Cloning Feminized Autos and Reversing the Sex on the Clones with STS for Pollen

[Ringodoggie]

I have been experimenting with sex reversal using the STS method. The first couple attempts were failures and I ended up loosing a couple plants in their entirety just because they were sprayed with STS. I did get a few pollen sacs but they were sterile (no pollen inside).

This time I took clones from the mothers and used the STS only on the clones.

I am still in process but it seems like it is going well so I thought I would post my progress.

The first picture is the day I took the clones.




The clones took off pretty well and by 3 weeks the roots were coming out of the holes on the solo cups.



I put them in #1 nursery pots and they are mostly coming along nicely.



Here are the mothers. As you can see, the flowering is much further along on the mothers than on the clones.



Since the fresh clones needed to take in water through the leaves, I used an eye dropper to apply the STS and kept it soley on the flowering sites and off the leaves so the leaves could take in the nice fresh water that I was spraying on them. I made sure the plants were dry when I applied the STS and didn't spray them for several hours or more after applying the STS so the STS could soak in.

I applied it every 4 days (as instructed in the kit I got from CBGY Scientific) for the first 4 applications. After that, the clones were rooted and I was watering them as normal. At that time, I began using a sprayer to apply the STS. Today was my 2nd spray application and I am seeing some early pollen sacs forming. I just sprayed right before this pic. I'll get a better shot after the STS dries.



I'm not sure if this is going to work or not this time. But, at least I didn't loose an entire plant in the experiment.

I'll update with any changes.

Thanks


EDIT: Here are a couple better shots of the pollen sacs. Keeping my fingers crossed t see some yellow powder.

 

[Creeperpark]

They seem to be growing well friend. It looks like you are doing a super job. So you are saying that the big plants are reversed? Do your plants have fem seeds in the tops or only female pollen sacks?

 

[Ringodoggie]

The big plants are untouched. I actually get to smoke these, this time. LOL That's the main reason I did the clone thing, so I could reverse the clones without loosing the entire plant.

Only pollen sacs so far. It would be great if the clones would pollinate themselves but I don't think that I am going to get that lucky. I'll probably have to collect the pollen and use it on the next grow. We shall soon see.

Thanks.

 

[Ringodoggie]

Things appear to be coming along nicely. Plenty of sacs but nothing in the way of pollen yet. It's amazing how tall and fast these clones grew. The Dosidos and the afghan are over a foot tall already. LOL

The mothers in the background are between 1 week and 3 weeks from harvest. If some pollen sacs open and pollinate those buds in the last week or so, I don't think it would be long enough to start developing seeds. Hate to have a harvest full of immature seeds.

I plan to leave a few lower buds on each plant after harvest to try to get some seeds. Not sure if I can keep an auto alive long enough to get mature seeds or not. Also hoping to collect pollen for next grow.

Some of these clones have nice flowers AND pollen sacs so maybe they will pollinate themselves. Really just shotgunning right now to see what I can learn and maybe actually get some seeds out of it. LOL

Couple updated pics.....

 

[Ringodoggie]

Well, I have a zillion pollen sacs and they are opening all over. However, like my last experiment... there is no pollen in the pollen sacs. I even have the yellow anthers (nanners) and still no magic powder.

I read somewhere that this can be a symptom of too much (or too long) STS. I might spray half of them one more time and not spray the other half to see if they do better or worse than the others.

The mothers are about a week or 2 from harvest. Perhaps if I get pollen, eventually, the clones might pollinate themselves. When I harvest the mothers, I plan to leave some of each behind just in case.

 

[Creeperpark]

Well, I have a zillion pollen sacs and they are opening all over. However, like my last experiment... there is no pollen in the pollen sacs. I even have the yellow anthers (nanners) and still no magic powder.

I read somewhere that this can be a symptom of too much (or too long) STS. I might spray half of them one more time and not spray the other half to see if they do better or worse than the others.

The mothers are about a week or 2 from harvest. Perhaps if I get pollen, eventually, the clones might pollinate themselves. When I harvest the mothers, I plan to leave some of each behind just in case.

Very interesting. Take a strong magnifier and take a look inside the pollen sac. If you have a microscope it would even be better. See if there's liquid inside.

 

[Ringodoggie]

Very interesting. Take a strong magnifier and take a look inside the pollen sac. If you have a microscope it would even be better. See if there's liquid inside.

I didn't see any liquid inside. I saw tiny bubbles that look like the heads of trichomes. I opened a sac from one of the plants and it dumped a little powder out on my thumb so..... I have hope.

 

[Timj]

Interesting post. I didn't think cloning and reversing an auto clone would work because the untouched clone would be past the point of accepting pollen. I have made one auto flower cross so far. I used the Critical auto as my female for its structure and yielding ability. I reversed an auto purple. She was used for her color and terpene profile. I got around 600 mature seeds from that cross. I have it all documented on another site with the timing I found that seemed to work best for auto flowers if you're interested. I am trying to back a Mephisto Sour Stomper on itself. I do see some seeds. But, nothing like my first cross. I don't believe backing an auto-flower on itself works like it does with photo-periods.

 

[Ringodoggie]

Love to see your thread. Post a link or if that's not allow, shoot me a PM with the link.

I'll post some pics asap but it definitely seems like cloning autos is a workable idea. The mothers I took clones from are ready for harvest. The clones have finally reverted back to female and are growing like crazy and have small emerging buds everywhere. And the buds are getting bigger by the day.

