New Seeders Unite!

[1stCrop]

So with this whole HS thing in the rearview I came to a realization, I needs seeds for life. I know I'm not the only first time seeder who is looking at there males a little bit diffrently.
I'm just a bit worried doing this for the first time, and there are some questions. Maby I can get some answers from the seasoned seeders or dare I say breeders.

This one has been bugging me for a bit, I know the best time to let the plants get there groove on is a few weeks into flower but, I have some males that are looking like there swelling in anticapitation but none of them will see 12/12 for a month.
My goal was to mix all the male pollen and hit all the females with it. Should I take these earley males in the other room and try to store there pollen for a month? Or should I just cull them?
These earley males are throwing me for a loop, I want all the pollen but dont want to lose the entire crop to seed, all while still on a 18/6 schedule.
Any other newbie pollen chuckers with there first hand in the pot.

Later

[LateShaftNBaggins]

I am not in a place where I can grow because I am moving soon, but as soon as I do I will be trying the same thing for my first time. Ill be watching, good luck.
LSnB

[Bogey]

1st .....My suggestion is throw the males in a seperate room put em into 12/12 and collect the pollen and store for a month......this way you don't take a chance on seeding everything and properly stored pollen will last a long time.......Good luck.....

[Bogey]

1st...Also with stored pollen you can selectively seed only a few branches on each plant if you don't want or need 1000s of seeds........

[CottonBalls]

Lop off the upper foot or so of the males, leave only 3-4 nodes on the plant.
It'll be fine.
Leave it exactly where it is.

If required, repeate above steps untill females are ready.

[Outlaw Grower]

if they're growing a cola of balls n not jus a coule of pre flower then they are auto flowering kinda and are useless.. i also remember reading something somewhere by a known breeder that says you should always get rid of the earliest flowering males as they are not usually anygood for breeding

[mre420]

Assuming you have a regular male, Cottonballs suggestion sounds good. Or storing would likely be best, as you'll likely be doing a controlled pollination anyway, and collecting the pollen now before there are all sorts of pistils hangin around might cut down the risk of excess pollination. Though then there's the risk of ending up w/ non-viable pollen and no beans.

Trick to storing is to dry the pollen right away, then move to cold storage. Don't freeze before very dry. Not really sure how long refridgeration holds pollen - heard different reports. (This comes from reading, not direct experience - chopped my males in past). Most pollen collection techniques you'll find are very basic.

BTW - anyone know the density of cannabis pollen??
Can't find this anywhere. Guess it could be backed out using the Navier Stokes equations given that it's diameter is 50 microns and it falls in still air at a rate of 2 cm/s. Or, if someone knows the mass of an average cannabis pollen grain that would be fine.

...hemp (Cannabis), produces as many as 70,000 pollen grains per anther...

[mre420]

Note: diameter is less than 50 microns. The mean diameter may be less than 50, a few pollen snaps show some 25micron or so grains.

This from "Physical evidence for the antiquity of Cannabis sativa L."; Michael P. Fleming and Robert C. Clarke
--
The pollen grains of the family have been sketched and described by several authors (Walker 1955, Godwin 1967a, French and Moore 1986, Whittington and Gordon 1987, Whittington and Edwards 1989). Cannabaceae pollen consists of trizonoporate grains typically less than 50 microns in diameter. The pore complex is generally not greater than 3-4 microns in diameter.
French and Moore (1986) described Cannabaceae pollen in detail, noting that,

"...at the break of the slope the sexine and nexine separate as if to form a vestibulum. The nexine continues to follow the circumference of the grain for approximately 0.5 microns. In some grains it is seen to taper out, whilst in many grains it is not discernible. The tectum rises away from the nexine to form the pore annulus before steeply penetrating below the level of the endexine. The diameter of the pore cavity is 1.0 to 1.5 microns and is often slightly larger at the base. Underneath the annulus is a void, sometimes referred to as 'the hollow internal annulus.' Away from the pore the exine is thin."

[Flowerman]

If you pollinate the females early, like right around the 3rd (give or take a week depending on strain) week of flowering. You'll get enough seeds, but will still get enough bud, as the seeds will form at the nodes, and deep within the buds. You will have to look out for mold as a precaution to the seeds being deep within, but it's hardly ever a problem. Like I said, you get plenty of seeds to use for later purposes, and still get alot of nice dank bud. I find it to be the best compromise.;)

[Flowerman]

I've stored pollen in black film canisters, mixed with flour, and added some rice, sealed and put into the freezer. If I recall right (as it was several years back), I used it like 3 months later, and had great success. But there's more than one way. But that was my longest storing it and then using it.

[1stCrop]

What up everyone??
I did it, collected, stored, and chucked some pollen.
It was easy, The seeds didnt fill the buds and, for the most part, they were only where I wanted them. I thought once the pollen was introduced the bud stopped growing and it focused on the seeds. Thats why I was so worried about not getting any stray pollen, Now I see the buds still grow around the knocked up pistals.
I have a couple hundred seeds now so thats cool.
Thanks for all the support to everyone.
I dont think that I will ever look at males as just trash again.
Now who wants to break up my weed for me?

Now that I'm a BREEDER isn't there some kind of auction that will let me profit from the seeds??

^^^joke^^^

later man

[LadyTokin]

Wow, great thread. You guys make it sound so easy. One day, maybe next summer *shrug*, I will learn to do this. I never thought a couple of years ago when some of you were teaching me, that I would ever even consider males and seeding/breeding...whatever. Now that everything has changed *sigh* well, let's just say independence is of the utmost importance right now. Besides, then I could share and pay it forward :)