Hey OG - I posted this on the Bodhi Plant Guide thread then asked to have it moved here to start a more centralized discussion on pollination techniques. Here is my method for safely pollinating a single mom with multiple dads, and I’m sure others have tried and true strategies as well.
Let 'em rip!
Hey @Vagabond_Windy.
Yup - tried and true method and if done right lets you pollinate multiples branches without cross-contamination.
Those are poop bags (which are about perfect for a branch if you are looking for 50-150 beans or whatever), so yea, plastic of sorts.
Basically put the pollen in a sealed vial inside the bag, then secure the bag around a branch with a zip tie, string or the like.
(These are Kashmir Azad moms from a while back).
Once the bag is sealed, open the vial just by feel from outside the bag and basically let the pollen float around in the sealed bag, shaking every few minutes if you want.
Here is the only dicey part to remaining thoroughly compartmentalized: When you are ready to take the bag off, carefully snip a corner while being cautions not to let any (pollen-laden) air out of the bag, just pinch it between your fingers, then insert the tip of a spray bottle snugly into the corner hole, and douse the inside of the bag.
Voila!
You are right about the transpired moisture collecting inside the bag sterilizing pollen, but pollen sets into the pistils/tubes pretty quickly, around a half hour or faster, so by the time moisture has collected enough to be damaging to the pollen whatever is going to take probably has.
It works best (unsurprisingly) with pollen that has been well preserved and still capable of being airborne, as any clumpy pollen will tend to just fall to the bottom of the bag. I’ve never tried the following methodological twist, but there is no reason a person couldn’t use a clear bag for visibility and also seal a small brush inside the bag with the pollen container and just brush on while working from outside the bag - this would probably be the best bet with less than pristine material.
The sensi areas of the plant serve as a fairly good indication of whether the bag was properly sealed and managed, and done right you won’t find any seeds there at all.
Hope this helps, you can make a lot of crosses this way!
Lets say the last run was exceptionally seeded. 