I am not sure if the taking of the clone stopped the clock or if the STS did it but these clones are definitely exhibiting all the traits of an auto that is in about week 4. In reality they are about 9 weeks old.

Who says you can't clone autos? LOL

I could only be so lucky to get 600 seeds. I would be thrilled with 60. LOL Shit... I'll take 6. LOL

I'll shoot a couple pics first chance I get.

 

[goingrey]

If you think it's too late..

You could maybe pollinate some lower buds and just let them go longer than the parts you harvest for smoke?

And/or collect, dry, freeze the pollen for future use.

 

[Ringodoggie]

If you think it's too late..

You could maybe pollinate some lower buds and just let them go longer than the parts you harvest for smoke?

And/or collect, dry, freeze the pollen for future use.

That is exactly what I plan to do. The mothers will be harvested this week. They are definitely ready. However, I plan to leave a few of the lower, less developed buds on the plants at harvest and I'll pollinate them. I hope I can keep them alive long enough to get some mature seeds. I also have all the clones which are sporting nice buds. At this point, I am assuming that all those buds are being self-pollinated. I am doing what I can to make sure that happens by shaking the plants over each other.

I hope to collect some pollen for later use but so far, the pollen I am seeing is in very very small amounts. I am hoping for more from later sacs. Right now, the sacs on all but 2 plants are still dry. If those start producing pollen, I'll have plenty to collect.

Thanks

 

[Ringodoggie]

Here are a couple updated pics. It's amazing how tall this Mexican strain got. And, the odd thing is, the 2 tall ones are clones of the shortest mothers. The shorty clones are from the tall Afghans.

Whatever the case, at least I have some action. I'm not sure what the outcome will be but I definitely have pollen from at least 3 plants so far.

It's also kind of neat the way the clones are obviously 4 to 6 weeks behind the mothers. Something reset the clock when they were cloned.

Thanks

 

[Ringodoggie]

Here are some pics of the Mothers/donors. Definitely more advanced than the clones.

 

[Timj]

Here are some pics of the Mothers/donors. Definitely more advanced than the clones.

Nice plants and clones. I use CS I make myself to limit the production of ethylene. I have never tried cloning an auto-flower so could only make a guess that the STS set them back as I haven't seen that with the few I've done using plants grown from seed.

 

[Thegreengrower64]

The big plants are untouched. I actually get to smoke these, this time. LOL That's the main reason I did the clone thing, so I could reverse the clones without loosing the entire plant.

Only pollen sacs so far. It would be great if the clones would pollinate themselves but I don't think that I am going to get that lucky. I'll probably have to collect the pollen and use it on the next grow. We shall soon see.

Thanks.

Can I just jump in and say, that pollens viability doesn't extend very long. I've heard it said, that mixing the pollen with flour at a ratio of 100-1 and throwing in a dessicant to try and preserve, could probably help preserve it longer. Also in an air tight container.
Pollens enemy = heat, light, and humidity.

 

[gorilla ganja]

I don't believe backing an auto-flower on itself works like it does with photo-periods.

It works exactly the same way.

It's also kind of neat the way the clones are obviously 4 to 6 weeks behind the mothers. Something reset the clock when they were cloned.

I've done this a few times now. You are right, when a clone is taken it basically stops the clock until new roots are formed. Collect dry and store pollen in the fridge for short-term storage and freezer for the long term.

Peace GG

 

[Timj]

If I spray CS on a branch of a photo-period I have full control of when the plant is going into flower. If I spray a branch on an auto-flower to self it. The auto-flowers clock is still moving forward to flower. Maybe I am missing something. Can you clarify it for me. It takes about 3 weeks using CS to see the formation of pollen sacs and at this point the auto-flowers are still moving forward into flower. Do you have a thread showing your method. I'd love to learn what I'm doing wrong.

 

[gorilla ganja]

I don't have a thread on this, but I should do one. You're right, the timing is tricky.
You have to start spraying as soon as sex is determined. About 3 weeks for most autos I work with.
If you want to self it you have to spray the seed plant and then hit the clone with pollen. You can also slow the clone down further by putting it in a fridge for a few days before rooting.

 

[Timj]

I don't have a thread on this, but I should do one. You're right, the timing is tricky.
You have to start spraying as soon as sex is determined. About 3 weeks for most autos I work with.
If you want to self it you have to spray the seed plant and then hit the clone with pollen. You can also slow the clone down further by putting it in a fridge for a few days before rooting.

When are you taking a clone from the donor auto-flower? By selfing an auto-flower, I meant using the same plant for both the pollen donor and the female to pollinate. I sprayed two of the lowest branches to produce pollen. The plant began flowering and the pistils started receding right before the pollen started to drop. Mine is still going. It's a Mephisto Sour Stomper.

 

[Timj]

Here's a post from my thread at another site. These were test plants used to test germination rates while I was still harvesting seeds from this cross. I staggered
my seed harvest to be sure mostly mature seeds were being harvested. A few immature seeds always showed up. Update on my Critical purple cross. Seed #1 is now 4 days old.

Seed #2 is just about to break the surface. Seed #2 germinated one day faster.

I harvested another 115 seeds today.

I harvest my seeds as their coverings turn brown. I'd guess 400-500 seeds total. That is usually my average for a 1 gallon seed plant. I will likely toss 50+ seeds after they dry as they will not meet my standards. So far 100% germination rate.