Nothing can be more disappointing than having that first flush of strong , vibrant flowers fail to pollinate or those masses of young fruitlets form , only to mysteriously drop from the plant . Pollination and the resulting fruit set are vital processes for many common hydroponic crops , and an indoor garden can pose challenges to both . Outdoors , fruiting plants may use several different pollination methods to obtain fruit set . These include wind or plant movement , which transfers pollen either from plant to plant ( cross pollination ) or from flower to flower — or even within the same flower — on an individual plant ( self-pollination ). Many species rely on insect or animal pollinators , such as bees , which carry pollen from one plant to another or facilitate selfpollination as they rummage around inside a flower . Inside greenhouses or indoor gardens , these natural processes may still occur to some degree with air movement , vibration , or shaking , as plants are trained and pruned — all of which can help release pollen .
“ Many crops benefit from a welltimed helping hand as large amounts of pollen transfer , which helps ensure improved fruit size , shape , and uniformity .”
Capsicum flower structure .
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