RE: HYB: help - freezing pollen
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: RE: HYB: help - freezing pollen
  • From: F* <f*@q.com>
  • Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:35:25 -0700
Hello, Linda,
I have never frozen pollen.  I have had good success with keeping dried
pollen in the refrigerator, cold but not frozen.  I have put it in No. 1
coin envelopes from Staples, and I have had especially good results using
the small plastic containers that come in the Soft Picks cards found in the
dental hygiene department of CVS drug stores or Wal-Mart.  I have no trouble
drying the pollen in the cups I collect it in.  I apply it to very fresh
blossoms with a tiny camel's hair artist's brush.  They cost $5 or more at
Michel's but hold pollen much better than cheaper ones.  I had good luck
setting pods last spring in poor weather conditions (hot and windy).

Francelle Edwards  Glendale, AZ  Zone 9


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of Linda
Mann
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 7:54 AM
To: iris@hort.net
Subject: [iris] HYB: help - freezing pollen

I've asked for help on this before, but for some reason, never have had 
any success with frozen pollen, so either there is something I'm 
missing, the fall pollen I've collected just hasn't been any good, or my 
freezer isn't keeping it cold enough.  Or the plants I've tried to use 
it on just weren't receptive.

So, one more time.

I collect fresh, fertile looking fluffy pollen.

Store it for a day in low humidity room temperature to dry it out some, 
under a light bulb, on the unsticky part of a post-it note.

Is 24 hrs about right or should it dry longer or less?

Fold the post-it into a little envelope, stuck shut, and with a plastic 
paper clip  just to make sure it doesn't unfold, put in a sealed baggie 
or plastic tub full of powdered milk or other desiccant, then store it 
in the (self-defrosting) freezer until needed.

Right?

Thanks in advance for any advice/comments.

Linda Mann east TN USA zone 7

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