How to Isolate

Fig 1. Aviod unwanted pollination by protecting your blooms

Fig 2. For added protection, use isolation cages

Fig 3. Once the seedpod turns darker and brown, it is ready to harvest.

Isolation prevents your special plant with its different characteristic from being pollinated by its neighbour. One way of doing this is to carefully dig up the plant with minimum root disturbance, pot it on, and move it a good distance away. Be sure the plant is sufficiently watered during the process. High obstacles like a tall thick hedge form a good isolation barrier, preventing bees or other insects from cross pollinating the plants.

Another easier method, if digging up the plant is too risky, is to isolate the individual flowers. This can be done by enclosing a number of flowers with a large insect proof bag, either netting of some sort, grease-proof paper, or a plastic bag with small slits for ventilation (fig.1). Ensure there is no gap at the base of the bag for insects to get in. Use a soft wire twist or string to secure the bag but be sure not to bruise or damage the stem of the flower.

Pollination cages are another useful way of isolating plants (fig.2). They can be constructed using a light wooden frame that is covered with white muslin or insect proof netting, secured with drawing pins or heavy duty staples. A clear plastic sheet forms an effective lid. The cage can then be placed over the plant and secured to the ground.

Once plants are Isolated

Isolated plants or flowers will often still need to be pollinated to ensure that the seed will set. To do this, the flowers should be self-pollinated. This is when you use the same flower or a flower of the same plant to pollinate with. For instructions on pollinating, see “how to pollinate� below.

Although self-pollination naturally occurs in some plants, other types like Papaver or members of the Compositae (daisy) family will need to be self-pollinated, due to self-incompatibility problems. Self-incompatibility is simply a built in mechanism in the plant that prevents self-pollination from occurring.

Harvesting Seed

When the seedpod is ripe (fig.3) it is best placed with a label into a seed packet and stored in a cool, dry place. Later, the seed should be extracted, cleaned and placed in a packet labelled with the name, special characteristics of the plant and date of harvesting.

Further Selection

The following season grow a fresh batch of plants from the seed you have saved, and prick out as many seedlings as you can thereby ensuring good results.

Try to plant the seedlings in isolation from other plants of the same type. As the plants grow and develop, pull out (rogue) immediately any that do not resemble your original selection. You could use your photo as a reference. You may be left with only a few plants, and could harvest the seed of all the plants together.

The selection process should go on until all or most of the seed sown produces plants resembling your new type very closely. You can then send the seed to Thompson & Morgan for trial!

Alternatively, as you grow out your selections, you may notice some further possible selections (those plants which look particularly good or exceptional different). Harvest seed from these individual plants and sow them out separately as new selections. This method can help you get to your desired goal quicker, as one plant selection may be closer to being ready than another.