At 01:04 PM 8/28/2008, Tim Perry;811782 Wrote:
Hi All, can anyone advise me on the best way to store pollen for up to 1
year, and keep it viable. Please.

Hum, 46 readers - 0 replies. Oh, come on, we don't mind if your
spelling is
not too good. It's ideas I seek, so don't be shy, someone out there
must have
some knowledge on this subject, Pretty Please.

My only experience is with storing cattail pollen for making pancakes. I
sift it to get rid of the bugs and then wrap it in wax paper (used to use
wax paper bags, but no one carries them anymore.) Then I put the wax paper
packet in a plastic ziplock baggie and put the packet in the
freezer. Keeps well for food; viability is not an issue.

My instincts suggest keeping pollen coolish rather than warm, and low
moisture rather than very damp. Viability of stored pollen and ideal
storage conditions may vary from one species to another depending on the
native climate of the plant.

Try different storage methods and see what works best. Then post your
results. )

Best of luck,
Luna in PA, USA

Thanks Luna, I never knew you could eat it, but I suppose common sense
should tell us that it has a fair bit of protein. Well, you learn something
new every day !

I need to save pollen from Eriobotrya japonica that flowers here in the Autumn/Winter, and keep it viable so that I can try to fertilize another plant
of the same genus that blooms in June/July. O.K., it's just a little experiment,
and only for the fun of it, but I would hope to give myself the best possible chance of success. I just want to see what kind of seedlings might result from the cross.

If it works I will certainly post a report.

In article ,

I need to save pollen from Eriobotrya japonica that flowers here in the
Autumn/Winter, and keep it viable so that I can try to fertilize another
plant
of the same genus that blooms in June/July. O.K., it's just a little
experiment,
and only for the fun of it, but I would hope to give myself the best
possible chance of success. I just want to see what kind of seedlings
might result from the cross.

Try as many different methods as you can find, and see which if any
work. Try both frozen and refrigerated, dry and humid, in air or
(if you can obtain some) nitrogen. You could even try a high CO2
atmosphere by the kitchen method of piping CO2 from a fermentation
into the container before sealing it.

You could also try refrigerating some cuttings of the fall-blooming
plant in hopes of forcing bloom at a time nearer that of the summer-
blooming plant, or vice versa.

If it works I will certainly post a report.

It will be interesting to see when the hybrids bloom, should you
manage to obtain any. If you haven't raised the parental species
from seed before, you might try that so you'll have better ideas
about germinating the hybrids. Seeds of woody plants often need
some manipulation to get them to germinate.

Sounds like an interesting and fun project. Good luck!

Thanks, unfortunately I have just the normal deep freeze. I only wished
I had access to a laboratory, still, we can all dream.

I had not thought of freezing cuttings, although the plants are supposed to be hardy down to -15 C. I had wondered if grafting onto a different rootstock might cause a shift in the blooming time, or perhaps I could try a combination of the 2 options. I am unsure what species would provide good root stocks.

I am growing some Loquats from seed, 10 seed produced 3 plants, and so far I have discovered that the seed must be planted as soon as possible after extraction from the fruit, viability drops off very steeply in storage. Also I
found that the moisture level is fairly crucial, too much either way meets with failure. I understand the plants are only partially self-fertile, so 1 plant on its own may never fruit, which causes many gardeners to give up.

In article ,
Tim Perry wrote:

;813239 Wrote:

You could also try refrigerating some cuttings of the fall-blooming
plant in hopes of forcing bloom at a time nearer that of the summer-
blooming plant, or vice versa.

It will be interesting to see when the hybrids bloom, should you
manage to obtain any. If you haven't raised the parental species
from seed before, you might try that so you'll have better ideas
about germinating the hybrids. Seeds of woody plants often need
some manipulation to get them to germinate.

Sounds like an interesting and fun project. Good luck!

Thanks, unfortunately I have just the normal deep freeze. I only
wished
I had access to a laboratory, still, we can all dream.

I had not thought of freezing cuttings, although the plants are
supposed to be hardy down to -15 C.

You'd be risking it in a deep freeze, which is supposed to be kept
at about -18C. A fridge freezer is usually not quite as cold, so
might be worth experimenting with. You'd have to use completely
dormant wood, since once dormancy breaks, cold resistance decreases
substantially. If neither plant forms its flower buds before
dormancy, it's probably not possible to get dormant cuttings to
bloom.

My thought was to make cuttings of the winter-blooming plant well
before bloom, refrigerate (not freeze) them, then force them like
people force forsythia and fruit blossoms, to obtain pollen at the
time the summer blooming species blooms. That's a long time to
keep the cuttings refrigerated, but it may be worth a stab. You
could try the reverse, too.

I had wondered if grafting onto a
different rootstock might cause a shift in the blooming time, or
perhaps I could try a combination of the 2 options. I am unsure what
species would provide good root stocks.

Depending on the size of the plant, you may be able to manipulate
bloom time by controlling day length. It's actually night length
that plants are sensitive to. It's easiest for a small potted plant
that you can move in and out of a dark container.

I am growing some Loquats from seed, 10 seed produced 3 plants, and so
far I have discovered that the seed must be planted as soon as possible
after extraction from the fruit, viability drops off very steeply in
storage. Also I
found that the moisture level is fairly crucial, too much either way
meets with failure. I understand the plants are only partially
self-fertile, so 1 plant on its own may never fruit, which causes many
gardeners to give up.

Loss of viability in dried seed is common in woody plants, so it's good
to find out that's the case in loquats. Does either species need a cool
moist period before it will germinate?

When there's only room for one tree of a non-self-fertile type, you
can graft wood from another variety onto it for pollination. Your
potential hybrid may or may not be pollinated by its siblings or either
or both parents. You might even get seedless fruit from some of these.

Have you tried growing medlars (Mespilus germanicus)? That's another
little grown pome fruit that should be hardy in Britain.

Here in Toronto, where I move my fig and bay trees into the cellar for
the winter, I can only appreciate your loquat experiments vicariously!

Thanks Beverley, I'll try to answer each point as best I can.

The Loquats bloom and set fruit in the autumn/winter, then go into
dormancy, so provided I catch them early enough I might delay blooming.

I had not realized the freezer was so cold until my wife showed me the
gauge reads -20 C. That would kill the cuttings, so the fridge it is.

I should be able to manage the day/night length side quite easily.

I understand that each recipient flower will have to be emasculated,
and protected within a small muslin bag to prevent pollination from
other sources.

I don't expect too many seed to be viable, if indeed I get any seed at all,
but I'll give it a try.

Clearly, this experiment will take some considerable length of time.