11 replies to this topic

[hyphaenation]

Hey folks, quick question...

I stored pollen from my best males in ziplock baggies , sucked the air out and wrapped with folded paper-towel and then double-bagged that and sucked air. Then put in a yogurt container and deep-freezed undisturbed for 1 year. Any chance it will still be viable ? I'm going to give it a try but I was just curious what the shelf-life is on freezer-stored pollen.

Any help appreciated.

[Kraven]

Pollen is [canna] viable for about six months tops without risk of any genetic anomolies. Any moisture will kill it so the key is to keep it with desiccants at as close to 0% humidity as possible in a zip lock snak bag at room temp in a darkened drawer. I like to store my pollen in a hand folded parchment paper sleeve and I apply it with a q-tip swab, you can hit 10 to 12 flowers with the same sweep and pollinate them all.

 

Peace.

 

K

[Myc]

You've piqued my interest. 

Only one way to find out if that pollen is still viable..............

Anxiously awaiting results. ;)

[Kraven]

oh yea fosure dust the hell outs them girls...if it isn't good it wont hurt them ;)

 

But if your specific breeding for a trait or a recessive expression of a trait you need to be on the ball with the dust. otherwise 6 months to a year and it should germ pretty reasonably.

[onediadem]

I am willing to bet you get seeds.

[hyphaenation]

Thanks for the replies. I'll dust some branches , mark them and then wait and see what happens. I was gong to use a small paint-brush but I think I'll try Kraven's Q-tip idea.

Edited by hyphaenation, 25 July 2018 - 07:45 PM.

[Kraven]

I have bumped the paint brush one to many times and accidentally dusted plants. Unless I'm doing a Fgen seed run I just hit the pre-flowers so my buds not all seeded since thats enough to net 20 - 25 beans easy. Remember ...a VERY little goes a very long way....one little tiny male can hit 12 -15 girls around him and seed them from stalk to cola right quick and with just a puff of breeze.

[hyphaenation]

Trying to figure out if I want to back-breed my #1 strain with its own father from last year (the pollen in the freezer) or use one its siblings (I started some #1 seedlings and will sex them early to get a good male). The crossed strain has more big budding genetics then the original which the year old pollen is from possibly , although original #1 mom had huge buds.

[hyphaenation]

I took the Frozen pollen of the #1 and tinkled it on Lower branches of #1 and then used a bread tie that was marked with the strain name. It wasn't windy, and I tried to be careful not to over dust.

I also took Poland from the lime skunk mail that I have off property, and tinkle that on my best lime skunk that's already flowering. Tomorrow I'm going to make a cross of the most sativa number one X lime skunk.

[Phungivore]

hope it works hyph. never used pollen older then week old so no idea. never did breeding, just some pollen chucking in my past. worked out ok, before i lost the seeds from that i wanted to learn better how to breed as i had a few that where keepers. be nice to learn more what needs be done, as would been nice to have had a stable version of that particular individual keeper plant.

[hyphaenation]

Year old frozen pollen failed to form any seeds ... I tried a few times. Maybe if it was mixed with flour before freeze storing? Anyhow now just using pollen from this year for micro-crosses (one or 2 small lower branches each). Those seeds took right away and are swelling large.

Edited by hyphaenation, 22 August 2018 - 03:28 PM.

[Phungivore]

WIN SOME LOSE SOME, thanks for sharing