Tutorial DIY STS Mixing/Using Guide for Feminized Pollen/Seeds R.C.Clarke Method as Base

[brickweeder]

...edited to remove the double post.

 

[brickweeder]

Anyone knows when are these balls suppose to be opening? I started seeing balls about 3 weeks ago and it seems like these balls are having a hard time opening up in order to release pollens. However, as of today, as seen in the pic, I can see bananas starting to protrude.

If they don't open, pick the yellow bananas off and dry them, crush them in a sieve over a sheet of paper, collect the pollen and have at it. As the other bananas yellow up, repeat.

 

[farm3r]

It does not look like it's dropping pollen. Is there pollen below those pods on the leaves?

No, there's no pollens below the pods which as you can see are not opening up.

 

[farm3r]

If they don't open, pick the yellow bananas off and dry them, crush them in a sieve over a sheet of paper, collect the pollen and have at it. As the other bananas yellow up, repeat.

Thank you for your help! I will try to manually retrieve the pollens.


So, if the bananas and/or pods turn yellow, there should be some pollen in there?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

No, there's no pollens below the pods which as you can see are not opening up.

The pods are open, you can see the yellow inside of them. My first thought is too much silver for your genetics. Either too strong of solution, spraying a bit too frequently. No worries.

Yes, you can pull those off and dry them completely, then gently grind to release the pollen. Not ideal, but it will work till your next attempt.

 

[Fitzera]

Were working on it...

 

[brickweeder]

Thank you for your help! I will try to manually retrieve the pollens.


So, if the bananas and/or pods turn yellow, there should be some pollen in there?

Yes, there should be pollen there, and just as importantly, ripe pollen. The yellow indicates ripeness, kind of like a regular male pollen pods...very yellow right before the pods open.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Anyone knows when are these balls suppose to be opening?
View Image

Look at this photo carefully. At the bottom of the cluster of pods, you can see a couple fat ones at the bottom, with almost stripes forming on down the sides of it. These are pods which are about to open, and the 'stripe' is the pod beginning to split at these points. At the top of the cluster of pods, you can see pods which have opened and are exposing the pollen formed on the inside surfaces. It's a nice yellow color. These inside surfaces should be dropping pollen easily. Since the pollen seems to be clinging tightly to the inside surfaces (it's why it looks yellow) the first suspect is usually too much silver.

Nanners, the yellow things which pop out of your flowers when you don't want them to, are male flowers which have formed within the female flower, then popped open and have pushed these yellow inside surfaces out where you can see them. When this happens, they look like 'nanners' or small bananas. This is all because of the pressure from being surrounded by female flowers.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion.

 

[farm3r]

Got nanners. How to dry, collect, and store?

Got nanners. How to dry, collect, and store?

Ok, so I got these nanners. How many days does it take to dry? Once dried, I'll crush or grind them over a sieve and collect the pollens on a white piece of paper or aluminum foil. Then, put it the freezer? I have some desiccant packs, so I'll put it all in a container and then in the freezer. How long can I keep it in the freezer? I got the same clone and am going to flower it so I can pollinate it with these pollens.

 

[farm3r]

Got some pollens

Got some pollens

@Brickweeder and @Douglas.Curtis[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
Ok. This is very cool. Thank you guys.

Now, for fun/test, I rubbed the nanners on a sieve and got pollen. However, i have not dried the nanners/balls yet, but I can see a decent amount of pollen. Some of the balls / nanners looked like they are already dried while still being attached to the plant. The color on these has already turned almost brown.


Anyway, are these pollen viable even though I have not dried the nanners? If these pollen are good, I can now just put this stuff in an air tight container, plus desiccant, and in the freezer it goes?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

The link in my sig for feminizing cannabis has directions on collection, drying and storing for 10+ years.

Basics:
Collect
Dry Properly
Sift

Then use, or final desiccant dry and package for storage in a freezer. I've now used pollen stored with this method from 6+ years ago, and it works like a charm.

 

[farm3r]

Thanks @Douglas.Curtis. I see you have a brief instruction for collecting and drying the nanners. You didn't say how long to keep the balls/nanners wrapped in paper towel and bury in a jar of rice for drying. However, doesn't the drying process kill the pollens?

 

[unregistered190]

Timing, I am 5 days into 12/12 and realized I don’t have room for a certain plant. I cut everything but the lowest branch and decided I would try reversing that branch.

Will delaying the 1st spraying like this just delay the onset of male flowers or decrease the chance of it reversing?

The plant is an ogkb 2.0. Either way I will report back my findings.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Thanks @Douglas.Curtis. I see you have a brief instruction for collecting and drying the nanners. You didn't say how long to keep the balls/nanners wrapped in paper towel and bury in a jar of rice for drying. However, doesn't the drying process kill the pollens?

Urk... my apologies. I have several versions of this tutorial around the web, and you are correct. This one is missing a few bits of info, so I'll be sure to fix it in the original. Greatly appreciate your bringing this to my attention.



When you get pods and no pollen, the goal is to dry and then screen the pods. Drying gets the pollen in an easier state to shed, and the pods break apart nicely when dry. When the relative humidity(RH) is too high for drying the pods in a few days, using the rice desiccant method can help. When the RH is low enough, I simply leave the pollen and pods out for a few days.

Lately I've started putting everything in a mason jar, using a pollen proof filter lid, and putting it in a dehydrator with no heat. Occasionally giving the jar a gentle shake will move everything around and keep fungi a non-issue. The filter lid allows moisture to leave without losing pollen, and the jar keeps everything handy with a large surface for labels.

Once the pods are dry, a fine screened strainer gets the job done quick.

Drying Pods in Humid Environments (where hanging to dry won't work well)

Depending on the volume of the pods you're drying, you will probably need to stir them once or twice a day. This keeps them from rotting or sprouting funji before they're dry enough. You should be checking/stirring often enough, you'll definitely be able to tell when they're dry enough for screening.

Hope that helps.

Timing, I am 5 days into 12/12 and realized I don’t have room for a certain plant. I cut everything but the lowest branch and decided I would try reversing that branch.

Will delaying the 1st spraying like this just delay the onset of male flowers or decrease the chance of it reversing?

The plant is an ogkb 2.0. Either way I will report back my findings.

I would expect some pistils but mostly pods. Looking forward to updates, thanks!

 

[SuperBadGrower]

Thanks for a great thread DC. I'm going to order the things I need and I will be back here later this year with some results

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Thanks for a great thread DC. I'm going to order the things I need and I will be back here later this year with some results

Awesome!

 

[unregistered190]

First spray @ day 5 of 12/12 on this plant. Standard 1:9 mix. It was huge and I had no room so chopped everything but one branch. Now to sit back and chill for some time and see what happens. Chunky's OGKB 2.0

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Sweet! I love how much pollen even a small branch can generate. Looking good.

Make sure you use accurate measuring instruments, I 'guessed' with teaspoon measures and I believe I guessed wrong. Also guessed on dilution rate. lol With that and messing up the spray schedule, I doubt this auto will turn in time. (I'll see about a photo)

Wish me luck, I'm rooting 2 different Afropips Malawi cuts for reversing in the near future. I'm very interested in how a near landrace responds. I know they're very light feeders, and I'm curious if they will require lower strength STS?.

 

[farm3r]

Got seeds?

Got seeds?

So, couple of weeks ago, I rubbed some nanners to some flowers at the top of the same plant that was sprayed with STS. And now look like I've gotten some seeds!


How do I know that the seeds have matured?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Loving it.

Seeds take a minimum of 4 weeks to mature, and I try to go 5 weeks just to be sure.