Are you looking for ways to save money and preserve your favorite cannabis genetics? Can You Save Pollen From Male Plants? Absolutely, you can! At savewhere.net, we’re dedicated to providing you with insightful tips and tricks on how to save money and get the most out of your resources, and saving pollen is a cost-effective method for preserving genetics. Discover how to collect, store, and use male plant pollen to create seeds. Learn how to save big with this small trick.
1. What is Cannabis Pollen and Why Save It?
Cannabis is a dioecious species, meaning it has both male and female plants. Pollen is produced by the male flowers found on male plants or hermaphrodite cannabis plants. It’s a fine, creamy white powder with a slight yellow hue.
Male Cannabis Plant Flowering and Making Pollen
In nature, cannabis pollen is carried by the wind. Seeds are formed when pollen transfers from a male stamen to a female pistil. Pistils are the small white hairs seen protruding from the buds, known as the calyx. Understanding this process is crucial for both avoiding unwanted pollination and intentionally creating seeds. Saving pollen is a great method to preserve cannabis genetics, reduce expenses, and manage resources more efficiently.
Is male pollen the same as hash pollen? No. Hash is typically made from compressed trichome material produced by mature female plants. Sometimes these cannabis trichomes are incorrectly called ‘pollen’ or hash pollen. Perhaps this mistake arose because finely sieved trichome material can have some superficial similarities to genuine pollen.
2. What Are The Pros and Cons of Collecting Cannabis Pollen?
Collecting cannabis pollen can be a game-changer if you want to preserve specific genetics without the ongoing costs of maintaining mother plants. However, it’s not without its challenges.
Male Cannabis Flowers Against a Blue Outdoor Sky
2.1. What Are The Pros of Collecting Cannabis Pollen?
- Genetic Preservation: You can pause breeding projects for years without losing genetic material.
- Cost-Effective: Maintaining mother plants requires space, electricity, and constant care. Pollen storage is much simpler and cheaper.
- Archiving: Create extensive archives of pollen from the best individual specimens, invaluable for professional cannabis seed producers.
2.2. What Are The Cons of Collecting Cannabis Pollen?
- Risk of Accidental Pollination: Cannabis pollen is extremely effective. A rogue male plant can pollinate all nearby females, converting precious buds into seeds.
- Requires Skill: Knowing when and how to collect and apply pollen takes experience.
- Contamination: Precautions must be taken to avoid unwanted pollination in a grow room dedicated to sinsemilla production.
For many home growers and licensed commercial growers, accidental pollination is a primary concern. Most growers prefer to concentrate on producing high-quality buds and are happy to leave cannabis seed & pollen production to the seed banks.
3. How and When Can You Collect Cannabis Pollen?
Collecting pollen requires timing and precision. Male plants start producing pollen around 2-4 weeks into their bloom cycle. The pollen sacs (stamens) look like miniature bunches of bananas.
.jpg)
3.1. What Are The Steps to Collect Cannabis Pollen?
- Monitor Male Flowers: Watch for the pollen sacs to mature and begin to open.
- Collect Pollen: Gently shake the pollen sacs over a clean, dry surface like a piece of glass or a paper bag.
- Dry Pollen: Allow the collected pollen to dry in a draft-free area for a few days.
- Sift Pollen: Use a small mesh screen to remove any plant material.
3.2. How To Use Cannabis Pollen To Save Money?
- Controlled Pollination: Use a small paintbrush to apply pollen precisely to select branches of female plants.
- Shielding: Protect other branches from exposure to the pollen using plastic bags.
- Stop Airflow: Turn off fans and any source of drafts during application to ensure precision.
Some old-school breeders enjoy blowing the pollen onto the female plants, though it should be noted that moisture (from exhaling) will inevitably inactivate some of the pollen.
4. How To Identify Male Cannabis Plant Pollen Sacs?
Identifying male pollen sacs early can prevent unwanted pollination. Check the nodes where branches meet the main stem for miniature balls.
Male Cannabis Plant Identification
4.1. What To Look For?
- Miniature Balls: These will open if left to mature.
- Banana-Shaped Stamens: Once open, pollen is shed from these small stamens.
- Color: Pollen tends to be cream or yellow and spreads easily in a breeze.
