Can you store pollen?

[SweetnSauer]

In the freezer or something? how long?

 

[Shadeslay]

Depending how well it's sealed in a freezer a year or longer, a 1/2 year or more shouldn't be a problem in most cases.

 

[cguzek44]

Its not that it can't store, its that it is difficult to store in the right conditions. It has to almost immediately be frozen, I've heard envelopes work well. Problem is that any moisture gets to pollen and its done for, has to stay frozen so that its still a fine powder when unfrozen.

 

[growone]

the key to pollen preservation is dryness first, and cold second
this is a method i read about, and seems to work very well
drop fresh pollen on a piece of paper, paper should porous, not glossy
put the paper/pollen in an airtight container which has uncooked rice, a natural dessicant
leave conainer at room temps for a day, put in the fridge for another 2 days, at this point th dessicant has sucked out the moisture in the pollen
into the freezer, stores a long time, i'm up to over a year, still viable

 

[goten]

the key to pollen preservation is dryness first, and cold second
this is a method i read about, and seems to work very well
drop fresh pollen on a piece of paper, paper should porous, not glossy
put the paper/pollen in an airtight container which has uncooked rice, a natural dessicant
leave conainer at room temps for a day, put in the fridge for another 2 days, at this point th dessicant has sucked out the moisture in the pollen
into the freezer, stores a long time, i'm up to over a year, still viable

Would that work using a medicine bottle with the rice instead of using paper ?

 

[growone]

Would that work using a medicine bottle with the rice instead of using paper ?

that might work even better, i like the paper as it keeps a small amount of pollen in a visible spot
i only make a about a dozen seeds in a run, so the pollen on paper works well with the paintbrush method

EDIT: i may have miscommunicated a bit, i use both rice and paper in the bottle - the rice is the desiccant and the paper holds the pollen on a surface that 'breathes' which helps to remove moisture from the pollen

 

[goten]

that might work even better, i like the paper as it keeps a small amount of pollen in a visible spot
i only make a about a dozen seeds in a run, so the pollen on paper works well with the paintbrush method

i would use the paintbrush method also

the reason i asked about the medicine bottle is because i might mess up and trip over something and spill it everywhere lol

 

[growone]

i would use the paintbrush method also

the reason i asked about the medicine bottle is because i might mess up and trip over something and spill it everywhere lol

i use small plastic pill bottles, they seem to have worked out well