Re: TB: HYB: Pollen use and storage

Gary

I've getting takes right now with pollen from last summer (8-9 moths ago).
All I do is put the whole anthers in a small tube, label with a sticky paper
label, put all the tubes in racks and keep the whole lot in an airtight
plastic tub in the fridge. I use a bit of milk powder in the bottom as a
dessicant.

Colleen Modra
Adelaide Hills
South Australia  Zone 8/9

www.impressiveirises.com.au
irises@senet.com.au
----- Original Message -----
From: "irisman" <irisman@bellsouth.net>
To: "iris-talk" <iris-talk@YahooGroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2002 1:51 AM
Subject: [iris-talk] TB: HYB: Pollen use and storage


> Pollen Storage and Use:  (Long)
>
> There have been many  discussions about how to store and use pollen.
> I have a technique that I gleaned from Wilma Vallette in her book (ohhhh..
GREAT book Linda, find it!!!!!! )
> written on the backs of her Robineers years ago.  I also took my
> numbering system from her.  She discusses the use of milk, dried and
> fresh, and antibiotics along with myriad subjects of as much interest
> to irisarians today as 40 years ago!  Buy it if you can!  But, I
> digress!
>
> Pollen can be stored and saved in the refrigerator, and even in the
> freezer, although not as well there and may last better in the
> fridge.  I have used pollen of late season varieties from
> the year before with early bloomers of the current year, even on SDBs and
have had takes (smaller %).
>
> The BIG secret is to keep it dry and fluffy!  To accomplish this, I
> use a dark brown bottle that had this herbal medicince or something
> similar in it:  http://www.theherbsplace.com/snx.html ....  The shape
> (perfectly round) is important for how I keep it dry.  My pharmacist looks
at me funny
> and asks lots of questions, but saves the little cannister desicants that
> they take out of medicines they are dispensing.  They come in several
> shapes but I use mainly 3 sizes of them.  They are pictured here, so you
> get the idea, in 2 sizes: http://www.polylam.com/desiccan.htm ....  In
this brown bottle above,
> I can put in 7 around the edge and one larger one in the middle and
> wedge them all in tightly with one slightly smaller than a straw.   I
> then add 2 of the largest size as free floaters, so to speak: they
> are not wedged in but provide extra drying power and are not
> cumbersome when looking for the capsules.
>
> The next ingredient is the use of "000" gelatin capsules ("00" will
> work but are too small for my big fingers)
> (http://www.developed.net/capsule.htm).  The secret here is to keep
> them dry, because they will melt and shrivel if gotten wet (messy!)
> and ruin the pollen.  Next, I mark the bottle cap in magic marker
> with a letter:  say A.  Each capsule has 4 pin-pricked holes punched
> in EACH end to provide air circulation, again for drying which is the
> secret to good pollen.  After that, I label with my smaller Sharpie each
of
> 10 capsules per bottle with a code:  A1, A2, A3, to A 10.  You can
> add 2 of A2 or 3 of A4, but about 15 capsules per bottle is all the
> dessicants can handle per bottle!  AND EACH capsule can handle only
> about 6 anthers of pollen!!!!  You need a code book.  I use a 2 x 3"
> flip top notepad.  Code the pollen in each capsule in the book:
> A1=Progressive Attitude, A2=Textronics, etc.  Leave notepad in
> fishing tackle box at all times.  I carry one with a drawer in the
> bottom to hold labeling tags gotten from:
> http://www.economylabel.com/  ( the rolled tags in 5/8" x 6" size in
> various colors, I use 4 colors), Sharpie permanent markers (lasts
> well), tweezers (my big fingers again) and extra capsules in pill
> bottles for recording crosses, marking tags and saving and labeling
> pollen.  My stud book goes in the top of the tackle box, along with
> pencils, pens and the brown bottles of pollen.  The bottles are
> stored in the fridge door when not in use during bloom season and the
> rest of the year.  I end up with about 4 or 5 little jars per year and you
can then
> make crosses with pollen from last year or this year.  It will only
> keep about one year.  As fresh is gathered in the new year, the old from
the year before is thrown out.
>
> I apply pollen by grasping either end of it (after it has been plucked
from the flower with tweezers, of course), first one and then other and
usually using one per two flowers to lightly spread in on all 6
> stigmas.  If I only have one flower open and there is pollen left, I
> put it back in the capsule.  I wipe off my fingers and blow out my
> jar lid and move on.  I only make one cross per stalk and strive for
> 3 pods on each stalk (more and the plant suffers, imo).  Gives a good
> number of seeds from 80-200 and some don't take and some don't
> germinate.  If it's a great cross I might try for 6 pods!
>
> Naturally, some pollen will not store for a year for various reasons
> and will not be usable, but almost all will keep for 6 weeks through
> bloom season.  I have collected pollen from California and brought it
> home "on a jet plane" ...
>
> And YES, Virginia(sic) (joke, there is a Santa Claus) .... folks have been
mailing pollen thru the mail for years.  You must find someone who blooms
before you, cares enough to do the ditty, and doesn't mind spending all that
time in their irises for you.  The secret:  keep it dry and not too hot....
so send it fast ..... and keep it from getting crushed... the capsule in a
little box works great.... just make sure that in this day and age of
terrorism.. that you.....  mark it as pollen ....  so you don't freak folks
out.
>
> Bernice Miller made retro crosses for all the years of her work and she
has a few irises folks still grow.... but why try to re-invent the wheel.
Make strong crosses forward and then line cross and outcross and don't just
introduce a pretty flower like lotsa folks do these days.  It's a mind
game.. .ur a famous hyb.. folks expect 10 new intros each year.. you give
'em 10 new intros ....  economics ..not necessarily breeding advances.
>
> Hope this gives some of you some ideas you might want to try!  Gary
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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