How to Hybridize Flowering Plants
Hybridizing a plant allows you to change the looks and characteristics of a flower by adding characteristics of another flower. To do this, pollen is removed from one plant and mixed with the pollen of another. The result is a plant that displays characteristic of both plants.
- Choose the two different types of flowering plants you want to hybridize. One flower (Flower A) will receive the pollen and the other flower (Flower B) will provide it.
- Locate the stamen in the center of Flower A. Use a set of tweezers to remove the stamen from the flower. This will prevent the flower from pollinating itself.
- Find the anther on Flower B. This is the very top part of the stamen. Use a cotton swab or small paintbrush to collect the pollen from the anther.
- Look for a tube-like structure sticking up from the center of Flower A. This structure is called a stigma. Brush the pollen collected from the anther of Flower B onto the stigma of Flower A.
- Cover Flower A with a clear plastic bag. This will prevent other types of flowers from pollinating with it and help the flower wilt and turn to seed.
- Collect the seeds from the wilted flower and plant them. Water the flowers and place them in a sunny area to grow. Once the plant grows, it will be a hybrid of plants A and B. Decide which of these plants looks the most like your desired flower. Take these plants and repeat the hybrid process with the parent plants to keep changing the look of the new plants. Repeat this process until you get the plant you want.