The complete pollination process of the succulent plant "Moon Banquet"
The editor answers your questions about the "Moon Banquet" succulent plant, the complete pollination process, which is a very good piece of knowledge. It is recommended to collect it for future reference!
Below is a quote from the pollination process of the "Moon Banquet" succulent plant, including the process from pollination to seed collection and sowing, for advanced enthusiasts who have "Moon Banquet" plants.
I have been raising a "Moon Banquet" succulent plant for half a year and it is now in the flowering season. I planned to look up the related pollination process online in advance, but I couldn't find any detailed information. So I thought of exploring and recording a journal about the pollination of "Moon Banquet".
Since the flowers of "Moon Banquet" are long and narrow, it is difficult to see the structure of the male and female stamens from the small flower opening when they first bloom.
In order to make it clear to everyone, I had to tear the flower in half to reveal the hidden part completely. (I did this only for taking photos, you don't need to tear the flower if you are just pollinating.)
Use the smallest brush to carefully pick up the pollen and apply it to the pistil. The pistil is now covered with pollen. We just wait for the results after pollination. The one on top is the pistil, and the four below are stamens: the pollen of the stamens is not visible from this angle.
When the flowers just open, you can only see the pollen of the stamens and not the pistil. There is no need to rush to pollinate; wait until the second or third day when the pistil will come out and is ready for pollination, which is a good timing.
Shortly after pollination, the flowers begin to wither, and when you pinch the petals, the whole flower detaches from the pistil and falls off. I also noticed that not only the petals of the cliff flowers look like strings of red, but the nectar also looks like strings of red at the base of the petals (I remember collecting strings of red and eating the nectar as a child).
When the petals are removed, the stamens are also removed, leaving behind the pistil and ovary after pollination.
Four flowers have been pollinated, and now the flowers and leaves are withered, waiting for the final results.
After a period of waiting, the seeds gradually mature, and the ovary also begins to change, with the back of the calyx starting to open. At this time, everyone must observe the progress every day. The ovary will soon split open, and if you don't find it in time, the seeds will scatter on their own.
Finally, the most important step is here - collecting the seeds! The seeds of "Moon Banquet" are even smaller than those of stonecrop flowers. There must be at least hundreds of them in one seed pod. (This is the number of seeds in one seed pod I counted.)
Collecting seeds and sowing them yourself is boundless joy.
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the "Moon Banquet" seedlings are destined to separate today.
If you are preparing to repot, do not do it after watering, but before you are about to water. This way, the peat won't be too sticky and won't damage the young roots when repotting. Use a toothpick to carefully separate the peat and dig slowly along the rootlets. When the seedlings feel loose, you can move them. It's best to move them along with the surrounding peat to minimize damage.
Move the larger seedlings one by one into the prepared large pot, and after "Moon Banquet" is repotted, you must immediately immerse the pot in water. Then place it in a shaded area to recover until the seedlings are all vigorous, and then move them to a scattered light area to gradually return to normal management. "Moon Banquet" seedlings do not need direct sunlight; I usually keep them in scattered light.
How many seeds did I scatter!!! After moving over thirty seedlings, there are still a lot of them in the original pot. These will fill the pot again in a few months, and I will need to find another pot to continue dividing them.
The above comprehensive method explanation of the complete pollination process (with pictures) of the "Moon Banquet" succulent plant is hoped to be a modest contribution that can solve your problems with green plants.