How Long for Daisies to Cross Pollinate?

The Daisy

• Though they may look simple, with their rays of straight, wide petals surrounding a disc of bright yellow, the daisy flower is really quite complex. What gardeners commonly think of as petals are not petals at all but are actually individual ray flowers. The yellow center of a daisy is made up of hundreds of tiny disc flowers, each complete with male and female sex organs. The entire flower head of the daisy is more accurately called an inflorescence, and knowing its structure will help you in cross-pollinating for hybrids.

Cross-Pollination

• Pollination occurs when pollen from the anther of one flower is transferred to the stigma of the same or another flower. The disc flowers in the center of the daisy have both male pollen-baring anthers and female stigmas so they can self-pollinate or cross-pollinate. Cross-pollination can only occur between flowers of the same species according to Iowa State University. There are two types of cross-pollination, open pollination and hand pollination. Open cross-pollination is carried out by pollinators like bees and butterflies and is entirely unpredictable; you'll never know when cross-pollination occurs with open pollination. Using hand pollination, you can control when and how your daisies are pollinated. Cross-pollination only effects the seeds of the flower pollinated.

Creating Hybrids

• Creating hybrids is a game of chance. Although you may be able to control which flowers you cross-pollinate with hand pollination, you have no control over which traits the resulting hybrid will have. Creating an award-winning hybrid can take years of hand pollinating. You may have to collect and plant countless seeds, and then you'll have to wait for them to grow to see what you've created. You may end up with seeds that never germinate, flowers that look horrible or even plants that don't grow well. But if you're dedicated, you may end up with the perfect daisy someday.

Hand Pollination

• Hand pollination is actually quite simple. Keep an eye on your daisy buds and wait for them to open. Once they've fully opened use a very soft bristled brush, like a paintbrush or makeup brush, and gently brush the center of one of the flowers you want to cross to gather the pollen. Gently brush the pollen you've collected on the second variety you want to cross. Cover the flower you've just dusted with pollen with a paper bag and secure the bag with a twist tie or florist tape. Label the flower you've just pollinated with the date and varieties crossed so when it comes time to collect the seeds, you don't forget what you did. When the flower goes to seed, collect and plant the seeds and see what happens!