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Post by labine on Jan 17, 2010 22:34:10 GMT -5
today i was able to harvest some pollen from my Heliamphora but both flowers opened at the same time . I wish to store it for next time. if i put in the fridge , will it survive longer?or how should i store it?
thanks
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Post by Syble on Jan 17, 2010 23:45:18 GMT -5
storing it in the fridge will prolong it, but how long are you looking to keep it? Sib
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Post by blokeman on Jan 18, 2010 0:44:05 GMT -5
Until my H. minor's flower opens sweet, what did you do, rip em off an open them? or did the tuning fork finally work!
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Post by briar on Jan 18, 2010 13:28:51 GMT -5
(what little I know from researching the subject) Binucleate pollen can successfully be stored cold and dry for years. Some recommend storing it in the freezer with some desiccant. But one school of thought says if the moisture is excessively low then viability drops off. So store in freezer without the desiccant. A 35mm film can is commonly cited as a storage container (pollen folded up in some paper simular to seed). When removing from the freezer do not open for quite a while to prevent condensation from forming on the pollen. Moisture is probably your worst enemy.. the respiration rate of the pollen increases with moisture and hence life of the pollen decreases dramatically. If you do use the desiccant, after opening the film canister allow the moisute level of the pollen to balance out with ambient conditions before application. Some say to leave it in a cool, dry place for a few days... then freeze. There is a method to check viability via tube growth, it involves using boric acid and sucrose, seems rather easy but Ive yet to try it. www.practicalbiology.org/areas/advanced/cells-to-systems/reproductive-systems/observing-the-growth-of-pollen-tubes,127,EXP.html good question HTH's Briar
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Post by labine on Jan 19, 2010 23:42:53 GMT -5
i stored it in the freezer . thanks for the tip Briar blokeman, tell me when h.minor flower opens
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