before it's not viable to use? Triple digits here today and high 90's predicted for several days. If I pull the pollen after work, will it be good?

Thanks!

Sandy, I gathered my pollen really early this morning. A lot of it wasn't even showing any, nota, none, pollen on the anters and I wanted to know if it would open. It did, really good. I just take the anther, none of the stem(or whatever it is) it's attached to and I was amazed that it all dried in the house where it was cooler. I put most of it in the freezer and what I will use tomorrow is waiting in the fridge. I have found that if I'm going to use the pollen the next day, I can just put it in the fridge, not the freezer. Also, this could get ify here, for the first few weeks when it was still rather cool here, I just left my pollen on the table over night and used it the next day. I was getting around 50% pod set and that's really good for me. I don't know how well others do???? If I didn't use it, I threw it away. I was afraid it wouldn't keep til the next day.

If you can, gather the pollen before you go to work. It'll be ready for you to use the next morning before work. I do know that the later you make your crosses, the less likely they will take. Of course, some pollen sets anytime, some doesn't.

The pollen will more than likely be no good plus it could be contaminated with other pollen from the bees and if you are using it that day it probably will be too late to pollinate anyway (depending on what time you get home) because it will be past the blooms prime time. Of course there is the exception to the rule and some actually are ready later in the day.

You can collect it that morning if you have time even before it opens as Mona said and put it inside. It will still be good the next day in or out of the fridge. If the pollen is on a bloom that you don't plan to pollinate you can just take the whole bloom off and stick in the fridge and then use it the next day either before you go to work or you can try when you get home and see if it will set.