The pollen is always ready before the ladies. I catch and store the pollen in the plastic jar and wait till the ladies are ready. In the fridge when I remember, otherwise it sits in my shed (airtight jar in front of the A/C) till the ladies are ready. Usually a week or two.

5-6 weeks (the longer the better) before estimated harvest, I'll paint the lower branches of a couple of ladies. Gives me a couple of years worth of seeds for that strain. Perhaps 150 seeds per plant.

Sativa dom's I'll use a lighter touch with. The lower branches have a tendency to snap off with excessive seedweight.