A good way of collecting and storing pollen

Does anyone know for how long can I store pollen on a room temperature? I don't have my own fridge so I can't keep the pollen in the fridge.. :S

Any improved methods as of late?

bozga said:

Does anyone know for how long can I store pollen on a room temperature? I don't have my own fridge so I can't keep the pollen in the fridge.. :S

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As long as it is dry, dark and cool it should last for years when dried properly. Room temp, completely dry, I would guess at least a few months.




I use toasted flour, made in a dry frying pan on the stove. Small foil bindles, double folded on all sides, work great for storing pollen with a few grains of rice. I place my packets inside a thermos for additional thermal shock protection and keep them in the freezer. I've used packets from a few years ago and they're still definitely viable.



Adding 50-100x your pollen amount in toasted flour adds additional moisture and thermal shock protection, while also diluting it out so you're not wasting it when pollinating.


Good stuff!!

Questions, if you please

The toasted flour: how dark do you let it go? Does it cake up on you when it cools?
When combining with pollen, any special steps / preferred method for mixing?

Do you not fry the rice as well? Have you tried a popcorn kernel? (UN-popped, of course)

I know it's super lazy but a while ago I put a bunch of male flowers in a container straight into the freezer as I didn't know any better. Anyone ever tried this? Was it still active when you used it? I don't expect good results just curious. Thanks