Anyone know a source for the little antidesiccant thingies they put in vitamin bottles? They’re so perfect for adding to little film cannister for freezing pollen. I’d look them up on the internet but I don’t know what they’re called! Apparently, the official term is not “antidesiccant thingies.”
Actually, I think I used the wrong term. What I meant was the little pillows that absorb moisture. You know, the tiny 1/2" bags of crystals.
Yep, it’s a desiccant called silica gel. I’ve never seen the little pouches for sale individually, but I have seen this kind of gel crystal sold in a kit for drying flowers whole - that was a long time ago at now-defunct Frank’s Nursery and Crafts, though. I would check around craft stores to see if they have something similar. Very often calcium chloride is used for keeping pollen dry; I’ve seen it sold in pellets for use as a de-icer, otherwise it might have to be purchased from a chemical supplier.
Type in silica gel on Ebay. The list is quite large.
Judith,
Sounds like a neat idea. Are you using those “thingies”? Can’t see that there would be any harm in using them. Those of us on Medicare probably have a lot of them around - LOL!
Yes, and they seem to work well. The only downside is the pollen sticks to the outside, but I just brush it off onto the pistils. Here’s a site I found, although I’m still looking to see where one can buy the packs retail and not in huge quantities.