I found several videos on YouTube describing the process of hand pollination of fig trees. This is getting me very interested in pollinating my DK and Granthams Royal trees.
Is anyone growing persistent caprifigs such as Saleeb?
Can pollen be stored in the freezer for many months like other species?
Would love to hear from folks with experience doing this.
100 years ago, researchers in California, Louisiana, and Georgia shipped pollen back and forth to each other in the mail.
I have many caprifigs here, a few of them persistent and a few more with parthenocarpic profichi.
Do you know if pollen can be stored in the fridge or frozen?
People report success with refrigeration in sealed ziplocs for several months. Moisture can be a problem with consumer freezers.
I have been thinking of doing it also to see how the fig changes. Richard, have you hand pollinate any figs?
Only certain fig varieties benefit from pollination. Many are no better pollinated than not. My experience is pollinated fruit is bigger and juicier but not sweeter.
Furthermore, those that have tried hand pollination have high incidence of spoiled figs. The same is true under natural conditions. I know a big collector near Oroville CA that took out several hundred varieties because they spoiled in his heat when pollinated. Another in an even hotter location, Palm Springs, without the wasp and zero spoilage.
Thank you for your response, fruitnut. I was not going to do it at a large scale. I was mainly going to do a couple on each of my trees that way the family can taste the difference. I just was curious if anyone on here had done it. So I can ask for recommendations. Thank you.