pollination harm to plant (?)

[doobs]

When taking the pollen from one orchid (e.g., a paphiopedilum), can I just snip off only a single anther cap with the pollen? Will this cause any harm to the flower? Also, when pollinating a phalaenopsis flower (or any other orchid with multiple flowers), what happens to the other flowers that have not been pollinated? Do they just continue to thrive as normal? I am clearly new to this...thanks in advance!

[John D.]

Often we use a toothpick to remove the pollen and transfer it to the female parts. The rest of the blooms will continue.If fertilization is sucessful that blossom will usually fade and dry quickly compared to the rest, the ovary (behind the flower) will start to swell. Depending on the species this can take days or weeks.