If you spot any male plants, they are usually removed and destroyed. Although it’s unusual to see a pure male cannabis plant produced from feminized seed or autoflower seeds it does occasionally happen.
More common are hermaphrodite plants which show both sexes. If rogue male flowers are spotted on a female plant the male flowers are often removed and disposed of immediately in a glass of water, the water inactivates the pollen preventing it from seeding your crop.
5. How To Properly Store Cannabis Pollen?
Proper storage is crucial to maintaining the viability of your cannabis pollen.
5.1. What Are The Best Practices for Storing Pollen?
- Drying: Remove the part of the plant with male flowers and place them in a paper bag. Allow them to dry for a few days in a draft-free area.
- Collection: Shake the dry pollen from the male flowers.
- Sifting: Sift the pollen through a small mesh screen to remove any plant material.
- Storage: Store the pollen in a dry, sealed, and light-proof container.
5.1.1. Pro Tip:
When you need to use some cannabis pollen you may prefer to take a small sample out of your main stash and allow it to defrost for a minute or two before using it, rather than repeatedly defrosting and re-freezing the main cannabis pollen bottle, risking moisture ingress. When carefully looked after, dry/frozen pollen will remain viable for a couple of years. Drying removes the moisture without de-activating the pollen. It’s important to dry the pollen before freezing since this prevents ice crystals forming in the pollen bottle during freezing. You may have noticed that food items that are frozen are often coated with ice crystals formed from their own frozen, desiccated moisture.
By drying pollen for a few days on the plant before collecting it you remove water, preventing future ice crystals forming in the pollen bottle in the freezer. This is important, since any ice in your pollen bottle ice will melt, spoiling the precious cannabis pollen.
5.2. How Long Does Cannabis Pollen Last?
Once dried, pollen can last for a few years in the freezer. Keep it cool, dry, and dark for maximum longevity. Avoid opening the container unless necessary. As the pollen nears the end of its useful life, it will start to become more clumpy and not as easy to apply as before.
6. Is It Safe to Dilute Cannabis Pollen With Finely Ground Flour?
Some breeders dilute their cannabis pollen with a mix of 1 part pollen to 4 parts flour. The finely ground flour provides a dry, harmless diluting effect. This can be especially useful for less experienced breeders who haven’t fully mastered using small quantities of cannabis pollen efficiently.
6.1. What Are The Benefits of Diluting Pollen?
- Easier Application: Makes it simpler to apply pollen evenly.
- Cost Savings: Extends the use of a small pollen supply.
- Reduced Risk of Over-Pollination: Helps prevent applying too much pollen to a female plant.
Diluting 1-part of cannabis pollen with 4 parts of dry finely ground powder may not appeal to the old-school purist breeder, but for less experienced cannabis breeders it remains an option.
7. What Can You Do With Your Fresh Stash of Pollen?
Once you have your stash of pollen, several options are available.
Capture and Apply Cannabis Pollen
7.1. What Are The Uses of Cannabis Pollen?
- Seed Production: Use it to produce your own cannabis seeds from favorite genetics.
- Sales: Sell the pollen to interested buyers, often online within a growing community.
Producing and collecting cannabis pollen is relatively easy. That said, it tends to be a minority of growers that produce and use it. For most growers, cannabis pollen is avoided like the plague – their only important goal being to produce sinsemilla (non-seeded cannabis buds).
7.2. Can You Pollinate Autoflower Strains?
Yes, you can! Use cannabis pollen to produce photoperiod feminized cannabis seeds, and autoflower seeds.
7.2.1. How To Pollinate Autoflower Strains?
- Collect Pollen: Take cannabis pollen from a male autoflower plant.
- Dust Female: Apply it to a female autoflower when she is around 3-4 weeks into bloom.
- Monitor: After pollination, female plants will often show brown pistils emerging from the calyx rather than the more typical white hairs.
- Harvest: Wait until the normal harvest time and dry the plant to easily remove the cannabis seeds from the plant material.
8. What Is Female Cannabis Pollen and How Was It First Made?
In the 1990s, Henk van Dalen, the founder of Dutch Passion, announced the creation of cannabis pollen that would produce seeds that only grew into female cannabis plants. The world’s first feminized cannabis seeds had been invented.
