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Cincinnati,OH

After reading a few posts here a while back, I decided to try freezing some pollen. I am 0 for 4 with frozen pollen. Am I doing something wrong? I collect it, freeze it, then thaw it out for about 20 minutes before pollinating.

7/17/2004 2:22:09 PM

Ohio

Ron, I put mine in the fridge, the longest i have ever had it in there was 3 days. Out of about 15 pumpkins I pollinated a total of 2 didnt take. I have never froze mine. They say it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

I Cut the males off the night before they open, take em inside that night and take the pollin out.Then I put it into a clear pill bottle with cap and refridgerate.

Ron, your getting the pollin from un-opened males right?
Brooks

7/17/2004 6:48:41 PM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

I wish I had the wisdom or common sense to put the pollen in the refrigerator when someone here told me to do it. Itwo days ago I had two females one at a 90 angle from the main vine and no males to pollinate it. Sigh. I guess ya learn. I hope I did.

7/17/2004 7:51:26 PM

Cincinnati,OH

I used refrigerated male flowers and that worked. I cut the male flowers I covered the night before, put them in a jar of water in the refrigerator and used the pollen from the flowers the following day.

7/18/2004 12:19:43 PM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

I never attempted to put a male flower in the refrigerator because I thought that it wold feel damp when you brought it back out. I have not had much success with damp pollen. I lost a female in which I had used a male flower that felt damp probably just early morning moisture. Maybe it wasn't the dampness maybe I didn't pollinate properly.

7/18/2004 3:54:56 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

The key with frozen pollen is moisture control. I was 0-for alot when I kept using it from glass containers. I've had some success when tranferring pollen onto freezer paper, folding *very* loosely so it (pollen) doesn't get compressed, and then setting the package in the sun when out of the freezer before use.
Moisture control is the key.

7/18/2004 11:06:57 PM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

Ahhhh!!! Thanks for the information. I wrote it down. Good luck.

7/19/2004 8:37:40 AM

Cologne / Germany

Look at my diary, I described a matchbox storage method to keep pollen loose and dry in the deep freeze. Started in June and trying to pollinate on secondaries right now just to see if it´s works. Will keep you informed.

7/19/2004 12:09:05 PM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

floh, I looked at your diary. Please let me know how the freeze work out Thanks.

7/19/2004 11:16:31 PM