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

[TychoMonolyth]

Tycho, to get to the 1:6 ratio that works for you, you used 50ml of each stock solution and added that to 600ml of distilled/to?

Follow DC's instructions in the first post for best results.

To be honest, 1:9 is probably best.

The recipe I had made so much, I cut it down to one 10th and I still have lots.

Solution - A
0.7g of AgNO3 (USE GLOVES - AgNO3 will stain your hands black for months).
Add AgNO3 to 10ml of RO water.

Solution - B
0.992g of Na2S2O3-5H2O (or 0.632g of Na2S2O3)
Add to Na2S2O3-5H2O to 40ml of RO water.

Solution A and B can be stored separately for a long time in a dark place (12+ months).

Solution - STS
- 0.5ml of Solution A, and
- 2ml of Solution B
In a glass cup, stirring slowly, add A to B to make STS.
STS is not as stable as solutions A and B separate and should be used within 6 months or so.


STS SPRAY
The STS solution must be diluted with water.
- Use 1:6 to 1:9 concentrations (STS to Water).

Example (the lower ratios are here so you can see the pattern)
1:2 = 1 part STS and 2 parts water [2.5ml STS + 5ml water]
1:3 = 1 part STS and 3 parts water [2.5ml STS + 7.5ml water]
1:4 = 1 part STS and 4 parts water [2.5ml STS + 10ml water]
1:5 = 1 part STS and 5 parts water [2.5ml STS + 12.5ml water]
1:6 = 1 part STS and 6 parts water [2.5ml STS + 15ml water]
1:7 = 1 part STS and 7 parts water [2.5ml STS + 17.5ml water]
1:8 = 1 part STS and 8 parts water [2.5ml STS + 20ml water]
1:9 = 1 part STS and 9 parts water [2.5ml STS + 22.5ml water]

Use this final mixture for foliar spraying, or with a dropper on the nodes.
It is best to start with a concentration of 1:9

Use STS sparingly as soon as flowering starts. Spray ONCE, wait two weeks, then ONCE again.
Spray too much and your plant will explode with empty pollen sacs.
BE PATIENT.

Note: Some strains will not reverse easily, and some not at all, but most will.

I use a syringe to measure the solutions. If you ask nicely at a pharmacy counter, they'll give you some for free.

 

[Tonygreen]

Update:

Hi all,

Here is my final update about my first STS feminized seed making experiment.

Currently I'm busy with collecting seeds out of the dried flowers. I have already poked out hundreds if not a thousand or more seeds and I only cleaned up less then 5% of the total harvest of the single plant.
Lots more poking and cleaning to do...

Next up (in September) I will be growing (a few) of these seeds. I'll do some picture updates about that experiment as well.

Strain: Power Plant
Current date: 11/07/2019
Start from seed: 10/04/2019 (broke the surface of the soil on this day)
12/12: 24/04/2019
STS (every 5-7 days): start from 04/05/2019 until 18/05/2019
Harvest: 04/07/2019

Here is a poor quality picture of a couple of seeds. (I might try again later to make a better picture).

View Image

Cheers.

Hey brotha so just 2 sprays like Tycho?

 

[Tonygreen]

Here is an 18 inch cut of my Gorilla Bubble bx5, fresh transplant from 1 gallon to 3.

2nd cut to experiment with. 18 inches in a 1 gallon

Do you guys notice if the plant still stretches and branches after sts application the first few weeks of flower?
I'm hoping to use these to pollinate a 4 foot mom. Letting them branch a bit more. Normal male pollen that 1 gallon specimen would make more than enough pollen.

Still making a plan. I thought of spraying one big branch of the momma too for backup but if the whole plant flips like Tyco described I'd be fucked.

I'm thinking twenty20 is selling a real weak spray. 1:20 maybe to be spraying every 3rd day. I seen guys on ig showing great results pollen bombs when flicked. I'm thinking of ordering a bottle to try his method. From all the experience we see here spraying every 3rd day until first pollen drops would be bad ha. But we are all using stronger stuff maybe. Our best results posted have been with minimal sprays I think. This is all conjecture.

If I used an ec meter on his fluid and compared it to our recipe would it give comparable data??

 

[Cvh]

Hey brotha so just 2 sprays like Tycho?

Hi,

I personally do think (and from my experience) that spraying 2-3 times at the correct moment should suffice in most situations.
I have even successfully reversed a (part of a) plant using a single (very big) drop of 1:9 STS. It's documented into this thread with all my other personal notes (including many pictures).

I know that it's not very well written down how many times you should spray. That's because every plant and every situation is uniquely different.
But as a guideline you should stop spraying when you notice that male pollen sacs are starting to form. And you spray with an interval of 5 -7 days between spraying. So if you see still no male formation then spray again 5-7 days later and so on. For the record, I spray with a 7 day interval.

