How to Pollinate Beet

(Beta vulgaris)

Beet, also known as Sugar beet, Beetroot

Beet adopts the enchanting dance of the wind for pollination. Its blossoms dazzle as an alluring banquet for the breeze, appealing with distinctive aesthetics and fragrances. Their unique design aligns perfectly with wind, ensuring pollen dispatch at the prime of their maturity. The meticulously timed pollination ensures optimized fecundity, setting the stage for a new generation of beet.

Which Pollinators are Suitable for Beet?

Bloom Time

Spring

Primary pollinators

Wind

Potential pollinators

Bees

How Does Pollination Occur in Beet?

Beet produces small, green inconspicuous flowers that come together to form an inflorescence. They lack a significant perianth (petals and sepals), making their wind pollination strategy more efficient.

Beet's pollination predominantly occurs by wind. The small, unattractive flowers enhance this anemophilous (wind-pollinated) mechanism.

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How Can You Enhance the Pollination of Beet?

Plant Diversity

Integrating a diverse variety of plants in the garden or farm not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also encourages more wind movement, thereby facilitating wind pollination. A mix of different plants can also attract bees, the secondary pollinator for beet plants, enhancing the chances of successful pollination.

Wind Management

Utilize windbreaks strategically to manage wind direction and speed. This can enhance the likelihood of pollen transfer to the female part of beet plants. Windbreaks can be in the form of hedges, netting, or fencing. Still, ensure that air circulation is not completely hindered as wind is essential for the pollination process.

Adjusting Planting Times

By planting beet crops at the same time, farmers can ensure that flowering occurs simultaneously. This is particularly beneficial for wind-pollinated plants like beets since wind can easily transfer pollen from a male plant to a female one.

Nesting Sites and Water for Bees

Bees, being potential pollinators of beets, would require nesting sites and a water source, especially during dry conditions. Creating these environments by providing a small water dish filled with stones (ensuring the bees don't drown), or leaving patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees can help attract more bees to the crop area.

How Can You Determine if Beet has Been Pollinated?

Flower Blooming

When beet's flowers bloom, they show one of the earliest signs of pollination. The emergence of flowers hints at the beginning of receptive period for pollination.

Pollen Presence

Yellow dust on flowers indicate pollen transfer, a key part of pollination. In beet, this could mean the plant is ready to pollinate or has been pollinated.

Seed Formation

After successful pollination and fertilization, beet starts developing seeds. The seed starts within the swollen ovary, which will later become the beet.

Understanding Hand-Pollination in Beet

Difficulty

Normal

Duration

30 - 60 mins

What Tools are Necessary for Hand-Pollinating Beet?

Painter's brush

A small and soft painter's brush is needed to transfer the pollen.

Plastic bags

Plastic bags are necessary to cover the flowers after pollination to prevent cross-pollination from other sources.

String or twist ties

These are used for securing the plastic bags.

What is the Optimal Time for Hand-Pollinating Beet?

The best time to pollinate beet is early morning, when flowers are freshly opened. In terms of the growth cycle, pollination should occur when the plant has developed numerous healthy flowers, typically a few weeks after the flowering stage has begun.

Steps to Hand-Pollinate Beet

Step1: Collecting Pollen

First, select a healthy male flower and with the painter's brush, carefully collect the pollen by gently stroking the anthers where pollen is produced. You would notice the pollen sticking to the brush.

Step2: Pollen Transfer

Next, locate a female flower. Apply the pollen by brushing it onto the stigma in the center of the flower. Be gentle to avoid damage to the flower.

Step3: Protecting Flower

After the pollination process, it's vital to protect the pollinated flower from cross-pollination. Cover the flower with a plastic bag and secure it with string or a twist tie.

Step4: Monitoring

Monitor the pollinated flower closely in the coming days to ensure it is developing fruit. If successful, the flower will start to wilt and a young fruit will start to form.

Why Aren't There Fruits on Beet Despite the Presence of Flowers?

Low Pollinator Activity

If there's less pollinator activity, try introducing more of attractor plants in your garden or incorporate bee attracting features to promote cross-pollination in beet.

Poor Seed Development

Insufficient pollination can lead to poorly developed seeds. Increasing pollinator attraction or manually transferring pollen can boost beet's pollination.

Uneven Plant Growth

Inconsistent pollination may lead to uneven growth in beet. Ensuring that every bloom gets equal attention from pollinators may promote balanced growth.