making pollination bags?

[Junglesteader]

not sure where else to post this .
im making some pollination bags out of black no-see-um mesh, its super fine stuff exactly like netting in a camping tent. any body think this is a bad material to use ? i only see white ones for sale.. it will keep bugs out .
any advice on dimensions my plants arent huge only 3 to 4 feet . i was thinkin 8x8 inch ?
ive been smoking some of the mud lugs after hanging only a few days till they turn brown and have been very surprised how tasty they are. very good i realy wasnt expecting that, and its only gonna get better.
i already know i will be pleased with my homegrown its just a matter of growing enough.

 

[BarG]

It should be able to keep pollen out. I just bagged my one and onlly katsuyama.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

8 x 8 is way too small. Even with small plants they can easily grow another foot when they flower. As a bare minimum I'd try 12 by 16 but even that is on the small side. My bags are something like 20 x 23 and they still get crammed full of flowers. If you can't make your bags any bigger you'll need to snap off a lot of flower buds in order to make room inside your bag.

 

[COLIN]

I made my bags 20 in wide and 30 in high and I should have made them 30 by 30

 

[leverhead]

I've been bagging the Turkish with 1 gal paint strainer bags that are 10" W X 12" H, so far so good. I've got some 5 gal that are 16" W X 20" H, I'm going to try those on the Bursa and Ottoman. The Shiraz and Southern Beauty I used some 18" W X 24" H bags I made last year, I washed them before re-use. Here in Texas, I'd be worried about using black material in the sun. My daytime highs are in the low to mid 90's, I wouldn't want to cook them. All my bags are white, so I can't tell you if the fear is warranted.

 

[johnlee1933]

Here in Texas, I'd be worried about using black material in the sun. My daytime highs are in the low to mid 90's, I wouldn't want to cook them. All my bags are white, so I can't tell you if the fear is warranted.

I can't either but I think it is a valid concern.

 

[Jack in NB]

My bags are something like 20 x 23 and they still get crammed full of flowers. If you can't make your bags any bigger you'll need to snap off a lot of flower buds in order to make room inside your bag.

At the risk of stirring up a hornet's nest, I'd like to point out that we want lots of leaf, and some seeds. And left alone, as mentioned, there will be an enormous number of seed heads produced. FAR more than we ever need.

Seed production takes a substantial amount of plant energy - at the expense of leaf growth. That's why most plants are topped - to remove the seed production and channel that energy into leaf.

So it makes sense to me to snip off lots of those flower buds before bagging. I take mine down to a dozen or so of the larger buds.

Even then, the plant will produce considerably more flowers after bagging.

My 8 by 10 bags are too small - they have to be removed when bulging - perhaps 2 weeks along - the recently developed flowers pruned out, and rebagged, leaving the original dozen or so to continue into viable seed pods. That's lots of seed - for me, for sharing, and some for the seed bank on occasion!

I'd point out that I rebag only one variety at a time, washing up after that to remove the possibility of cross pollination from pollen on the outside of the bags or my hands. The risk is reduced, because I feel the oldest flowers - the keepers - have passed the danger stage by then, but why take the chance?

 

[jekylnz]

I agree with your crosspollination views. .these varieties are far to important to mess around with..and risk mixing up into unknown ones..unless it's intentional & controlled