Try to keep count how many times you have sprayed. It might be important information later when you failed to reverse a plant during a specific run or ended up with empty pollen sacs or pollen sacs that won't open or infertile pollen.

Less is more in the use of STS, only spray more when it failed a previous time and you didn't managed to reverse a plant during a previous run.

Here are the 3 spraying regimes that are recommended and tested by the Op.
As you can see spraying only a couple of times with the 1:9 is already the strongest schedule.

Spraying Schedule I've Used Successfully
* Spray branch(es) you want reversed 5 days before flipping to flower
* Spray every 5 days until major male flower formation has begun

Alternative Spraying Schedule A
* Spray branch(es) you want reversed 2 weeks before flower
* Spray branch(es) you want reversed on the day you flip to flower

Alternative Spraying Schedule B
* Spray branch(es) you want reversed on the day you flip to flower

As an personal additional tip from me, avoid to spray the leaves. It's not of much use and you might damage the leaves.

 

[Guest]

After following the recipe early in this thread. I have a female almost looking like a straight male with a few white hairs. Attempting to make S1s. Am I right to just leave it be and let the males mature and self pollinate the remaining hairs? Or do I need to treat it differently. Thanks

Note: not intending to store pollen.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Here is an 18 inch cut of my Gorilla Bubble bx5, fresh transplant from 1 gallon to 3.

View Image

2nd cut to experiment with. 18 inches in a 1 gallon

View Image

Do you guys notice if the plant still stretches and branches after sts application the first few weeks of flower?
I'm hoping to use these to pollinate a 4 foot mom. Letting them branch a bit more. Normal male pollen that 1 gallon specimen would make more than enough pollen.

Still making a plan. I thought of spraying one big branch of the momma too for backup but if the whole plant flips like Tyco described I'd be fucked.

I'm thinking twenty20 is selling a real weak spray. 1:20 maybe to be spraying every 3rd day. I seen guys on ig showing great results pollen bombs when flicked. I'm thinking of ordering a bottle to try his method. From all the experience we see here spraying every 3rd day until first pollen drops would be bad ha. But we are all using stronger stuff maybe. Our best results posted have been with minimal sprays I think. This is all conjecture.

If I used an ec meter on his fluid and compared it to our recipe would it give comparable data??

Yes it still stretches.
I wait until I see the first white hairs of a flower to start spraying. This way I have enough white hairs by the time pollen is released for the plant to self.

One hair = one seed.
One nice bud will give you a hundred seeds. I'm pretty sure one nice cola on a 4 foot plant will give you a thousand or more.


If I wanted to make sure only One branch produced, I'd put a bread bag over it, reach in and spray, then remove the bag.

.

 

[Cvh]

After following the recipe early in this thread. I have a female almost looking like a straight male with a few white hairs. Attempting to make S1s. Am I right to just leave it be and let the males mature and self pollinate the remaining hairs? Or do I need to treat it differently. Thanks

Note: not intending to store pollen.

That's what I do. Maybe next time reverse only a single branch or a single bud.
That would leave you with much more female pistils to pollinate and make seeds.
You want as much seeds as possible, not as much pollen as possible in your case. And better would be to pollinate a clone that wasn't reversed if you have the space.

 

[Cvh]

I'm thinking twenty20 is selling a real weak spray. 1:20 maybe to be spraying every 3rd day. I seen guys on ig showing great results pollen bombs when flicked. I'm thinking of ordering a bottle to try his method.

Out of cost perspective:
With half a gram of Silver Nitrate you can make 500 ml of the undiluted Base A solution.
You then need 50 ml of this undiluted Base to combine it with 50 ml of the Base B solution to create a full liter of 1:9 solution. (Including 900ml of distilled water).
That's leaves you with 450 ml left of both Base solutions.

In other words, half a gram (0,5g) of Silver Nitrate can be turned into 10 liters of final solution. That's 20 liters of final solution to a gram of Silver Nitrate. And you only need to spray it a few times. A liter of final solution goes a very long way.
(The other chemical Sodium Thiosulfate is dirt cheap).

What's that Twenty20 dude charging for his bottle of final solution which is possibly 1:20? Compare that to the price of Silver Nitrate. Also the final solution doesn't store well, the Bases store better and the raw chemicals are almost indefinitely storable (if probably done).

About pollen bombs, I have posted into this thread several pictures and several other members as well.
But here is a quick example of me personal. It's a picture of a top bud of a side branch consisting of reversed male flowers, it was a real dust monster. To much pollen to handle, leaving a layer on the floor

(My apologies for the out of focus, I was trying to hold the camera with one hand and holding the reversed bud with my other hand).

