Hi y’all
So I’m thinking in might do an open pollination but want to save a few limbs to hit with different pollen for diversity purposes.
Here’s my thought - put paper sandwich bags with rubber bands over the limbs in question and then when I’m done with the open part I can brush on pollen from a different source.
Thoughts? Have you done something like this? Will it work? “Foreigner you are mental!” ?
All thoughts and input welcome.
Cheers friends.
It SHOULD work fine, as long as you leave bags on 'em until about 24 hours after you spray the “open pollination” with water!! Good luck, Bro, SS/BW…mister 
Pollen is so small and moves so freely through the air I would think that there is no way to guarantee a seed was produced by one pollen over another.
Agreed it’s a gamble and I wouldn’t know until I took the bags off and saw all white pistils. If I’m wrong no big deal it’ll just be a full open pollination.
The alternative move is to segregate some plants and do a selective on them in a different room.
But I must decide soon.
May want to use plastic for more resilience for being able to spray the plant off after the pollination.
It’s also possible you may have less chance of contaminating your selective sites if you do those first. Once all of the pollen is all over I would think it’s a higher risk to cross contaminate no matter how well you clean.
Agreed DD, but it is also a numbers game so if done with caution a high proportion of seeds on any of the selective branches should be what you think they are.
I considered this as an option but it doesn’t breathe and I worry that after a length of time I’d open it up to a funky slimy decomposing mess.
There’s a member here who uses sterile gauze (I think) when he’s reversing but I don’t know about that route. I’d feel like a civil war surgeon.
it’s good that you understand from the beginning that this is an adventure!
however, if we do as you suggest, then in a slightly different order… first pollinate the chosen branch as much as possible by the chosen parent so that there is no free unpollinated stigma to exclude possible pollination by an unnecessary parent, and after a day or two isolate this branch with a paper bag and carry out open pollination. the result will not be 100%, but with a high probability
however, all these “dances with a tambourine” are appropriate in case of impossibility of separating the clone and isolated pollination by the necessary parent
good luck
This is a good idea I think but not one that will work with my timing. My stud is about to drop and I’ve got some extra pollen in transit but it will likely be awhile.
Collect all the pollen from the males in induvidual containers. Pour some of the pollen from each container in another container to make some open pollination pollen. Brush that open pollen to each female on one branch and mark that branch. Then you can do induvidual branches with the seperate pollen you collected aswell. Problem solved 
Also a solid idea but it’s important to remember that my facilities have several limitations and collecting pollen from more than 2 males is not realistic for me.
Really Ive got one male I’m excited to breed with and pollen coming from external sources that I’m similarly excited about I’m just trying to find the best way to accommodate them all.
I’ve done exactly this but used quick ties instead of rubber bands.
I took the plant to another room to remove it and hosed it down just in case.
Sweet! You give me confidence in my idea.
Cheers and thanks.
Males dont really need light to do they thang 
a 9.8w bulb will flower them and give you viable pollen. Even put em in the window is enough. Maybe you can diy together something that would work.
Why not just add the different pollen along with the open pollination?
Not sure I understand what you’re after.
Why seperate a branch, just dump all the pollen together?
Hey @Foreigner , if you wanna keep your pollen donors seperate on on plant, you could always use the old Mel Frank tip. First put the pollen in the end of the papper submarine bag and tie the tip off. Do this outside and away from air intakes. use a blower or perhaps a light mist(but not enough to ruin the paper) to clear untied portion of the bag to remove stray pollen. Make up a bag for each donor. While tip is still tied, slip over branch and secure open end around stalk real good. ( Twist ties or better yet, painters tape) once secure, undo tip and let pollen dance with the bud inside the bag. Pollination is fast, as quick as 20 mins, but I’d leave the bags on for 12 hrs, giving it a few shakes. Make sure to mark what branch was pollinated by what pollen in a water proof way because your gonna take the mother to the shower or outside and soak that thing down till the bags are drenched and all the pollen is neutralized inside. Remove the bits of soaked papper bag, the pollen will be non active now. Let the plant dry and put back in flower room for seed to finish. Here’s a crappy diagram, pre pollen release. Hope I make sense.
Thank you for your insight and I quite enjoy the MS paint 
Pollen gets everywhere, it’s designed by GOD to do so. I gave up brushing, collecting and touching that stuff. One male and 2-3 females in my mini breeding cell that is filtered in and out. Then vacuuming, washing and changing filters and do it again. I’m wanting to retire from breeding for a year or so. Breeders Anonymous
I know right. Believe it or not, I am not a pro illustrator.
Best of luck with your pollinations.
This what I always recommend. I don’t even do pollen in the same air space as another strain. 
