Hello Professor Lee,
I have a small problem: My male plants are going to drop their pollen before my females are ready to be pollinated. How can I store the pollen for a couple of weeks while my girls get ready? Also, what’s the best way to store seeds long term, like for a year or two?
Thanks,
Jenna
Hello Jenna,
Good question. Not everything works out when or how we want them to so the trick is knowing how to deal with such setbacks and keep everything relatively on track. Both pollen and seeds are easily stored. You simply have to keep them dry, cool and in the dark. I prefer to keep pollen stored in paper envelopes wrapped in foil and stowed in the back of my fridge. When needed, simply let the packet sit out for an hour or so to warm up to room temperature and then apply it to selected buds with a small brush or cotton-tipped applicator. For more long term storage I suggest the same paper and foil wraps, but go a step further and put them in a sealable glass jar and keep them in a freezer. Do not take them out until you are ready to use them. Repeated thawing and refreezing will lower the vitality rate for both seeds and pollen. Kept this way they should be perfectly usable in a year or two.
Good luck!
Professor Lee
