Catching Pollen

[Beansly]

What is the best vessel for storing pollen for later use?

 

[Rj41]

A black film canister works for me.

 

[Beansly]

A black film canister works for me.

eah man but for the life of me, I can't remember the last time I used real film for anything! lol
I don't have one.
I should add that it's a very small amount of pollen. I didn't realize how fine pollen was. It's hard to catch and even harder to see. I was gonna use a pill bottle. are they good enough to hold for just a few weeks?

 

[growone]

i use pill bottles, add some white uncooked rice for natural desiccant
pollen goes on porous paper(helps with drying), into bottle at room temps for a day
then into freezer for long term storage, keeps good for over a year

 

[poplars]

I use little glass jam jars... tap the pollen into it by tapping the side of the stem, then any little green matter that falls into it collect it out so it doesn't ruin the pollen.

I keep it with the initial lid slightly on it slightly not so there's a lil airflow keeping it dry. it will store for a good 2-3 weeks this way. if you want to take it to another level you can put a silica gel pack hanging at the top and freeze it. just make sure it's bone dry before you freeze it or it will destroy itself.

and when yu go to pollinate, you get a fine hair brush, tap it into the pollen, do a light tap and inspect to make sure it doesn't have excess pollen, then wipe it on the bud... repeat this process 3 times per bud, to make sure you didn't put too little or too much...

I've pollinated 20 plants with this method successfully without any other buds getting pollinated on accident.

 

[woodsmaneh!]

I have been using ziploc's forever, I have pollen that is 11 years old and still works fine. When I pollinate I use a lunch bag, put the pollen in the bag and put it over the branch close the end around the branch and shake. I than spray the bag with water and remove. I spray the bag as it traps the pollen that's still floating around. I have 80 or so plants so that's why I do it this way.

 

[growone]

...
and when yu go to pollinate, you get a fine hair brush, tap it into the pollen, do a light tap and inspect to make sure it doesn't have excess pollen, then wipe it on the bud... repeat this process 3 times per bud, to make sure you didn't put too little or too much...

I've pollinated 20 plants with this method successfully without any other buds getting pollinated on accident.

same here, no stray seeds at all, this is an excellent method IMHO

 

[Sunbiz1]

I have been using ziploc's forever, I have pollen that is 11 years old and still works fine.

I had no choice but to use a large ziplock yesterday, had to collect pollen outdoors on a windy day.

 

[2layz2p]

I tried to catch pollen one time....... I did it in my flower room, had 20 plants full of beans! LOL. That was the end of my breeding... I was a rookie...I buy fem beans now.

Funny I kept trying to put more and more pollen on this one bud, but I could not see the pollen so I kept trying Funny now..... back then I had 3 runs with beans! he he he Oh yea, and the fan was on!

 

[Kaptain Kron]

Im more curious on the best way to collect it off of the plant that is what i am interested in, at one point i read that subcool attatches a piece of wax paper somehow to the plant and jiggles it so it collects on the paper and added flour or something if i remember correctly to help it dry and becasue you can put flour on your plants with the pollen without hurting them.

Thats what i've got trouble with, i know how to pollinate my plants i just cant figure how to collect it best.

 

[poplars]

Im more curious on the best way to collect it off of the plant that is what i am interested in, at one point i read that subcool attatches a piece of wax paper somehow to the plant and jiggles it so it collects on the paper and added flour or something if i remember correctly to help it dry and becasue you can put flour on your plants with the pollen without hurting them.

Thats what i've got trouble with, i know how to pollinate my plants i just cant figure how to collect it best.

I collect it by keeping the plants alive in a separate room with no air circulation whatsoever. every few hours or so I'll go in and do a tapping rhythm with my fingers and hold a jar under the branch I am tapping and all the pollen falls in, repeat through the other branches then remove green matter carefully from the pollen. then store out of the light at room temp with the jar just covered with a crack open for air.

after a week it's ready to be frozen, it can be used at any time within this week or after. you can add rice or silica gel packets to the jar to prevent moisture spoilage. . .

 

[KingofHearts2die4]

is it illegal to send pollen threw the mail? and would it stay viable?

 

[Kaptain Kron]

i dont have that option unfortunately i have to boxes to do this in basically two desk drawers, one side needs to be for flowering stuff the other side may be needed to create cuts to save these bad boys or i may just say fuck it not collect any pollen and just have em self pollinate in there.

