One of the best ways to allow your strawberries to grow is by ensuring they can pollinate successfully. The most natural way is for strawberries to pollinate naturally, using the anthers to move to the pistils.
Wind and rain will help touch these two parts of the strawberry flower. So, they rely on insects to ensure they pollinate successfully.
However, sometimes you might have to give a helping hand, which you can do by gently brushing your strawberry plants.
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Why Should You Pollinate Your Strawberries?
There are numerous benefits to pollinating your strawberries. When you pollinate them, you’ll find the berries themselves are larger and tastier. They also look better when they’ve been cross-pollinated and are less likely to look lumpy.
Even if they pollinate naturally, you’ll notice that the strawberries are smaller without your help.
For many professional strawberry growers, it’s essential that strawberries can cross-pollinate to ensure that their strawberries look the best they can.
Not only do your strawberries look better after pollination, but they will also last longer. They are firmer with thicker skin, so they won’t bruise as easily as a strawberry that’s only been naturally pollinated.
How Do Strawberries Pollinate Naturally?
The anthers of the strawberry plant need to move to the pistils to pollinate successfully. Anthers are essentially the male part, while the pistils are female. Without pollination, your strawberries won’t develop and grow according to plan.
In nature, wind and rain make it easier for the anthers to reach the pistils, but they might not be able to pollinate each pistil. That’s why it’s essential that insects can get to your strawberry plant.
Many insects are attracted to the strawberry plant and can help with the pollination process. These insects are:
- Bees
- Beetles
- Butterflies
- Hoverflies
- Ladybugs
- Thrips
All these insects travel to your strawberry plant to ensure they can successfully pollinate. It’s essential that insects visit your strawberries so they can develop into berries.
Attracting Insects To Strawberries
You need to attract insects to your garden, and the best way to do this is by planting more flowers. The more colors and scents there are, the more likely insects will go to your garden.
You should also try not to use insecticides or pesticides while your strawberry plants and other flowers bloom. Instead, you should focus on growing more that will fit into your local climate.
How Do You Pollinate Strawberries By Hand?
If you don’t have enough insects coming to your garden, you’ll need to spread the pollen by hand. Even if you have plenty of insects visiting, it’s a good idea to help your strawberries with pollination because it helps the berries grow.
You only need to get a small brush and gently brush the pollen to the pistils. For better directions, think about brushing from the exterior into the center.
You can also use your finger if you don’t have a brush available, so long as you’re still gentle.
Understanding The Anatomy Of A Strawberry
To help you understand where you need to brush, you’ll need to understand where you should brush. It’s best to understand the anatomy of your strawberry flower before you begin the process correctly.
The strawberry flower has five white petals. Up to 25 yellow anthers gather in the shape of a ring and around 400 pistils. As your strawberry flower has both reproductive organs, they’re hermaphroditic and self-fertile.
Most berries occur thanks to the results of gravity, wind, and the assistance of insects. The pistils are in the center of the flower, and they all need to receive pollen so your strawberries can grow successfully.
When the pistils aren’t completely pollinated, the berries might not grow properly and may not be in the right shape.
Ideally, you should pollinate them when your strawberry flowers are more fertile. This usually takes place a week after the flowers bloom and lasts for a week.
Why Does Cross-Pollination Make Strawberries Better?
Pollinating strawberries only offers benefits, but we don’t understand why it impacts the harvest so much. When strawberries are pollinated, they are firmer and have more sugar.
It’s likely because of the chemicals that pollination stimulates. When you pollinate strawberries, you stimulate two major hormones: auxin and gibberellic acid.
Auxin increases the level of cell division and growth and is known to add more firmness and weight to your berries. However, gibberellic acid helps to give your berries a longer shelf-life.
It delays the softening of the flesh and reduces the bruising it may suffer. While we’re uncertain of why pollination positively impacts color, we hope to find out more in the future.
More scientists will inevitably do research on the effects of strawberry pollination and why it is such an essential part of strawberry growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Manually Pollinate Strawberries?
While the easiest method is to leave your doors open to allow insects in, you can also stroke the stamens and anthers with a brush. By doing this, you can ensure the pollen reaches the pistils in the center of your flower.
Do Strawberries Need To Be Pollinated?
If you don’t pollinate your strawberries, your berries will look small and misshapen. Ideally, you should allow bees and other insects to pollinate them, or you won’t have the best results.
How Often Should You Pollinate Strawberries?
When you manually pollinate your strawberries, you should gently brush them from the outside to the center of the flower every two or three days.
Final Thoughts
Many people don’t realize how essential it is to help your strawberries when the plant starts pollinating. We recommend helping the pollination process by brushing the anthers and pistils gently.
You should also attract more insects to your garden by planting more flowers. Once your strawberries grow, they’ll look better than those which have been left alone.
You must pollinate your strawberry flowers, or your berries won’t grow as they should. In order to get the best results, you should carefully look after your strawberries throughout the process.
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