Newbie to Boards, outdoor pollination question

[Kitchen Weasel]

Hoping for some great advice! I haven't found this question answered on the boards.

This is my second outdoor (balcony, well screened) grow in containers from seed -- two years ago it went so well with five females I didn't need to grow again last summer. Good thing because there was NO sun last year! I am lucky this year with six strong females and one male. This time I kept the male because I want him to pollinate one of the girls, I like this strain and want seeds. I moved him to another balcony way on the other side of the house as soon as I found his gender. The girls are just starting to set their bud sites, the boy has a few blossoms, not yet burst and signs of many to come. I'm hoping that by moving one female to his balcony they can have a wild romance. All the on-purpose pollination info here talks about collecting pollen and brushing it on a few branches. I'd like nature to do the hard work for me, even though I know the female will be less productive once pollinated.

So, the question: will this work? There is a prevailing wind, so I'd put the girl close and downwind of the male. When do I do this? Will the female be mature enough, even though the buds are very small? Should I wait or do it right now? How long should I leave them together? Do they need soft music and low lights? Barry White? :-)

Thanks to all the good help I've found so far here.

Kitchen Weasel Reviewed by Kitchen Weasel on 07-30-2011. Newbie to Boards, outdoor pollination question Hoping for some great advice! I haven't found this question answered on the boards. This is my second outdoor (balcony, well screened) grow in containers from seed -- two years ago it went so well with five females I didn't need to grow again last summer. Good thing because there was NO sun last year! I am lucky this year with six strong females and one male. This time I kept the male because I want him to pollinate one of the girls, I like this strain and want seeds. I moved him to Rating: 5

[the86thcreator]

Some plants need help from the bees and others depend soley on the wind. Grass is the latter of the two and for this reason has gotten very good at pollinating plants even far enough away that you would have your doubts, in fact miles away at times. When every year for 5 years my plants become less and less potent I had two theories, 1) adapting to a cooler climate reduced potency(as it has been shown to do) or 2) that there were males of the hempy variety in the vicinity(the one I was more inclined to believe). I was more inclined to believe the latter because a) I took very close care to remove any males and still had seeds and b) every year the plants got taller and taller and the leaves became more and more sativa in appearance. Point being I would be suprised if simply being on the other side of the house stopped the gratuitous love affair about to ensue. Do yourself a favor and bring the male inside with a plate to catch the pollen then do a little painting. And the female will be plenty ready to be pollenated, though if you want more seeds just keep the pollen you collect in a paper bag in the fridge for a week or two, then pollinate when the buds have grown a bit(allowing an hour for the pollen to come to room temperature). Also, after collecting pollen change your clothes before seeing the females. Peace

[drudown11]

If you want nature to do its thing, take the male and the female you plan on breeding and seperate them from the other plants. Personally, i top the males just to control the stretch(just like females they will double to triple in size during flowering). Pollen sacks are going to pop up at every node and growing tip, and all you need is a little.

The Females take a couple of weeks to get prepared, but they will be ready for pollen about 2-3 weeks into flowering. The white hairs that pop out of each calyx, and it is their sole purpse to catch pollen and transport it into the middle of the seed bract. Its takes a few weeks of solid flowering before the hairs really start to pop up.

The male will also take a good 2-3 weeks to grow big clusters of pollen sacks. Once ready, the pollen sacks will split open and start shedding pollen. Like 86thcreator says in the above post, marijuana is a wind pollinated crop. Just placing the male next to the female will be more than enough. If your really worried, wait until the male really starts excreting pollen and shake it on the female. Youll know once pollination occurs, the white hairs turn brown/or orange and die off.

Seeds needs 4 weeks or longer after pollination to mature. Harvest the plant when the seeds are brown, spotted, and splitting out of each calyx. You will then have hundreds of seeds and have genetic stocks for years to come:thumbsup: You will also be able to grow out the seeds and find all the phenotypes that you never had with the original plant. The offspring will vary, and you might just find a hidden gem in those seeds.

[Purple Daddy]

If you don't want to risk pollinating the entire plant and possibly the pollen getting free and pollinating the others you can keep the male isolated until the pods start to open to release the pollen, cut a number of male flower clusters and put them in a paper bag, shake it up pretty good, place the bag around a few branches and shake it a few times a day, let the pollen settle on the flowers for about a day and move the bag to another branch, then mark the branches with a twist tie or something.

OR you can just make some clones, the genetics will be identical, breeding the plant may change it's genetic design and the smoke may be better or worse.

[Kitchen Weasel]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Sounds like I have a few weeks before the kids are ready, and in any case I will practice preventative measures (wash hands, change clothes) before the big date. I keep a close eye on those unburst pods, and I definitely DON'T want all my girls to show up in a family way. I'd like to think my girls aren't that easy, and wouldn't steal their sister's guy, but what can you do with kids today ... :-) So I will pluck the pods the instant they have burst and try the bag method on the lower branches of the lucky girl (she's the short bushy one -- I like her growth pattern). Then I'm afraid the male will have outlived his usefulness! As much as I wanted them to have a traditional honeymoon, I can see the risks.

If I think of it, I'll post results.

Do bees ever pollinate cannabis? Yesterday I was tending to the girls and saw a bee on one of the emerging buds. It was immobile but alive, and wouldn't leave the bud until I shook the branch. It fell to the ground and flew away clumsily. I suspect that was one very stoned bee! Would love to hear the conversation back at the hive.

[Kitchen Weasel]

Status report, just for the record: The male only developed small pod clusters on a couple of branches with no signs of any more, so three days ago I went ahead and put the selected female next to him and downwind on his balcony, shook him vigorously, and left them to the breeze. Every day (before my shower) I turned and jiggled him and turned the female slightly. I'm giving them a few more days together and then will dispose of the male (sorry, guy). Would rather do this early and limit the amount of pollen released for the sake of the rest of my grow or anyone else's nearby.

Question #1: Should I / can I save the few pollen pods in case it doesn't take? How?
Question #2: Should I keep the pollinated female separate or can she return to the harem (also outdoors)? Maybe after a good wash from the hose?

I <3 botany!

Comments, answers? Thanks.

[Kitchen Weasel]

OR you can just make some clones, the genetics will be identical, breeding the plant may change it's genetic design and the smoke may be better or worse.[/QUOTE]

Cloning is a different topic, but I have tried cloning twice and failed -- no roots ever developed despite rooting hormones, and I was careful to include nodes. Maybe next grow, this is just my second time. I rather like the unexpected surprises of seeds. Not a professional attitude, I'm sure, but this is just for me.