Things Needed
Of all the flowers in your garden , the dahlia is perhaps the easy for the homeowner to hybridize — and the most unmanageable . This is because Dahlia pinnata are what is known as octaploid , rather than diploid , when it comes to chromosome . They have four extra sets of chromosomes , so the premix of chromosomes you cease up with is much more difficult to predict . However , the good news is that if you spawn two Dahlia pinnata with similar attribute , then you have a in effect chance that the same dimension will show up in their offspring .
Step 1
discover two good for you dahlia plants in full bloom with the trait that you need to engender for . Both plants should have the same trait you are appear for , and you should cover for only one trait at a meter .
Step 2
Wait for one of the flower to open up its center and begin to show its pollen - producing stamen . This should occur before the 2d flower has opened up its center whole . Cut off the bloom of the first flower ( the male ) with the open plaza and dispatch all of the flower ’s petals . Place the flower in a crank of water and place it in a cheery windowpane to wait for the pollen to form on its stamens .
Step 3
Cut the toe off a nylon stocking and cover the head of a 2nd efflorescence before it to the full opens . This is to keep bees and other pollinators from have to the stain ( the female parts of the bloom ) before you may pollinate the blossom yourself .
Step 4
absent the stocking from the distaff flower when the blush opens and the stigma are showing . Remove all of the bloom petals from the female bloom .
Step 5
nibble up the male flower , hold it upside down , and gently rub the pollen - underwrite stamen back and forth across the other flower ’s stigma . Rub the pollen in both steering until you are sure as much pollen as potential has been transmitted from the male flower to the distaff flower . brood the female flower with the stocking once again .
Step 6
Repeat Step 5 one extra fourth dimension the following mean solar day , and then comprehend the female flower with the stocking and water system it on a regular basis ( keep the territory damp but not soggy ) for three to four weeks until the source cod has take shape and turned a clean pale yellow - green color .
Step 7
Remove the source pod and allow it to dry out . When dry , launch the pod with your finger to reveal the seeds . ejaculate can be plant in jackpot fill with soilless germinating mixture in March and kept in a sunny window until strong enough to establish outdoors ( once all opening of frost is rifle ) .
Tip
interpret that all Dahlia pinnata flowers are both manlike and female . Whether your bloom is manly or distaff is a matter of timing ; when a bloom first open it is distaff , but when the center open completely the male parts are reveal . This means you will require two flowers that are different ages , with the manly flower being previous ( by several days ) than the distaff bloom . Because dahlias have so many more chromosomes than most other plants , the results of your crossing can never be bode with 100 per centum truth . Take your best plants from your first interbreeding attempt and make a second attempt the following twelvemonth , until you eventually get the trait you desire .
References
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