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 dryingI just used some I've had in the freezer for about a year and it does not look like it worked.
Was pollen dried before freezing ? Or from a reversal or a line known for sterility issues ?
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 readyFresh sifted and then frozen from several thh males.
Here I was thinking 3 years in the desk drawer was more impressive than 5 in the fridge - it’s all about properly drying itFive years fridge, that’s impressive. Dried?
Here I was thinking a few weeks was excessive.
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
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
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…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.