# Multiplying the old fashion way: Pollination



## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

With many of you growing Crypts emersed, have you tried pollination? 

All it takes is patience and a good paint brush.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Not yet, but I'm getting some good plugs in tomorrow, hopefully I'll get some flowers out of them in short order. It's on the top of my "to do" list for sure.


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

Yes, I have tried it, and i am taking some photos of the fruit as soon as i can find my camera to put on this forum for you to enjoy.

//Svante


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Svante,

Welcome to APC! Thanks for becoming a member.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

i can't wait to see the pics =) a pictures worth a thousand words and I've learned so much about plantedtanks just from looking at people's setups


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Welcome Svate,

Please get those pics up, I am anxious to see them!  8)


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

Thanks! =)

Ooops, i have forgotten all about the pics, I shall see what i can do about it. I have to take som pictures of my flowering C. usteriana anyways ...


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

I have taken pictures now, but they are too large for me to upload here at the forum.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

http://www.tucows.com/preview/194967.html

Download this nifty free program. it will let youresize and save as other file formates of different quality (file size)

File--> Open
Image-->resize (adjust so the maximum width is 700 or the hight is 500)
Save as-->jpg (a window will pop up letting you select the level of quality. try default and if the image file is over 100k, then resave as a lower quality)

Hope this helps!


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

i love that program! Thanks Gomer!


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

Thanks for the tip!

Now i can upload the pics, or at least i should be able too.

I'm sory for the poor quality of the picture, i am not a good photografer, and the fruit was in the very rear of the tank, making it almost impossible to take a good picture.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

yo man, all i see are your fingers...could you take another picture please?


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

I know it wasn't the best picture ever taken, but the fruit is there. Just look after it and you'll find it. It has the same collor as the dirt it is planted in though.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Svante,

Most of the time, if a plant produces fruits that means they've been fertilized. Fruits are the mature ovary of a plant. You're going to be a daddy! 

Congratulations Svante, that's great work,
Phil


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Svante,

Well done.

Could you share with us your method of pollination?


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

Pollination is fairly simple when dealing with such large platns as C. cordata, just stuck a paintbrush inside the tube and moved it around a little bit, this I did with two plants, the result was this fruit, and one other on the other plant, that died because i had to move the plants to their new home.

I think that for the smaller Crypt species you should probably be more gentle, taking a very thin stick, coating it with cotton will do just fine.

If you have the possibility to do this, then do it, as it is rather exciting to see the fruit develop, and perhaps you can even get you some seeds if you are in luck


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

Ok, so one flower can fertilize itself ?


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## SCMurphy (Jan 28, 2004)

It is so much easier with Lace plants, I just take two of the flowers and rub them together. Voila, seeds and then seedlings, galore. This will be a fun new enterprise, assuming I can get the plants to grow emmersed. 

Let me toss out a preemptive "get your minds out of the gutter". :wink:


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

Hubbahubbahehe wrote:

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Ok, so one flower can fertilize itself ? 
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I am not sure if it produves fertilized fruits, but it does produce fruits, which are probably fertile i guess. It isn't fully ripe yet so i can't tell if there are actually seeds inside.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

wow that is so exciting! Do let us know when you get seeds!

Was there a book that you read regarding this stuff?


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## Svante (Feb 8, 2004)

No, i just did it. It's as easy as reading the newspaper ...


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