I’ve forgotten. Will anyone give me instructions on saving pollen? I have pollen of R. kordesii from the 26th, and it’s getting old. So I want to put it in the fridge to pollinate it on my species rose (R. virginia most likely, although maybe R. carolina) and a few other species roses, especially R. foliolosa.
i hurt my hand so i’m typing funny sorry i would freeze it asap i followed pollen viability in the freezer and fridge and freezing it definately slows down decay. i germinated the pollen grains in vitro using a sugar boric acid solution to monitor viability over time.
good luck enrique,
david
David,
How long was pollen viable in the freezer? In the fridge?
Thanks,
Jim
P.S. Sorry to hear you hurt your hand. I hope it is nothing serious. I had a splint on my little finger for six weeks and just got it off today. The finger is stiff, but what a relief to get the splint off!
I’ve gotten seed set with pollen I’ve had in the freezer for two years. Probably less viable than it would be fresh, but still, it works.
Joseph
Hi! I cut myself on broken glass and damaged a tendon and have a splint too now. Wow, I’m amazed how much I take the simple things for granted. That’s great you got your splint off Jim!
The refrigerated pollen went to no viability in a month or so and the frozen pollen (-20C, standard freezer temp I think, and -80C) declined a little bit over the past year, but have stabilized at about 6 months and have kept at the same rate of germ. since. Maybe different pollen parents will respond differently. This was a tetraploid shrub seedling.
love,
David
Is it critical to remove the pollen from the anthers before freezing or can you freeze the raw anthers and extact the pollen after they thaw out? Has anyone had any experience with freezing anthers?