Help me with first pollination

[nugghead]

Tried to post this in breeder's lab but I guess I'm not senior enough to create a thread there.

Let's say for this hypothetical that I've collected a small amount of pollen in a sealed vial from a male, more to come as it drips out onto my glass tabletop over the next few days; and I've got a large female outdoor in full bud that I'm mostly going to harvest for sensemilla but I'd also like to pollinate and get some seeds from.

My current plan is to apply the pollen with a small paintbrush on a windless day to some of the smaller popcorn-sized buds on the lower branches, and try not to contaminate the larger colas above. I have some small bags that I could rubberband over the just-pollinated buds but not sure if I need to use them.

Another plan would be wait until I harvest most of the bud and then pollinate what's left over. That means the pollen will be old by then - probably a few more weeks, maybe a month - and the plant and buds will be old. Might die if it's overharvested, might not make seed. Don't know, never done it before.

Should I be storing my pollen in the fridge? Should I mix it with flour or put in some dry silica beads?

I want to get 40-50 seeds. Not sure how many popcorn-sized buds I'll need to pollinate to accomplish that.

I really like the two plants I'm planning to cross - size, fragrance, growth habits, yield - and I'd be sad if this didn't work. So, any comments or help with the plan, especially from folks who've done it before, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Paint brush works great. Got about 100 seeds from this one stem. Note lighter for scale. I found 40 days is about right for fully developed seeds.

 

[GrowBudsGrow]

Seeds take a good 6 weeks to mature. Keep pollen in the freeze sealed up good. Mix with a little flour and use the paintbrush works fine. Pollinate at least a few different sites to ensure a good selection of seeds, it never hurts to have too many.

 

[exploziv]

a female should be pollinated at about 3 to 4 weeks into flowering for healthy seeds.
from what you say you don't need to store the pollen, but use it.

the paintbrush method is good, you can mix your pollen with flour if you have too little of it. most of the times you'll get more seeds that you want, so try to pollinate only a small branch for 40-50 seeds.

 

[manpan]

count 4 to 6 weeks for seeds to fully mature. Otherwise, you'll get seeds that aren't viable. It's better to leave the seeded branches longer to ensure you get the most mature seeds.

As far as waiting for the female to be ready, i would think that as long as she's throwing out healthy flowers and pistels, you should be good to go. The more polinated flowers the more seeds, of course.

You'll also need to water her well for the seeds to develop properly.

 

[nugghead]

Thanks for all the responses. FreezerBoy, that pic is just what I needed to see to estimate a seed count.

Looks like I shouldn't really be waiting, but instead just using this pollen ASAP.

Any one else who wants to comment please feel welcome.

 

[SOTF420]

Pollinate as early as possible for healthy seeds otherwise the plant won't likely have the energy or resources to grow nice healthy viable ones. If you need to store the pollen make sure it dries out for a day or two at room temp & low humidity then cut it with cornstarch 50/50 which helps to keep it dry in storage as the cornstarch will take in any moisture before the pollen does and does not cake up as easily as flour. Freeze the pollen in small seperate little envelopes for usage later so you can take them out one by one without having to thaw a big bag of pollen. You can make little packets with wax paper and masking tape to seal them shut then place them in multiple layers of freezer bags with most of the air sealed out and make sure to label & date the pollen. If you have some silica in any form you can put that in the freezer bag with the little marked envelopes. When you go to use the stored pollen let it come to room temp for a bit before applying to the female pistils and if it's still viable you will see the female pistils change from a silky white color to a more withered tip that is orange/red and in about a week or less sometimes the ovule will start to swell with the developing seed embryo inside and you will know pollination was successful. I have used pollen stored this way and it worked fine after 3 or 4 months. Some people report viable pollen after years in the freezer but that is going to likely require a very cold lab type freezer and the pollen being properly vacuum sealed for storage.

I have also heard of people keeping their pollen in the fridge at just above freezing and it lasting several weeks no problem if it's dried well first and sealed from moisture. The thing is pollen does not just go all bad, over time the pollen grains become deactivated usually due to moisture or heat and it will slowly lose it's viability but that just means you have to apply more to get proper pollination. So remember it's not a matter of it being all alive or all dead it's a matter of maintaining maximum viability of the pollen and storing it well so that you don't have to dump loads of it on your plant in the future just to get a few seeds although in a pinch 10% live pollen is better than no pollen!

Much love & have fun making seeds they are the gift that just keeps on giving so I say you make hundreds of them if you have the resources to do so I mean why only make a few? The more the better my brother, share them and spread the love of Cannabis.

 

[nugghead]

I did my pollination today. Cornstarch seemed to help avoid clumping. Used a dry brush. Those nugs really seemed to suck the pollen right off the brush - that's mother nature for ya I guess!

SOTF I think you're right. I pollinated a bit more than I originally intended, every flower on one whole large branch from the second internode. The original seeds were a "loan" so I owe their provider back, with interest; I want to grow them myself again next year; and maybe there will be someone else who would enjoy them. The parents were a strain that apparently has been grown and crossed in this area for over 20 years and they really seemed to love our climate - no hassle, no problems.

Should I post my grow journal? It's sort of sketchy and technical just a lot of text detailing my doings - would people be interested? Here's a photo of a cola showing the delicate purple stems and veins - this site keeps moving the goalpost about permitted image size, confusing.

 

[nugghead]

Update: 2 weeks after pollination, every pollinated bud is showing swellings of the budlets - like little sacs between the bud leaves - and browning of the associated pistil. Assuming every little swelling bud is growing a seed, I estimate I'll have a couple hundred seeds in a few weeks.

I was figuring this method would be a little hit-and-miss, but it seems to have been very effective. I also see no similar swellings in nearby buds, suggesting that I did not in fact spill pollen everywhere. I did not cover up or bag the pollinated pistils either.

Buds smell really nice, piney with a hint of fruit, super sticky. Can't wait for harvest time. Thanks for everyone who helped out with suggestions.

 

[Warped1]

Sounds like you did it nugg, nice work, Good luck and grow safe

 

[nugghead]

Thanks Warped1.

I have learned that the little places where I think seeds are growing are called bracts, not budlets. Good to know what words to use.

 

[High Country]

Go for it...I've done it with home made colloidal silver feminized seed and it works.

 

[grassott]

congratulations. makes me wish i had a male in my garden now lol