This is my go to method for storing pollen.
1. Harvest the pollen. I usually just pull the entire stamen and anther off of the bloom. If it is something I really want and I know, for example, it is going to rain, then I will take them even when the anthers are closed. I bring them inside and remove the anthers from the stamen and leave the pollen sacs to open and dry on a piece of printer paper with the cultivar name written on it. I leave them on the stove top because it is flat and I can turn on the small light on the fan. Warm temps and some light and they usually open right up.
2. Save the pollen. Between 8 and 24 (but when busy I've left them out to 72) hours I will place all the anthers for a given cultivar into a 2 ml centrifuge tube and then flick the side of the tube several times to release the pollen.
3. Remove the spent anthers. I don't save the anthers. I know some do but for me it was a recipe for failure. I typically just gently tap the tube over a waste container and they come out pretty readily. You could use forceps but I was weary about cross contaminating my pollen. Yes, the retentive scientist got the better of me there!
4. For the love of all things good in the world label your tubes.
5. Freeze. I put them into boxes and stick them in the freezer.
A couple notes at this point: I try to have multiple tubes of each pollen because I'm paranoid and I have been known to stick a tube in my pocket and forget about it. I also will only put 1-2 blooms worth in a tube, generally if I am putting 2, I just repeat the process rather than try and have 12 anthers in at once.
To use the pollen:
1. I make a list of everything I want to use that day, and then pull them out of the freezer and put them in a tube rack that I keep at room temp to avoid excess condensation.
2. Normally by the time I am ready to go, the pollen tubes are warm enough to use. The enemy is condensation on the inside of the tube. You don't want to take a freezing cold tube out into super humid air and open it. If that's a concern I would let it come to temp for about 5 minutes.
3. I use toothpicks to dab the pollen. I buy the ones that are flattened. One end is rounded and the other pointed usually. Then I just gather a small amount on the tip of the toothpick and place it on the bloom. Usually I will keep using the same toothpick for the same pollen unless I notice that I've gotten it wet with dew or whatever else is floating around the garden that day.
4. Back in the freezer. I just put the tubes back in the box and go on with my day.
Brief notes - I try to keep my tubes in the shade while I am outside just so they don't get extremely hot. This is mostly a concern when it's already rather warm in the morning. Also, if it is really humid, make sure the tubes warm before opening. Condensation forming on the inside of the tube will quickly ruin your pollen. Or if you are just unlucky like me and a drip of sweat falls straight into the tube...
