We recently heard from a Gardzen reader and customer who had some concerns about pollination in her garden. We gave her the best advice and support we could, but we also thought it might be time for a pollination refresher course for the rest of us. So we’ll be devoting one of this week’s blogs to just that: a quick guide to pollination issues and their solutions. Please note that this article won’t be a definitive “how to” guide in and of itself. Rather we’ll be providing an overview with links to more detailed information to help you address your pollination questions and help your garden thrive this year.
Ready? Good—let’s dig in!
The Basics of Pollination
We’ll start with a brief refresher on what pollination is and how it works. Pollination is the mechanism by which many plants reproduce. Pollen from the male parts of one flower are transferred to the female parts of another, exchanging genetic information and fertilizing the receiving flower. This allows fruit with viable seeds to form, producing the next generation of plants. While there are some exceptions to this, pollination is the means by which most plant species reproduce, so it’s vital for a health garden with vibrant flowers and productive veggie plants.
There are many ways pollen can move from one flower to another. Some plants self-fertilize, some rely on pollinators like bees, wasps, hummingbirds, or even bats to transfer pollen, and some can be pollinated by pollen particles carried on the wind. As gardeners, it helps to know which kind of pollination works best for the plants in our garden spaces so that we can help create the conditions they need to be healthy and happy.
Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden
We’ve written about creating a pollinator-friendly garden space in the past and outlined some of the many reasons you should consider doing so. Attracting pollinators to your garden makes for a healthier and more lively garden space while also supporting the natural world around us and promoting a healthy environment. Bees in particular are necessary for the agriculture that produces our food, so making our garden spaces supportive of them is always a good thing. However you can also support pollinators by creating a wildflower or native plant garden, or a hummingbird garden depending on your garden spaces and your needs. You don’t need to devote your entire garden space to this; a few containers filled with pollinator friendly plants can make a big difference!
Another step in attracting and supporting pollinators is avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides. These chemical products do kill weeds and unwanted pests—but they also kill the plants, animals, and insects we want around! We recommend more natural solutions for pest control and we hope you’ll join us in doing so.
Pollinators in your garden will help ensure that your plants produce vibrant flowers, that their growing season is more productive, and that your vegetable plants are as productive as they can be. There are no downsides, so please consider doing some pollinator gardening.
Hand Pollination for Garden Plants
Sometimes the pollinators and the wind just aren’t cooperating and your plants may need a little help with pollination. Never fear, there is a solution and it’s actually kind of fun. Hand pollination is a great way to ensure that your plants are pollinated in an efficient and controlled way. There are a variety of methods that can be used, but the most basic is to move pollen from the male parts of one flower to the female parts of another with a small paintbrush or a piece of paper towel. It takes a bit of time, but it’s a good chance to spend a morning with your plants and see how they’re doing up close. Successful hand pollination does require a bit of knowledge about the anatomy of the plant species in question, so we do recommend reading up a bit; there are some good starter guides here, here, and here. If you’re a newcomer to gardening, we also recommending asking questions at your local garden club, extension office, or reaching out to us via email or in the comments if you have specific questions.
Pollination Makes the World Go ‘Round
OK, pollination isn’t exactly responsible for the rotation of the planet, but it does help plants thrive and it makes human agriculture possible. By understanding how pollination works, we can create pollinator-friendly garden spaces, support bees and other pollinators, and even step in and do some pollinating ourselves. We hope this guide helps you get started on your journey to understanding the processes and importance of pollination—and as always if you have questions or comments please reach out to us. Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!
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