 

[Tonygreen]

Tremendous. Is that 1:9? One spray or what was the schedule on that one? I've had frozen pollen fail three runs in a row so I probably shouldn't be experimenting atm but here we are.
Males had first night of 12 12. I'm thinking put the mom in on about 7 to 10 days.

 

[Cvh]

^The reversed bud in the picture was done following the standard procedure.
So 1:9 ratio and I think I sprayed 3-4 times. I quit spraying when I could see major development of male pollen sacs.
The bud then grew large and was massive in male pollen sacs all filled with viable pollen. The slightest disturbance released clouds of pollen.

 

[midwestkid]

When sourcing the two main ingredients - do you buy the crystals or powder? Or am I overthinking it?

 

[Cvh]

^You might be overthinking it a bit.
If you're unsure that what you want to order is correct, then post a link to it here into this thread and some of the members will have a look at it for you.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

When sourcing the two main ingredients - do you buy the crystals or powder? Or am I overthinking it?

Try to find smaller amounts.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sodium-Thio...742935?hash=item3402b569d7:g:-h8AAOSw3QldCeQQ

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Silver-Nitr...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Tonygreen]

So I guess I'm gonna spray day 7, 14 and 21 with 1:9 on the 3 gal, I'll do 1:9 on the 1 gal every 5 days starting day 1 until 21. I've got a fresh rooted cut I'm going to spray once at 3mM on day 14.
Hopefully one of these works.
You guys think I'm good putting the mom in one week later? Figure shell be ready at 4 weeks and the males will be week 5 hopefully dropping dust. If not I'd still have a week or so to try drying flowers and extracting pollen.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Sounds like a plan Stan, I mean Tony.
Let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[Tonygreen]

50 ml sts and 450 water would still be 1:9 right? Trying to be perfect in an imperfect science makes me second guess lol

Thought I had a good scale but my silver is powder lol. .5 seemed so small!

 

[gorilla ganja]

yep that's right

 

[Tonygreen]

EC of 1:9 was .5 ec on my meter. FWIW.
Some sort of data point. I have no idea of the quality of my silver.

Guy on another forum says he sprays once a week starting 2 weeks before flower. Last spray at 14. Full reversal dust everywhere.
So maddening lol.

I really think it's that day 14 spray when sex organs begin to really start that counts most. I cant see why 2 weeks before flower would help in my mind. He's got one looking just like cvh tho and what do I know. Lol

I tried to get the reagent quality silver but was denied lol.
I ended up stuck with this. Really nags me not having certified mats.
Sucks when you are working for results and that ? mark is there.

Got the good on this tho...

If anyone else feels like checking the EC of their 1:9 sts I'd appreciate it, see if it is the same as my reading.

 

[Cvh]

50 ml sts and 450 water would still be 1:9 right? Trying to be perfect in an imperfect science makes me second guess lol

Thought I had a good scale but my silver is powder lol. .5 seemed so small!

50 ml sts and 450 water would still be 1:9 right?
>>With 50ml STS, you do mean with that a combination of 25ml Base A and 25ml Base B mixed together?
If so, then yes, you just add then 450ml of distilled water.
(Also do not mix the remainder of you Base solution together. Keep them separated until you make more final solution.)

.5g of Silver Nitrate is indeed very very small. So don't worry if you think that you might have missed there.

You bought 10g of Silver Nitrate seeing on your picture. That's enough to make 200 liters of final solution. You can experiment for a while. (Price/weight I would have probably bought the same, I'm just merely pointing out that you got lots).

Here a snippet of my personal notes that you might find interesting. I'll give some more information about it.

Strain: Power Plant
Start from seed: 10/04/2019 (broke the surface of the soil on this day)
12/12: 24/04/2019
STS (every 5-7 days): start from 04/05/2019 until 18/05/2019
Harvest: 04/07/2019

As you can see here, I germinated a seed and when it sprouted I planted it into soil.
I then started taken notes the day the seedling popped the surface of the soil. This was on date 10 April.

At date 24 April I switched the timers to 12/12, meaning it was 14 days old when I switched to flowering. It was still very small.
I didn't started spraying because it only had a few internodes and no side branching.

10 days after switching to 12/12 I sprayed a first time.
I then sprayed an additional 2 times (IIRC).

As for result see the previous picture I posted for you.

 

[Cvh]

EC of 1:9 was .5 ec on my meter. FWIW.
Some sort of data point.

If anyone else feels like checking the EC of their 1:9 sts I'd appreciate it, see if it is the same as my reading.

I don't have the data.

Also it's recommended that you should add a surfactant at this stage. It greatly helps with keeping the final solution physically on the plant material and having it better absorbed that way.

I use Yucca extract as what's recommended by the Op.