Originally Posted by smartie2000
Anyways I put the two pollen masses attached together with part of the staminode, and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge. I want to make a hybrid using its pollen now. I have some questions:
What is the proper way of storing pollen? And what do you think I should cross it with? Has a maudiae type plant been crossed with paph armeniacum yet? I don't want to waste the pollen for infertile seeds. I'm a newbie with breeding
Hi there.
You can store pollen for a year or more in the fridge. However you need to store it properly.
The best way to do so is to take a piece of wax paper and fold it up. Then you want to remove the pollen from the pollen cap. This is not so easy to do. Especially if you are clumsy like me. It's important when you do so that you do not pierce the pollen cap. You don't want any of the water in the tissue to leach into the pollen.
Once you have removed the pollen from the pollen cap, fold the wax paper up and tape it all around and label (I often forget to do this)!!!! Then stick in the fridge.
When you are ready to pollinate. Remove it and scrape the pollen off the wax paper and then smear onto the staminode.
Parvi. pollen, esp. micranthum and armeniacum is not very sticky so it makes it more difficult to get it to stay.
Hope this helps.
L
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