Best way to store pollen?

[Brendanpre]

Hello fellow farmers

This will be my first thread on the farm and I hope it gets some attention from the guys that breed.

So, basically, I am considering doing some pollen chucking just for fun.

I bought a couple of packs of auto seeds just because I have never grown an auto and I'm curious about them. I popped one seed of each a couple days ago. My neighbour has a couple of cheese plants in his "veggie" garden and mentioned that he has culled a couple males and may have another. If it is a male we will collect some pollen from him. The plan is to pollinate a bud or two on each auto, like I said this is just for fun, and a few free beans for us to play with. I am aware of the dominant/recessive genes regarding photo/auto plants and realise that it will take multiple generations of selective crossing to get a true breeding plant, this is just small side project for us to dip our toes into the auto world.

How do we store the pollen for a few weeks until the autos start to flower? How long will the pollen remain viable? What method do you use and why? Would it be possible to store some pollen long term?

Any advice on this would be very much appreciated, we are flying blind here!

 

[mysticepipedon]

In my limited experience, it lasts at least a few months, if frozen.

 

[Brendanpre]

Really? What do you freeze it in? Just an airtight jar or something?

 

[CBF]

Place pollen in a paper football like ya made in HS, put in mason jar and pack with rice or a desiccant sack. Place in freezer, will store for years. The longer it sits the less viable it will be, meaning you won’t get as many seed as you would with fresh pollen. I’ve used two year old pollen with great results.