 

[Kaptain Kron]

im sure it would be viable the legality question is a damn good one though im curious, anyone wanna send me some dank pollen lol

is it illegal to send pollen threw the mail? and would it stay viable?

 

[poplars]

i dont have that option unfortunately i have to boxes to do this in basically two desk drawers, one side needs to be for flowering stuff the other side may be needed to create cuts to save these bad boys or i may just say fuck it not collect any pollen and just have em self pollinate in there.

in that case just take out the male and let it die in a dark closet with paper under it... make sure it's all dry and stuff... then get hte paper out carefully after 2 days or so...

 

[Kaptain Kron]

clean i like it ill probably just lay it on its side in the closet on the paper hahahahah that ought to work. Mainly the reason i ask is because im questioning whether i have a keeper male or not and i dont have the space to keep him around indefinately so i was thinkin grow him a few times and collect a nice fat batch of pollen for use later so i can nix all my males stressin me out lol thanks man.

 

[growone]

is it illegal to send pollen threw the mail? and would it stay viable?

oh it's illegal all right, though i think the chances of being detected would be very small
all parts of the cannabis plant are illegal, and pollen fits that description

 

[KingofHearts2die4]

im sure it would be viable the legality question is a damn good one though im curious, anyone wanna send me some dank pollen lol

thats what im saying im alla bout getting some good grade pollen for my all female strain...deff hard to breed when all i get is females. i want like a white or purple strain...even a strain that would allow my plants to be more potent or grow bigger denser buds ya know?!?

 

[poplars]

clean i like it ill probably just lay it on its side in the closet on the paper hahahahah that ought to work. Mainly the reason i ask is because im questioning whether i have a keeper male or not and i dont have the space to keep him around indefinately so i was thinkin grow him a few times and collect a nice fat batch of pollen for use later so i can nix all my males stressin me out lol thanks man.

make sure the plant isn't touching the paper, there needs to be some distance from it so the pollen drops and you can get it off the paper.. make sure there is no air circulating in the room.

 

[elduece]

Contributed by: Uncle Ben

You have several choices for collecting and using pollen. Males will show as a football-like "ball" on a small, short petiole (stem) at the node sites. Once the pollen pods form, they will elongate via a stem, droop, and the flower bracts will open. After about one week after pollen pods first start to form, or upon complete opening of the male flower bracts, the male anther's will shed pollen which will appear as pale, yellow dust.

Males do not take much light to survive once they reach flowering stage. Leave your male plant(s) in the grow room until the first male pollen bracts just begin to crack, and then move 'em into another room with a typical 12/12 schedule, this can be simulated with light thru a window or a fluorescent light fixture.

You have a choice of placing this plant in a very quiet room with no air movement, set on clean paper, or, you can cut the branches off, making a clean slanted cut with a razor blade, and place the branches in a vase of water over paper. Collect the pollen once it begins shedding by placing a glazed ceramic plate or paper plate under the flowers and gently tap the individual branches. Pick out any flowers which tend to drop once in a while.

The pollen will be like dust, so don't visit the garden until you have taken a bath, or you may end up pollinating plants you didn't intend on pollinating.

Collect the pollen over time and place it into a clean vial like a film canister. I really like using a paper plate held under a group of flowers, and then gently thumping the stem. After collecting the pollen, the paper plate can be creased, held over a vial, and the sides and edges thumped until all the pollen is shaken into the vial. Shape the paper plate like a creased funnel.

For a pollen carrier, heat about 2 or 3 teaspoons of flour in an oven set to 180f for 20 minutes or in a small pot set on low heat, let it cool thoroughly, and mix with the pollen to dilute it. I use a ratio of about 1/4 teaspoon pollen to 3 teaspoon flour and have very successful pollination rates. Store in small containers like contact lens cases or film canister, excluding as much air as possible and store in the refrigerator for long term use. Remember, it only takes one male to fertilize one female ovule, and there are millions of pollen cells in a 1/4 teaspoon of pollen so be sure and dilute it.

Use a small artist brush (my preferred method) or toothpick to pollinate a few of the lower branches which have fresh, white pistils, label the pollinated branches, and harvest your seeds in 3 to 6 weeks. I just cure the seeded branches with the rest of the crop, and tear apart the seeded buds with my fingers. You'll find the seeds close to the stem. Store the seeds in the fridge or freezer, labeled of course, with a little dessicant like silica gel or heat treated (sterilized) rice for long term storage.

I vouch for this method.