Knowledge from Olle Garden Bed: What Are Open Pollination, Hybrid Seeds And Heirloom Seeds
Many people are concerned with finding out where their food comes from, and for good reason. Similarly, healthy gardeners want to know where the seeds they buy come from and what types of seeds they should invest in to ensure that they get organic, unmodified, chemical free products. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
- Open pollinated seeds
Open pollinated seeds are planted with flowering plants, which are fertilized by bees, moths, birds, bats, wind and rain. Open pollinated seeds produce plants back in the next year. Some open pollinators are self pollinators, which means fertilizing before flowering. Open pollinated varieties grow in the same way every year, although plants and fruits may vary a lot because they are genetically diverse.
About 12000 years ago, when agriculture began for the first time, farmers began to select the best traits of plants, such as fruit size, fruit flavor, cold tolerance, growth habits and evenness. Farmers will keep the seeds of their favorite plants and plant the same plants year after year. This is called plant selection and can only be done with open pollinated seeds.
Open pollinated plants need wind, pollinating insects, or gardeners to help their flowers pollinate, so they can seed and produce seeds for reproduction. In some cases, plants can produce male and female flowers, such as pumpkins or pumpkins. In this case, the stigma of moving pollen from the male flower to the female flower is needed to pollinate the plant.
When the seeds of open pollinated plants are planted in the following years, the seeds of plants of the same type as the original plants will grow. Gardeners call this "true seed", which grows. For example, if you have a walnut squash plant and you make sure that no cross pollination occurs, the seeds you save from the walnut squash plant will grow the same walnut squash variety next year.
Self pollinated plants produce so-called "perfect" flowers, in which the pistil and stigma are present in the same flower. Usually, all that is needed for pollination is simply to blossom and transfer the pollen to the stigma. Some evidence shows that self pollinating plants, with the help of wind or from gardeners, will gently shake the plants from time to time to help with the pollination process. However, self pollinating plants seem to manage themselves well, hence the name.
Cross pollination is a common open pollination plant for anyone, and can also occur with self pollinators. For example, if a bee visits one tomato plant and lands on another, it may eventually cross pollinate. If you want to preserve the seeds and maintain their authenticity, you need to isolate your self pollinating plants, just to be sure.
- Hybrid seed
Hybrid seeds often scare away backyard gardeners, because the name of hybridization has some connotations related to gene mutation, and it is believed that hybrid seeds are created in the laboratory by evil people wearing white lab coats. Although sometimes it is true that hybrid seeds can be produced in the laboratory, they are completely safe and should not get a bad reputation from gardeners. However, when you try to save seeds for future planting, they are very unpredictable.
Hybrid seeds are produced by artificial cross pollination of plants. Hybrids are bred to increase the specific characteristics of the plants they create. Hybrids can produce higher yield, create greater uniformity, improve color, and enhance disease resistance. Hybrid seeds cannot be preserved under the condition of ensuring the regularity. The seeds of the first generation hybrid plants cannot reliably produce true copies, so each planting must buy new seeds. Hybrid seeds are not genetically engineered.
Family gardeners and strict heirloom growers tend to be scared away by the word "mix". Although heirloom is definitely a preference, planting hybrids is not a bad thing. Hybrid vehicles are just genetic combinations from two identical species. For example, if you take red pepper and pollinate it with yellow sweet pepper, the offspring (or hybrid) may be red sweet pepper.
When hybrid cars get confused, they tend to revert to their parent type. For seed preservers and cultivators who are working hard to protect genetic biodiversity, hybridization is a very challenging undertaking. When the seeds are saved from red sweet pepper and replanted, the results are random and unpredictable. You may get some red and sweet, but some will be yellow and hot, some red and hot, and some yellow and sweet. In short, hybrid vehicles are completely safe and do not deserve to damage their branded reputation, but they are completely unreliable in terms of seed preservation.
Hybrid vehicles usually have labels F1 or F2, F3, etc. What exactly does the F1 label mean? Well, next to the F and the number, it only refers to the generation from which it came. F1 is the most universal label, which just means that the hybrid comes from the first generation. The farther you go, such as F4, F5 and F6, the more stable the hybrid is. It is unlikely to recover to one of the parents, and the closer you are to becoming a family heirloom.
Heirloom seed
Using open pollination, heirloom seeds are handed down from generation to generation. The changes and developments that have taken place in their process are natural, after years of development. The varieties of heirlooms to be considered must be more than 40 years old. In the years of cultivation, heirloom plants developed ideal characteristics, such as the ability to resist pests and diseases, and the ability to thrive in their specific climate.
The best way to obtain heirloom seeds is through the local seed exchange, so that you can be sure that heirloom varieties are suitable for planting in your specific region. Heirloom seeds can also be purchased in most garden centers and nurseries.
Be sure to preserve heirloom seeds, because they can be planted year after year. Heirloom seeds have never been hybrid or genetically modified. Heirloom varieties are usually better than other seed types. Generally, heirloom seeds have been cultivated under organic conditions, even if the package does not say organic. That is because it is time-consuming and expensive to obtain fruits. Vegetables and seeds are certified by the United States Department of Agriculture and can be used in products.
Don't worry about genetically modified seeds
GMO stands for GMO. Genetically modified seeds are produced in the laboratory for large-scale agricultural use. Contrary to popular belief, there is no chance to accidentally obtain genetically modified seeds for family gardens, so there is no reason to worry about getting a small amount of genetically modified seeds from your hands. They are usually very expensive and can only be purchased in large quantities.
Farmers choose transgenic seeds for a variety of reasons because they are modified to have certain desirable characteristics. Some transgenic seeds are made to be drought tolerant, some are created to produce seedless varieties, and others are resistant to certain diseases and pests. The possibility of accidental discovery by small gardeners is almost zero.
What type of seed should you buy?
Organic gardening is very similar to heirloom gardening. Many heirlooms are made of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that have entered the market. Most heirloom seeds are grown organically, although the heirloom label does not guarantee that the seeds are organic, or that no chemical seeds are used in the planting process.
A lot of heirloom synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have been created before. The heirloom label does not guarantee that the plant will be organic, or does not use any chemical growth process, but it is likely to be heirloom seeds, even if there is no organic label and contains no chemicals. However, if you are worried about toxins, especially if you are planting agricultural products, seeds with organic labels are a better choice.
If you pursue specific plant characteristics, such as good productivity, good disease resistance, and good storage capacity, purchase and plant hybrid seeds. If you want to save seeds for future use, open pollinated seeds or heirloom varieties are your blueberries. One of the greatest benefits of seed preservation is that your plant will adapt to the local weather and growth conditions, which will make it harder than the seed to grow in other places.
When you browse the seed catalog, please take a moment to read the description or scan the words like heirlooms and open pollination. Read about the history of heirlooms. Hybrid vehicles usually have F1 or lower in their names. The description should indicate which plants are crossed to create hybrid varieties, as well as any desirable traits, such as disease resistance. The seed catalog should give you many choices. First, figure out what you need, then do some research and make wise purchases.