Storing Pollen?

Me and my girlfriend have used this method for a couple years to create our crosses. I found it on the net and so far its worked great. Take some aluminum foil and set it directly ontop of the planter. You want to cover underneath the plant so that as pollen sacs are dropped the foil is able to catch it without it dropping into soil. Then after a fair amount has fallen and i know theres enough i collect the foil and dump it into a small ziploc bag. I place this bag in the freezer and it stays good for about a month. I usually take it out the day before to let it thaw(i dont know that this actually matters just something i do) Then i use the pollen on 1 or 2 branches at a time. Really easy and virtually no work or hassle. just lay down the foil, throw it in a bag, and freeze it til you need. Tried, True, Perfected.

 

I tried freezing pollen...could never get it to stay inbetween crops. I just grow out a new specimen every time and pollenate with fresh pollen every time.

 

I use a mirror and shake the plant over top of it every day that the flowers are open until they stop producing. I transfer it DIRECTLY into a DEEP freezer every time i collect, this is key. Deep freezes don't have temps that fluctuate like regular freezers. They stay constant. If you put it in a regular freezer it will only be good a month. I suspect with my method you could keep pollen a year or more. The oldest I have used though was four months frozen and it was just fine.

Good luck!

Breeding is like having kids, and no one else can have the same shit as you!!!

 

Thats why i let it "defrost" first. It will regain that fluffy look if you stored it right. This makes it much easier to apply to the branches.

 

freezing pollen is a bad idea, its is made up of cells, when cells are frozen the water inside expands and destroys the cell wall. storing pollen is tough, since it is moist and will mold up quick,
when i breed my boys and girls, i threw away my exsess pollen, u can only store it for a month or two and its easyer to keep a male alive and take clones if u ever need pollen again

 

re-freezing is where the damage occurs. youll lose some on the first freeze, but enough will remain viable.

same goes for seeds.....once is generally fine.

reason why, the crystallization may not cause a rupture of the cell wall / membranes on the first go-round. itll weaken them however, and the second freeze will form crystals in a unique pattern, causing further weakness to an already degraded cell....but some may survive multiple freezings

 

good to know