Seed production

[CAPnnCRUNCH]

I plan on putting 1 male and 1 female in a separate room for her to make seeds. If they are just near each other will she create a lot of seeds or do i have to do this a certain way? also do i add fertilizer just like i would if they were flowering, or do i need a different fertilizer for this purpose?

CAPnnCRUNCH Reviewed by CAPnnCRUNCH on 08-05-2009. Seed production I plan on putting 1 male and 1 female in a separate room for her to make seeds. If they are just near each other will she create a lot of seeds or do i have to do this a certain way? also do i add fertilizer just like i would if they were flowering, or do i need a different fertilizer for this purpose? Rating: 5

[DOUGAL25]

If you have a fan blowing from the male to female, this should blow the pollen onto the female. You just gotta wait for the nanners to open up and release the pollen.
You can even snip a branch off thats loaded with mature nanners. Shake the branch over the female and the yellow pollen should fall onto the buds, ensuring pollination.
I've heard of using a wet, thin-tipped paintbrush to extract the pollen, and pollinate the bottom portion of a female plant. This will allow for seeds at the bottom, and regular buds towards the top (if no cross contamination to the upper buds).

As far as nutes go, somebody else is gonna have to take this one; I'm inclined, however, to see the answer.

:stoned:

[sarah louise]

I've heard of using a wet, thin-tipped paintbrush to extract the pollen, and pollinate the bottom portion of a female plant.

DRY brush for pollinating :thumbsup:

[Rusty Trichome]

DRY brush for pollinating :thumbsup:

I agree, although I personally use Q-Tips with most of the fuzzy stuff removed.

I have a plexiglass 'barrier' I place my flowering males behind to protect from the fan, and I collect the pollen as the flowers open. After I've collected 15 to 20 flowers worth of pollen in a cup with a lid, I place a plastic trash bag over his head, and carefully chop him. (at the base) Tie it closed so no pollen escapes, and toss in the trash. If storing the pollen for more than an hour, remove all the flower material before storage. The high humidity from the plant material will kill the pollen.

When ready, I turn off all fans, and carefully dip the Q-Tip into the pollen and 'paint' the pollen on the pistils on the lower branches. If done carefully, only that which you paint will pollinate. Avoid sneezes or dropping the pollen cup. Before I turn-on the fans, I spray the cola's with plain, ph'd water using care not to spray the buds I just pollinated. (water kills pollen) I usually end-up with, at most, a couple of rogue seeds, (2-4) but never enough to affect yield.

Even if you place the male in seperate room, the pollen will travel with your home ventilation system or hitch a ride on your clothes...and affect every lady in the house.

Placing a fan on the male would be a disaster. Pollen on every surface, until such time as you can clean it all off.

[headshake]

hey rusty (or sarah or whoever), when is the best time during flower to pollinate? if it's later during the flowering cycle does the water on the buds ever cause any problems?


-shake

[Italiano715]

hey rusty (or sarah or whoever), when is the best time during flower to pollinate? if it's later during the flowering cycle does the water on the buds ever cause any problems?


-shake

It is said that it takes anywhere from 3-5 weeks for seeds to mature. I figure a good opportunity would probably be the last month of flowering. So by the time the plants are mature, so will the seeds. I suppose though if your just "painting" certain sites, then anytime flowering starts should be fine. I think it's strain dependent also.

Also, it is said after the seeds are ready to come out that they need to dry out a bit, but on one of my ladies years ago, hermied and a seed fell into the soil and germinated and started to grow.

[Rusty Trichome]

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.

[the image reaper]

the dry paint brush, or Q-tip, are common tools for transferring pollen, but I lack the deft touch, and do it the easy way: I just snip a few male flowers, dropped into a ziplock bag ... then, when the flowers open, I slip the whole baggie over a lower branch ... shake the bag a bit, remove it a few hours later ... also, if your pollen ever 'gets away from you' :wtf:, you 'MAY' be able to save some of the plants from over-pollinating, by liberally misting with water ... water ruins the pollen ... I saved a large outdoor plant from further pollination, (by an unknown male, only a couple feet away), by misting down the male, before moving it, and, then the female ... we got lucky, and only a handful of seeds developed ... :jointsmile:

[CAPnnCRUNCH]

so if you put both a female plant and a male plant (same age) into flowering and put a fan blowing from the male to the female would that work too? i just want to do the easiest thing so i don't ef up.

[sarah louise]

I agree, although I personally use Q-Tips with most of the fuzzy stuff removed.

I use a fine, water colour brush (rigger no2) and pollinate clones, rather than plants destined for harvest. That way there is no hassling about having buds and seed mature at the same time.

I aim to give the clones 6 weeks after pollinating to ensure viable seed and leave the seed for 8 weeks before testing germination.