Pollen Drying and Storing

@Rhai88 thanks dude!!

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@Rhai88 shoot also what size tubes you use? Also do you try and make tubes the you can one and done like one tube per 4 plants or whatever?

@Hotrods_and_hounds The 0.5ml tubes are good size. Iā€™ve used bigger but the .5 fit a q-tip just fine enough for you to dust.

No Iā€™ve used a tube multiple times as long as conditions are good. Humidity is your biggest enemy for pollen. I do live in AZ though so getting the RH low is fairly easy. lol

Just experiment with it. Have fun. Any more questions just hit me up.

One thing about the Long term storage always let your tubes get to room temperature before you open them. Condensation is also an enemy lol

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Hereā€™s how I do it. Got the tips here on OG.

Once pollen is collected, I make a little tin foil cup to hold it. Then I put it in a plastic ammo case with a small dehumidifier in there to really dry things out. Monitor dryness with a hygrometer. Usually takes a few days to get very dry, 20%< From there, I put in centrifuge tubes (.5 ml, I think).

If Iā€™m going to use it within a month or two, it goes in a mason jar in the fridge. Longer storage is mason jar in freezer. Freezer pollen has proven viable 18+ months later. It really doesnā€™t take much pollen to make a lot of seeds. I branch pollinate with a paintbrush. With careful application, you can make a lot of different crosses on one female plant.

Have fun, you probably wonā€™t go back and will find yourself daydreaming about the crosses youā€™ve made! :smiley:

https://www.amazon.com/MTM-Ammo-Can-Storage-AC11/dp/B003ISKM9K

https://www.amazon.com/Improved-Eva-dry-333-Renewable-Dehumidifier/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=asc_df_B000H0XFCS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167123712426&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3899276931737543524&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003106&hvtargid=pla-175638461812&psc=1

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Yes, very true. Super important factor.

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I know some people choose not to talk too much about the topic @Rhai88 but do you personally dilute your pollen with toasted flower at all or keep things pure? Lastly do the color variations in the pollen affect anything at all when pollinating?(Yellow,Grey,Ivory)

Thank you for the precious information and personal tips I will get my RH as low as possible asap.
:memo: šŸ«” :pray:t2:

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Pure. Iā€™ve never cut my pollen with anything. I know guys that have and still do but I feel it is an extra and unnecessary step(just my opinion).

Color wise the different cultivars I have collected have been yellow/lighter yellow so I donā€™t have any experience with ā€œivoryā€ or ā€œgreyā€. I have heard that lighters colors like that are generally weaker and less viable but this is just in talk over forums/with friends. No experience myself with them.

-happy hunting!

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were can we buy those seed tubes, i need to store some pollenā€¦ Found them on amazon

Ok so I gotta ask whatā€™s the best method you guys found to gather the pollen?

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Iā€™ve linked this before so you might have seen itā€¦

Packs over a year old have gotten ladies preggo, Iā€™ll test again this winter.
Iā€™ve been using the freezer for long term storage.

Cheers
G

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Thought Iā€™d share the storage technique I settled on after trying various things.

Got 4 years and counting on some fem pollen.

Especially sieving the debris out with a 200 mesh fabric made a big difference in storage life, thanks to Satva for this genius tip.

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Anyone remember in the movie Blow, they have that rig of HIDā€™s over the paste to turn it to powder fasterā€¦would something like this work in a small space with pollen? Bring the heat up, the moisture down, but keep the pollen at a safe temp?

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