How to scientifically crossbreed clivia? Methods and key points explained

Superior varieties are all cultivated through distant hybridization. When different varieties or distantly related different plants are crossed, the seed-setting rate is high, and the offspring have strong vitality and strong resistance to stress. The method for crossbreeding clivia is as follows:

①Selecting and pairing the hybrid parents. Before artificial pollination, select and pair the male and female parents as needed to form a hybrid combination. Choosing a male parent with good traits can influence the traits of the female parent, achieving the goal of making up for each other's shortcomings.

②The artificial pollination process. First, when a single flower first opens, before the stamens' anthers dehisce, the stamens should be removed entirely with tweezers as early as possible. If more than one pot is blooming, after removing the stamens, the entire inflorescence should be covered with a transparent paper bag to prevent natural cross-pollination. Second, select and collect pollen grains. When collecting pollen, use tweezers to hold the filament, pick it off, then shake the pollen into a glass culture dish, cover it, and store it in a dry, dark, cool place at 0-4°C; it generally remains viable for about one week. The best time for pollination is the morning of the second day after the egg cell in the pistil's ovary and the stigma have matured, roughly the second day after the petals open. At this time, with a magnifying glass you can see sticky fluid secreted at the tip of the stigma; use a new small brush to dip up the collected mixed pollen grains and gently smear them onto the stigma, then repeat once the next day, and fertilization will occur. After each flower is pollinated, a label should be hung on it, noting the names of the male and female parents, the pollination date, and the number of times, so as to carry out variety selection and breeding.