Tom Hill Haze
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mudballs
Well-known member
3+yr old Jungleboys Florida Strawberries done to study specs...cut w/ desiccated flour...no clue if it will work...don't have FS seeds anymore anyway...vial contents are still soft fluffy when you rotate or tilt them...they just look clumpy from gravity
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OldCoolSativa
Well-known member
It’s important to collect and process pollen in low dew point conditions. High humidity guarantees lumpy, ineffective pollen. I wait for the cool, crisp, dry autumn weather to collect pollen. I use rice to keep it desiccated in vials, and I put the rice into a 250 °F oven to dry it out beforehand.
JustGrowing420
Well-known member
Effervescent tablet bottles have desiccant fixed on the lid if it hasn't been mentioned, to prevent them from dissolving with moisture, that's what I use mostly plus its airtight by itself, perfect combo.
Also Silica balls in the pollen container could work, maybe?
Also Silica balls in the pollen container could work, maybe?
led05
Chasing The Present
Must not have been dried properly, also if being used within 3 years or so fridges are safer bet as freezers can cause freezer burn & some have defrost cycles; huge key is properly drying
And there in lies the issue, has to be completely dry - my vase water dries up, the male flower arms dry up, it sits on the glass normally for weeks as I intentionally forget about it as I know it needs to be bone dry - collecting during winter inside a dry home always easier but not always when it’s ready
Here I was thinking 3 years in the desk drawer was more impressive than 5 in the fridge - it’s all about properly drying it
Unequivocally drying is better than fresh frozen; we’re talking about pollen not bubble hash rightI have had better luck with drying material before freezing, but I have seen people swear by the fresh frozen route. And sometimes I have thought pollen didn't take but surprised to find it did.
Best luck with future pollinations
Pollen must be completely DRY - if it doesn’t still cloud up & take to air when you open those bags it’s gotten moisture and viability falls off a cliff
I used to add a desiccant (like rice) but then realized I was just complicating things and wasn’t certain rice was as DRY as I expected or needed it to be…I dry for a week before freezing, haven't tried it after a long freeze though. I tried adding rice but it made the pollen lose it's powdery feel. won't be adding rice again
After you play with pollen a bit & you experience what completely dry pollen is like, how it behaves you intuitively know when it’s good, or less than - it should fly airborne with almost no efforts at all and make you start sneezing up a storm
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led05
Chasing The Present
All great advice; I stopped using little vials years ago though as it’s easier to get all air out tiny baggies vs tiny vials - air equals moisture but seems you have that covered by using known fully dried out rice…
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Mine might not have been dried but it still had no problem going airborne. I watched it leave my backyard in a pretty little yellow cloud.
led05
Chasing The Present
Ok - so infertility can be a thing too, or just wait another week or two…
Also over decades now of doing this sometimes pollen is mismatched with the receiver, it’s my belief sativa/ NLD pollen is much more finely grained (on average) than Indica / BLD and sometimes it’s not a match and just doesn’t take… I have no clue if it’s grain size that causes it but an observation I’ve made many times; I paint a room of plants and some take some don’t, only variable different is the receiving plant(s)
Did you let the jar come to room temp before opening? Condensation can/will be an issue if not. And I always let min sit out overnight at least, to dry it out before freezing. Not saying that's your issue...
The same pollen had no problem making viable seeds when it was dropping of the plants fresh. This time I tried to brush some on a panama and ssstn. After a few weeks no signs of seeds forming. I do have a few grams left in the freezer I might try again or dry some of it and try.
Good chance that was the problem. If you don't let it come fully to room temp before opening, then the warm air will cause condensation inside the jar once opened. I always let them sit (same for cold stored seed) for a few hours before I open them up.
led05
Chasing The Present
It got wet along the way somehow is all I can think of then… bummer, another reason I like to do many bags, I fk up shit all the time, the more redundancy the less likely human error an issue on this end
led05
Chasing The Present
This is in large part why refrigerator is best for anything under a few years storage imo
Any moisture left in pollen is a death sentence. Pollen must be 100% dry before you store it!!!. If any moisture gets in from freezing it's not sealed properly. Mine is stored in parchment paper, put into a 1x2 bag then sealed in a 2x3 metal box stored in my fridge. I can take out what I need.
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