This past bloom season I did not adhere to my previous pollen saving
agenda.
I bought 100 micro-centrifuge tubes, and stored only a small amount
of dry pollen in each one, and will only use it once, and not return to the
freezer. The micro-tubes fit nicely in their own small box (holds 90-100 tubes)
that takes hardly any space in the freezer. Before, I thought the idea of
numerous removal and returns to the freezer would make the pollen less
viable. So, I seldom relied on frozen pollen, and often waited to use fresh
pollen instead with whatever parents were in bloom on any given day.
Having several tubes of pollen from the same parent gives
me more applications if so desired.
Also, I saved some of them in match boxes for a day or so
in the refrigerator or until they were dry and fluffy, and then
transferred them to the freezer. I then placed the match boxes
in a zipped baggy for ease of storage. This worked really well
for drying to the visual fluffy stage.
The pollen will be used in the spring when plants are
just beginning to bloom.
Hopefully, both methods will work, and I will have more choices
with the early bloomers that I want to cross with later blooming
cultivars. At least these methods reduce my previous concerns.
Having said this, I continue to prefer fresh pollen when it is
an applicable choice.