8.1. What Are The Advantages of Feminized Seeds?
- Efficiency: Eliminates the need to identify and remove male plants.
- Higher Yields: Allows for more efficient use of grow space and resources.
- Convenience: Simplifies the growing process for both home and commercial growers.
This feminized-seed producing pollen became known as female cannabis pollen. Today it is the most common form of cannabis pollen used in cannabis seed production.
Until that point only regular cannabis seeds existed – giving rise to roughly equal numbers of male and females. This was inconvenient, required bigger grow rooms and more energy to run.
Henk’s creation of female cannabis pollen changed cannabis seed production forever and put Dutch Passion firmly on the map. Some growers initially thought that Dutch Passion’s claim of feminized cannabis seeds was a hoax.
9. How Was The First Female Cannabis Pollen Created?
Henk van Dalen trained as a Biologist at University and knew how important feminized seeds were in general agriculture. What if feminized cannabis seeds could be produced?
Henk did some experiments, growing cannabis plants from regular seed – the only type available in those days. Rather than harvesting the female plants at the normal time Henk kept them going for a few weeks longer, to see what happened. He noticed that some of the female plants produced male flowers. This was the source of the first female cannabis pollen.
9.1. What Was The Breakthrough In Feminized Seeds?
The breakthrough was observing that some female plants, when stressed, could produce male flowers. This allowed for the collection of pollen that only carried female chromosomes.
10. Final Thoughts On Cannabis Pollen
Most growers have relatively little interest in cannabis pollen, their main concern is to avoid pollen at all costs and to focus on growing only the female plants for their un-seeded buds. Cannabis seed producers, on the other hand, have a huge interest in pollen.
Touching Cannabis Pollen
Their business depends on it. But some home growers are also passionate about preserving the best cannabis genetics. For them, storing cannabis pollen in the freezer may be a more convenient option than trying to preserve a room full of cuttings.
10.1. Where Can You Learn More About Saving Money on Cannabis Growing?
Visit savewhere.net for more tips, tricks, and resources on managing your finances and making the most of your resources. From learning how to grow your own cannabis to discovering creative ways to save money on everyday expenses, savewhere.net is your go-to source for financial empowerment.
FAQ: Saving Pollen From Male Plants
1. What is cannabis pollen?
Cannabis pollen is a fine, creamy white to yellow powder produced by male cannabis plants, used for fertilizing female plants to produce seeds.
2. Why should I save pollen from male cannabis plants?
Saving pollen allows you to preserve valuable genetics, breed new strains, and create your own seeds, saving you money and providing control over your cannabis cultivation.
3. How do I collect pollen from male cannabis plants?
Collect pollen by gently shaking the male flowers over a clean surface like a paper bag, then dry and sift it to remove plant material.
4. What is the best way to store cannabis pollen?
Store dried pollen in a sealed, light-proof container in the freezer to maintain its viability for several years.
5. Can I use pollen from male plants to pollinate female autoflower plants?
Yes, you can use pollen from male autoflower plants to pollinate female autoflowers to produce autoflower seeds.
6. Is it safe to dilute cannabis pollen with flour?
Yes, diluting pollen with finely ground flour can make it easier to apply evenly, especially for less experienced breeders.
7. How long does cannabis pollen last when stored properly?
Cannabis pollen can last for a few years when dried and stored in a sealed container in the freezer.
8. What are the risks of collecting and using cannabis pollen?
The main risk is accidental pollination of female plants, which can reduce the quality of your buds if you are not careful.
9. What is female cannabis pollen?
Female cannabis pollen is pollen that has been treated to produce seeds that only grow into female cannabis plants, eliminating the need to identify and remove males.
10. Where can I find more tips on saving money on cannabis growing and financial management?
Visit savewhere.net for a variety of tips, tricks, and resources to help you manage your finances and make the most of your resources.
Address: 100 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States.
Phone: +1 (404) 656-2000.
Website: savewhere.net.
Ready to take control of your cannabis cultivation and save money in the process? Visit savewhere.net today to discover more tips, tricks, and resources. Find out how to collect, store, and use male plant pollen to create your own seeds and preserve your favorite genetics. Join our community of savvy growers and start saving today!
