Pollen is best collected in the early morning before insects have eaten or mixed it. Pollen can be collected by scraping it off the anthers into an empty gelatin capsule or vial, sealing it, labeling it as to the male parent and placing it in a refrigerator until the female flowers are open. Early, cool mornings are the best times to pollinate. Before pollinating, the anthers should be removed from the flower that is to serve as the female parent to prevent accidental self-fertilization. The easiest method of transferring pollen is to use a camel-hair brush.
Pollen is taken from one bloom or from a stored vial and dabbed onto the pistil of another bloom.
Crosses should be labeled, listing both parents and date of pollination. The pods will ripen in six to eight weeks. The pods are ready for collection when they turn brown, begin to dry and the tops start to split. This document is Circular 620, Department of Environmental Horticulture, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.