Since Thursday I have had 5 inches of rain! Yippee! While I am very happy, the rain has come at a time when I had a number of blooms I could have crossed. I went out this afternoon and removed anthers from 5 roses that I needed the pollen from. I have spread the anthers on sheets of copy paper to dry. I am wondering if the pollen will dry enough to be viable? Also, could anyone tell me how long pollen should be on the cross before a rain for the cross to take?
Blot the anthers on a paper towel then dry them under an incandescent lamp at a distance that feels warm on your hand but not hot.
Blot the pistils well with paper towels, apply the pollen and cover with a sandwich baggie for a day (but take it off if the sun comes out before that so as not to cook the pistils). Usually pollen germination takes place in four to eight hours depending on temperature, once the pollen tube dives into the pistil it’s anchored.
Thanks Don I am going to try this, this afternoon I have 11 crosses I can make today.