Hand Polination?????

[Ellasmum]

How do you hand poinate and when is it necessary?
Can anyone tell me?
Sam

[rustylady]

Hand pollination is usually only necessary if you're growing under cover and the insects can't get it. Fruit trees in the open do it themselves (with the aid of bees and various insects). Tomatoes in the greenhouse just need tapping once a day to get the pollen moving, and it is sometimes advised that if the fruit blossom is open and no bees about you should use a soft paintbrush on the flowers to transfer the pollen. Hand pollination is also used when breeding specific types of plants, but this is more complex as you have to remove different bits of the flower to make sure the "cross" is the right one.

[Ellasmum]

Thanks Rusty Lady, got it now.
Sam

[Alison]

I hand pollenated my dwaft peach tree in the greenhouse the other week so hopefully ickle fruits are now starting to form.