Pollinating Crassula

[fatich]

I have both Crassula deceptor and Crassula ausensis ssp titanopsis.
Both plants have flower now, is it possible to cross these plants?
Has anyone tried to pollinate Crassula deceptor before? I dont know how to pollinate these tiny flowers.
Are they self sterile of self fertile?

[MatDz]

They certainly can be crossed: https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/com ... _deceptor/

AFAIK Crassulas are self-sterile, but as you have two... Give it a go! I'd use a tiny brush and just gently "touch" all the flowers alternating between the plants.

PS: looking at the photograph in the linked Reddit post, I'll call dibs on any spare seedlings you might have!

[fatich]

They certainly can be crossed: https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/com ... _deceptor/

AFAIK Crassulas are self-sterile, but as you have two... Give it a go! I'd use a tiny brush and just gently "touch" all the flowers alternating between the plants.

PS: looking at the photograph in the linked Reddit post, I'll call dibs on any spare seedlings you might have!

Wow that cross is superb!
I will try it tomorrow, i hope i can manage it because flowers are a few mm diameter.

[TomInTucson]

They certainly can be crossed: https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/com ... _deceptor/

AFAIK Crassulas are self-sterile, but as you have two... Give it a go! I'd use a tiny brush and just gently "touch" all the flowers alternating between the plants.

PS: looking at the photograph in the linked Reddit post, I'll call dibs on any spare seedlings you might have!

Wow that cross is superb!
I will try it tomorrow, i hope i can manage it because flowers are a few mm diameter.

If you own a very tolerant cat, you could either pluck or cut a long whisker while he's sleeping (cat nap).

[fatich]

They certainly can be crossed: https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/com ... _deceptor/

AFAIK Crassulas are self-sterile, but as you have two... Give it a go! I'd use a tiny brush and just gently "touch" all the flowers alternating between the plants.

PS: looking at the photograph in the linked Reddit post, I'll call dibs on any spare seedlings you might have!

Wow that cross is superb!
I will try it tomorrow, i hope i can manage it because flowers are a few mm diameter.

If you own a very tolerant cat, you could either pluck or cut a long whisker while he's sleeping (cat nap).

My neighbour has a cat, i wil request from her.
Does human hair work too?

[TomInTucson]

Wow that cross is superb!
I will try it tomorrow, i hope i can manage it because flowers are a few mm diameter.

If you own a very tolerant cat, you could either pluck or cut a long whisker while he's sleeping (cat nap).

My neighbour has a cat, i wil request from her.
Does human hair work too?

In a pinch. If that's all that's available to you, use something like a (very long and coarse) mustache whisker.

[juster]

The late Terry Smale used to use a hair for pollination, as many of us once saw on Gardeners' World. I have been the servant of a good number of cats and certainly wouldn't recommend trying to get a whisker from one! However, they do lose whiskers occasionally, so that's a possibility. Good luck!

[MaciejW]

Another piece of advice from the late Terry Smale - to gently brush the flowering branches with each other. Pollen is so tiny that it is airborne. It works well with my C. umbella flowers, which are probably smaller than of the species you are hoping to cross.

[ralphrmartin]

Did you get any Crassula umbella seeds, Maciej?

[MaciejW]

Did you get any Crassula umbella seeds, Maciej?

Yes, I did. Spoiler alert, but watch out for the next BCSS seedlist