the anthers from one blossom and use them to paint the flowers that I want to fruit. Some plants (like tomatoes) are pretty good at pollinating themselves, and would therefore do fine with vibration. Others need to be crossed, and would do better with a paintbrush. I figure a paintbrush is the "no-brains" way because it works no matter what.

Hey that was interesting.
So you have it sussed then Mon?

Plenty of options. FIL is comiong over later so we will have a crack at it then. There was half a dozen bees in the gh this morning, but FIL said if they are stressed they won't do their job. They looked stressed, just trying to get out thru the plastic.

So now we need to add a tuning fork to the AP toolkit, this is getting to be a bit heavy to tote around - need an apprentice

ar think you have a live in one there Les

imagine that, an AP apprentice..................imagne the initiation pranks (dirty word these days)

Wheres little johhnie the apprentice?

LOL, i cable tied him to the inside of the yabbie tank.

LOL

good work but dont think the yabbies will go there unless you starve them..

I found that in the greenhouse, you have to hand pollenate cucumbers and capsicums to get a decent fruiting. This is a pic of my first cucumber picked today. I have been slack with hand pollenting the cucumbers, but number 2 is on it's way, hopefully with more to follow. Also, I had only 2 capsicums on the plant. Spent a few minutes with the paint brush, now I have at least 12.

if you dont have a paint brush, I have had alot of success with cutting off a male flower and removing the leaves to expose the stamen (?)and then rubbing it on a few females until there is no powderery residue left on the male, then i cut off another male...also i think by removing the males it is less for the plant to try and "feed"

ps........... being a serious thread I wont make jokes about the impressive size of your cucuumber

Nah, it's informal LOL, Heather beat ya to it!

BK, the male flowers normally die off the next day - I use your method of pollinating (more sexual)

Yep, I do that too with the cucumbers, it's the capsicums that get the paintbrush trick

hehehehe.........wasnt gunna mention sexual.........even though its just me....and the plants

Maybe its jut a small keyboard.

more dainty as opposed to "qwerty" ya think?