Terry on TV

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Geoff Lovell
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by Geoff Lovell »

Now you are showing your age Chris.
Incidentally, both he and James Callaghan had farms here in Sussex!
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Eric Williams
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by Eric Williams »

Years ago I read about manual pollination of flowers. I don,t recall them being succulents though. The procedure entailed removing all sepals, petals etc, to ensure the stigma was fully exposed ready to receive pollen. Would this be possible with our plants ? Cheers
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Tina
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by Tina »

Maybe terry's next sales will be 'head hair' from his trips to the barbers
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BrianMc
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by BrianMc »

I got my current supply of horse hairs off a barbed wire fence surrounding a horse's field.
Especially interested in Mesembs. small Aloes and South African miniatures and bulbs.
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JaneO
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by JaneO »

BrianMc
Perfect. It's called recycling! Horses rub up against gates and leave material too...... Nobody mentions very fine gauge wire?
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ChrisR
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by ChrisR »

Reasonable suggestion but wire would be too smooth to hold much if any pollen. The reason Terry uses his hair is that the sticky follicle holds pollen......horse hair is coarse so holds pollen.

From what I've seen of examples on the internet, I think Diane's brushes are also impractical as still too broad to reach down into some of the deep set stigmas some cono flowers have without destroying the tube.

Many different types of sweeping brush bristles are thin enough, course enough and cheap enough to do the job.

BTW......Steven Hammer calls his particular brush bristles, "stud rods". :eek:
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by JaneO »

ChrisR
Thinking about what you said and horse hair, led me to dogs! I have two German shepherds who shed! Everywhere!
Their tales are very long and fluffy! The hair is course too. Anyone want some to try? I could certainly supply plenty......
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ragamala
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by ragamala »

ChrisR wrote:
From what I've seen of examples on the internet, I think Diane's brushes are also impractical as still too broad to reach down into some of the deep set stigmas some cono flowers have without destroying the tube.
Rigger brushes or signwriters'/coachliner brushes are fine, and not expensive. I suggest get ox hair. Something like the below, with 3" hair. There are similar but thicker. Oxhair is a "soft" hair, unlike eg the hard hog bristle used for oils or shaving brushes.


If this is still too wide it's simple, using a razor just trim hair off from near the ferrule - you can go down to a single hair if you want (and have spares). For where you don't need such a long or thin brush, pony hair artist brushes have coarse hair and are very cheap, you can get a whole "school" set for a couple of pounds. Or use them to sellotape your long ox hair offcuts to!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-S-Handover ... TW80qGfDOg
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ChrisR
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by ChrisR »

So Diane was right (I should have known...) about the brushes. I didn't see any as long as that with a quick search. They certainly look like they'd do the job as Ragamala describes and cheap enough too.

Thanks for the offer of dog tail hair Jane but not for me.
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See www.conophytum.com for ca.4000 photos and growing info on Conophytum, Crassula & Adromischus.
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Mafate79
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Re: Terry on TV

Post by Mafate79 »

Hello all, I suppose that, whichever the solution, it must be considered as a "one shot" solution? One should not reuse a hair or a brush that has already been used to pollinate a flower to pollinate another one to avoid hybridizations?
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