Two articles which were listed as following desribe how to get some seeds from begonia. Some technique are usefull to get seeds.
Introduction to Hybridizing
Caveats
The saying that suggests that "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" is certainly true with begonia hybridization. Planning is one of the key ingredients. Whether you enjoy such lofty goals as creating a plant with pure white blooms having a better petal texture, or simply creating some seed to have some fun with - develop an idea of where you're going with the effort. For the plebes like me, hybridizing some of the nice named varieties can provide seed for some really nice flowering plants at a fraction of the cost. The folks at Blackmore & Langdon do this themselves and sell the seed commercially. Bear in mind though, that if the goal is to create a new compelling breakthrough in the double tuberous types, you probably has a better chance of winning the 6/49 lottery, so govern your expectations accordingly.
Techniques
As most are aware, pollen is not so easily found on the large double uprights, so you'll likely have to wait until after the flowers have peaked in the season and the male flowers start looking rather scrawny. At this stage the males will produce stamens where they wouldn't have earlier. Once you've spotted a likely candidate the next step is to find out whether the pollen is mature or not. To test this, gently tap the male flower to see if pollen grains fall onto either the petal below, or onto a piece of paper held under the stamen. If they do, the pollen is ripe and you're in luck. As in life, all you need now is a willing female flower.
Getting the pollen from the male flower onto the female stamen is actually a relatively simple procedure. Using a clean tiny paint brush, the kind often found in a child's paint set, remove the pollen from the male flower. You may have to store the pollen in something like a film canister until a female flower stamen becomes available. Brush the pollen on the female stigma and when you're done place a label on the flower stem identifying the cross. In order to ensure the maturing seed pod stays on the plant for the next 5 weeks, place a small paper bag over the seed pod and fasten it with an elastic band. The paper bag over the seed pod not only acts to protect the seed pod from being dislodged after pollination, but will also catch the seed pod and any spilled seed once it matures and falls off the stem. Remove any male flower that may be on the same stem.
A related method to the one just described involves removing the male pollen holding flower, carefully removing it's petals, then swiping it's stamen across the female stigma a few times. The idea being simply to get the pollen on the stigma without including any dirt or foreign material with it. As the seed pod takes between 4 - 5 weeks to mature, plan on keeping that particular plant going for that length of time after pollination. In other words be aware of the timing involved in hybridizing when it comes to your normal end of season begonia activities.
Cleaning the Seed
As the seeds dry and mature, the pod will split and the seeds will spill into your attached paper bag. At this point, carefully remove the bag and dump the pod and seeds onto their own sheet of plain white paper. Now, very carefully blow on the resulting mess - separating the chaff from the very tiny seeds left behind. Next, take a second sheet of white paper and while holding the first sheet in your hand above the second, tap it with your thumb such that the seeds roll off onto the second sheet. The quality seeds will tumble off the first sheet easily, leaving behind any additional chaff.
Have Fun
Your done!. At this point save the seeds for next year's growing effort or for trading. Many of the Begonia Societies around the world offer begonia seed for trade or purchase and as a potential contributor to their collection, they'd love to hear from you.
Tips
1. Select female flowers that have short stamens - long-stamen flowers don't pollinate as well.
2. To ensure good pollination, repeat the process a few times on each cross.
3. When the pollination attempt takes, flowers petals on the female will drop off in about 4-5 days.
4. Once pollinated, use an elastic band to fasten a paper bag over the forming seed head.
reference: http://www.begonias.ca/hybr_introduction.htm
Introduction to Hybridizing
Caveats
The saying that suggests that "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" is certainly true with begonia hybridization. Planning is one of the key ingredients. Whether you enjoy such lofty goals as creating a plant with pure white blooms having a better petal texture, or simply creating some seed to have some fun with - develop an idea of where you're going with the effort. For the plebes like me, hybridizing some of the nice named varieties can provide seed for some really nice flowering plants at a fraction of the cost. The folks at Blackmore & Langdon do this themselves and sell the seed commercially. Bear in mind though, that if the goal is to create a new compelling breakthrough in the double tuberous types, you probably has a better chance of winning the 6/49 lottery, so govern your expectations accordingly.
Techniques
As most are aware, pollen is not so easily found on the large double uprights, so you'll likely have to wait until after the flowers have peaked in the season and the male flowers start looking rather scrawny. At this stage the males will produce stamens where they wouldn't have earlier. Once you've spotted a likely candidate the next step is to find out whether the pollen is mature or not. To test this, gently tap the male flower to see if pollen grains fall onto either the petal below, or onto a piece of paper held under the stamen. If they do, the pollen is ripe and you're in luck. As in life, all you need now is a willing female flower.
Getting the pollen from the male flower onto the female stamen is actually a relatively simple procedure. Using a clean tiny paint brush, the kind often found in a child's paint set, remove the pollen from the male flower. You may have to store the pollen in something like a film canister until a female flower stamen becomes available. Brush the pollen on the female stigma and when you're done place a label on the flower stem identifying the cross. In order to ensure the maturing seed pod stays on the plant for the next 5 weeks, place a small paper bag over the seed pod and fasten it with an elastic band. The paper bag over the seed pod not only acts to protect the seed pod from being dislodged after pollination, but will also catch the seed pod and any spilled seed once it matures and falls off the stem. Remove any male flower that may be on the same stem.
A related method to the one just described involves removing the male pollen holding flower, carefully removing it's petals, then swiping it's stamen across the female stigma a few times. The idea being simply to get the pollen on the stigma without including any dirt or foreign material with it. As the seed pod takes between 4 - 5 weeks to mature, plan on keeping that particular plant going for that length of time after pollination. In other words be aware of the timing involved in hybridizing when it comes to your normal end of season begonia activities.
Cleaning the Seed
As the seeds dry and mature, the pod will split and the seeds will spill into your attached paper bag. At this point, carefully remove the bag and dump the pod and seeds onto their own sheet of plain white paper. Now, very carefully blow on the resulting mess - separating the chaff from the very tiny seeds left behind. Next, take a second sheet of white paper and while holding the first sheet in your hand above the second, tap it with your thumb such that the seeds roll off onto the second sheet. The quality seeds will tumble off the first sheet easily, leaving behind any additional chaff.
Have Fun
Your done!. At this point save the seeds for next year's growing effort or for trading. Many of the Begonia Societies around the world offer begonia seed for trade or purchase and as a potential contributor to their collection, they'd love to hear from you.
Tips
1. Select female flowers that have short stamens - long-stamen flowers don't pollinate as well.
2. To ensure good pollination, repeat the process a few times on each cross.
3. When the pollination attempt takes, flowers petals on the female will drop off in about 4-5 days.
4. Once pollinated, use an elastic band to fasten a paper bag over the forming seed head.
reference: http://www.begonias.ca/hybr_introduction.htm
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