[Chimera]

Q- 'Hi (chimera). I was wondering if you can tell me what is the best way to freeze pollen in?

what should the pollen be put in ive read a few different ways but i thought you would know best."


A- Flower pollen donors. Cut the stalks of large branches at a 45 degree angle just before the flowers begin to open. Place in a vase of fresh water, stem down, as you would with cut flowers.

When the staminate flowers begin to point downwards, remove all but the floral material (ie leaves etc) with sharp scissors... be gentle as the more you knock the flowers around, the more pollen you'll lose.

When the pollen starts to drop, place the branches on a sheet of aluminum foil or a dry piece of paper in a room with no draft or air currents. Leave for 12 hours and shake very gently, flip them over on their backs and repeat the process..

Collect the pollen, remove debris (plant matter, flowers etc), screen it with a 40u screen or the like, and dry it for a day in a low humidity room on a piece of printer paper laid over some cardboard stock- this will help dry out the pollen.

Collect the pollen and freeze it in an airtight container like an old film canister or a small tupperware container. Dip the top of the container in liquid wax if you think the seal is not airtight. Freeze in a stable temperature freezer, -20 C or deeper is best.

Dividing the pollen into multiple 'satchels' or small envelopes allows you to break into your pollen collection and pull some out a little bit at a time without contaminating the whole batch. Work quickly when the pollen is pulled out of the freezer! Put the remaining 'packets' back in the freezer ASAP.

Remember, a little goes a long way so don't put it all in a single envelope.

Pollen stored using these principles has allowed breeders to store pollen for up to 17 years and still remain viable. I suspect it would last longer still, but these are the results we currently have to work with.

Simple as.

You can use the old paint brush method to apply the pollen, but Mel Frank recently showed me that using a clean finger dipped into the pollen can be more effective and give more control over the pollen, since the natural oils on our skin act as a 'sticker' and keeps the pollen from flying around where it might not be wanted. Just gently rub your fingers along the stigmatic surface of the pistils, and you should get a pretty decent seed set. Certainly enough for home crosses, preservation, or test crosses.

Enjoy!

-Chimera

[High Country]

You must be reading my mind...I'm about to pick up males from a friend and was thinking of freezing.

Thanks.

[joe fresh]

great post

great post!

[rives]

Great timing for me! Thank you for the information.

[rasputin]

Good idea about divvying up the pollen into smaller packets. I've been freezing it in old film canisters filled with rice and been reluctant to take it out until I can use it most of it at once. The individual packs will be much more convenient.

Originally Posted by Chimera

Pollen stored using these principles has allowed breeders to store pollen for up to 22 years and still remain viable.

Really? That's great to hear. I can relax a little then.

[Adrift]

very helpful! thanks

wow answered with a detailed thread so cool thanks for all the great info this will help a lot of people too.....i usually use my finger to pollenate my females also the 1st grow book i ever bought was by mel frank learned a lot from it thats how i got started.Thanks again chimera your the man!

[High Country]

Just picked up the males...time for a pollen freeze.

SHOW ME POLLEN

[GP73LPC]

wow !!!! very cool !!!

thanks Chimera !!!