# Pollinating Aglaonema



## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

So, long shot, but is anyone here familiar with pollinating Aglaonema, particularly Aglaonema pictum? My A. p. Tricolor is throwing up three flowers, and I'd like to attempt to recover seed, but information is pretty sparse on how to do so. Some sources say they can self pollinate, while most refer to the female flowers maturing after the male flowers have expended themselves. Does anyone have any experience or tips on this one?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I have very little personal experience with pollinating aroids but from what I've been told and have seen others do is basically just rubbing the spathe all over with a paint brush especially when you have multiples b/c the female flowers usually mature later if I remember right.


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## LoganR (Oct 25, 2013)

See: http://fshs.org/proceedings-o/1983-vol-96/140-141 (HENNY).pdf

At the bottom of the first column on page 1, it states that "It is necessary to collect pollen from separate inflorescences for use in making a pollination because Aglaonema flowers are dichogamous (pistillate flowers are receptive 2 days before the staminate flowers yield pollen). Once staminate flowers produce pollen, the pistillate blooms are no longer receptive 
to pollination." 

Perhaps you can collect pollen and store it in a cool location and then use it once the female flowers are receptive.


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

I believe it was user Frogparty who mentioned he stored Orchid stamen in the freezer for future pollination. I don't recall seeing a followup, but it may benefit to contact him.


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## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I was considering doing something similar with storing the pollen. I thought the female portion matured after the male, but from what you said, it seems to be the reverse? I have three inflorescence, though only one is currently opening. I guess we'll see what happens!


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Please keep us posted. I have received 2 of them in the past 3 months, and both were turned to mush from what appeared to me as excessive heat. The first one, I thought, was a total loss but after giving it to my isopods for lunch I returned 6 days later to find a freshly cleaned bulb like structure with 2 roots and a green sprout. It's now nearly 1 inch tall. The 2nd one was only destroyed in the middle and very tip where the leaves were. I cut off the rot and was left with a well rooted stem of about 4 inches. It now has 2 green sprouts. The small top portion that was salvageable I cut into 2 sections and placed in some moist sphagnum in a deli cup. Although they are still firm and green, I do not see any growth but i'm holding out hope.



dravenxavier said:


> Thanks for the replies. I was considering doing something similar with storing the pollen. I thought the female portion matured after the male, but from what you said, it seems to be the reverse? I have three inflorescence, though only one is currently opening. I guess we'll see what happens!


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## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

What types did you get?


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

Both are Aglaonema pictum 'tri-color'



dravenxavier said:


> What types did you get?


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## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

I have one offset from my parent plant that will be available soon (not shipping in mid-summer, though!). Currently putting out its first leaf after being divided. One more leaf, and I'll be comfortable enough to let it go. So far, this plant has been fickle, but not difficult. It grows for me no matter what, though I've had to play with the lighting to get the leaves to form properly. I had a lot of wrinkling for a bit. I'll get pictures of the flower soon, and you'll see what I mean.


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## readygrown (Apr 5, 2008)

As well as aspidites, I also recieved two, pretty much dead on arrival, ag pictum tricolors from the same vendor. I was able to save one. Luckily I had an established plant already from a friend. His plants blooms often and I asked him for pollen the next time it does. I will let you know when I get some and I can send some your way dravenx.


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## dravenxavier (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks. I will hopefully be able to pollinate from this plant, since it's currently giving me three spathes. But only time will tell. I'll be stopping at Walmart today or tomorrow to pick up some cheap brushes to try to harvest some pollen and store it in the fridge until the next flower opens.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I'm pretty sure the female parts mature after the male.


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## readygrown (Apr 5, 2008)

I think the freezer is a better place to store pollen...maybe also try adding a desiccant to help


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## LoganR (Oct 25, 2013)

Regarding pollen storage, see: Aroid Forum: Pollen storage

Brian Williams states " If the flowers are less than a month apart refrigerate
but if you are going to be waiting longer you should freeze the pollen.
I usually freeze it in test tubes or aluminum foil. But the drier the
better."

Brian, a very active member of the International Aroid Society, is the owner of Brian's Botanicals in Louisville, KY. He does a lot of hybridizing work with aroids; so he works with a lot of aroid pollen (though he mostly works with Alocasia and Colocasia, not Aglaonema, as far as I know).


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## LoganR (Oct 25, 2013)

Frogtofall said:


> I'm pretty sure the female parts mature after the male.


Not according to the article I cited earlier. It states that the female is no longer receptive by the time the pollen matures.


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## TortugaMoon (3 mo ago)

Hey good people!

I received a Aglaonema Pictum Tricolour and it started flowering. Had three flowers also! 😃
I did the following…..
I waited until the spathe opened enough to see the male flower peeking out. I checked back every single morning and evening with a loupe magnifying lens to see the peak of the pollination. 
As soon as the pollen hit it’s peak I removed the spathe very delicately with a very small and sharp pair of nail scissors. 
I then got a very small plastic Tupperware. Literally like an inch cubed. 
I cut the entire male flower off just above the female flowers while I held the Tupperware underneath so that it fell directly into the tub. 
I then sealed it with the lid and shook it vigorously to take the pollen off the male flower.
I put the whole thing immediately into the freezer.
I then removed the whole flower stem of that particular flower.

I then waited for the next flower to open. This took several days. Again, I waited until the male flower just peeked out of the spathe. 
I then very delicately cut the spathe off being careful not to cut, but just expose the male and female flowers. 
I then took out the frozen pollen from the previous flower. Let it thaw for a few minutes. I got a very fluffy, clean and soft brush and swirled it inside the Tupperware picking up as much of the pollen as possible.
Using the loupe, I very gently and carefully swiped the brush across the now exposed female flowers. Because I used a loupe it was much more easy to see, what was being left on the female flowers and what was being left on the brush. Where to swipe exactly to get as much of the pollen onto the female flowers as possible.
I then waited until the male flower hit peak pollination and repeated the process of collecting the pollen as mentioned above. But after collecting the pollen, instead of cutting the whole flower off, I only cut the male flower off, just above the female flower. Leaving the female flower attached.
Then when the next flower opened I did the same thing. 
I don’t yet know if it has achieved anything. This is what my female flowers currently look like.
























You can see where I cut the spathe away and where I cut just the male flower away. Because I only had three flowers and the female peaks before the male, I couldn’t attempt pollination with the first flower, unless of course I had pollen from before or from a different plant.

I will try to remember to update this post as to whether it was successful or not! There is soo little information out there on this topic. It took me ages of research to find any info on it. The best piece of information was an excerpt from a scientific article which said that the pollen lasts longest when immediately frozen but even so tends to have a much less successful pollination ability than when using fresh pollen. Which lets face it, unless you have at least two of these plants AND they are both flowering at EXACTLY the same time then we’re all probably looking at having to do something along these lines. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Fingers crossed those beautiful little white bubbles turn into a few useful seeds! Cross your fingers for me! 🥰 🤞🏻


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