Would you buy plant pollen? -- tips for drying , packing orders seasonality of pollen

General Fruit Growing
#1

Hi I am curious if someone offered different cultivars of pollen would you Buy?

What if one had a thousand orders or more
How can that be set up so it is sent to a fax machine, and prints all the shipping details ?

what is the best way to dry ?
is it good enough just swabbing with q tips , and leaving in paper bag ?

(Loquat pollen said dry to 10 % moisture , and freeze in liquid nitrogen )
not sure of using that any experience (it is for long term )

I see all the time people are interested in certain traits , but graft the tree wait a few years then cross pollenate wouldn’t it be better if people set up a pollen exchange ?

maybe some growers here , and forgers have a bad pawpaw patch in there woods , and wouldn’t mind having pollen to see what the next Generation brings from these species
or maybe someone would like pollen like winter delight pawpaw it fruits in winter, but is small, but could extend growing seasons instead of having to grow it, and breed it when they wait for it to flower wouldn’t it be more practical just to buy the pollen save space, and get a head start.

Not good for me to fly 1000 miles to get pollen but I do not see it offered .
(I do take a vacation so not just flying for pollen,
but would be easier not having to worry about it (the drying I like forging)

#2

Here is @skillcult pollen

I am glad to see someone offer some
I have been wondering this for years

(while on topic )yeah I know of experiment seed network I think I may join that as well.
https://www.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/

Oh yeah I would also like quick flowering annuals for decoration,
and vegetables as well as wild stuff . (mayapple )

(Arboretums like the Morton arboretum has species from all over the world
I am not really motivated to store any away I am not interested unless others show interests
(In what they may want)
they have some ornamental pines (wild) apple from all over ,
and I even have a pea size berry (apple family) that taste like rose hips. (I have a few seeds too.)

#3

I have harvested pollen from early blooming apples for hand pollination of later blooming ones. At this point I’ve not really considered selling any…although I’ve collected over 130 varieties…most have not yet fruited.

As you mention, SkillCult has some good videos. (But, even he is careful not to boast about the pollen being viable after it’s been stored–so time’ll tell.)

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#4

with grapes I see if you chop the flowers by heavy pruning the vines
you can make it flower later . (city cut Neighbors concord)

Some of these wild species we also need to save
A wild concord type grape (Vitis labrusca) flowered later, but produced fruit sooner
could of been good for more northern growers the neighbors chopped it though.
(I could go on, and on keeps happening. )

Do you just collect in a envelope ?
does a cotton swab work?

I know all you need is one microscopic pollen grain
Some people diluted the pollen with flour since you only need one pollen grain.

USDA offers pollen, but cannot remember the link
Also Geneva NY grape research, but I heard sometimes the pollen is not the best
(it was years ago, things may have changed )

#5

So far, I’ve snipped anthers…and put them in a small freezer baggie.
Cotton or a small brush … or maybe someone else has a better idea for getting the pollen onto the receptive female parts.

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#6

Thank you if it works it works

have you used silica to dry flowers (or pollen I mean)
Very cheap for a large container of it

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#7

I’ve not tried preserving a bouquet…no. Good effort if those are your roses, though!

#8

I would. A lot of people on this forum have talked about their fruit breeding projects. I think having a site that sells pollen would be a great way to tap into the diversity of a fruit someone was interested in working with, but without having to commit the time/space to having that particular variety in your orchard.

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#9

Anyone can be a plant breeder if the plant is a female (edit dioecious one sex)
If the Plant is female, and not male and female all the offspring will be crossbreds
(so you do not have to emasculate the male flowers with tweezers
so they do not cross with themselves )

Breeding some plants you need NO LAND can grow in wild Pawpaw persimmon, grape, osage orange, watermelon
and if afraid of some one cutting it could gather scions to graft (or share ) which is better since it speeds up the results of your crosses.

About the Female crosses being all new cross breeds
(or hybrids if yuor crossing different genera which also cross by bee’s/bugs as well as wind.)

I like How the late Lon J. Rombough of bunchgrapes put it

http://www.bunchgrapes.com/blog.html

I quote

For Grape Breeders

If you have read my book, The Grape Grower, you know I have a soft spot for breeding new grapes, to the extent of having a chapter on how to do it yourself. In connection with that, I’m going to offer something to anyone who wants to try a super-easy way to breed new grapes.

In my material I have collected a number of good female vines. That is, while most grapes have perfect flowers and are self-pollinating, there are grapes with flowers that have only functional female parts.
The anthers are there, but they curve down under the flower and don’t produce viable pollen. This is actually the normal condition in wild species of grapes, vines are either male or female, but not perfect flowered.

Anyway, if growers were to plant a few of these female vines among their other grapes, all the seed from those females would be a result of pollination by whatever other vines were around. That means no hand work would be needed to cross the two varieties. Just collect the fruit of the female vines and save the seed. All the seedlings would be the result of a cross between the female and the other varieties planted near it. This is known as open pollination.

The grower then has the option of planting the seed himself, or leaving it for the birds to eat the fruit and spread seedlings around.

In grape breeding, the more seedlings that are grown, the greater the chance is that one of them will have an outstanding combination of traits from both parents. Find a really good one and you can propagate it from cuttings and name it as a new variety.

If this appeals to you, order “Breeders Special” from my website. No extra charge. I’ll pick out a variety that should give you a chance at breeding something interesting. And as a bonus, most of the female varieties do have very good fruit, they just have to have something else blooming at the same time to pollinate them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
**Oh thanks for posting **
I meant also to buy pollen, since I am asking to buy some
**but also would not mind sharing for free just asking for opinions **
and if I got like 100 requests then I may ask for some money for my time.

#10

Blueberry the little packages that come with shoes
those are The silica gel I showed with those flowers.

you can buy in stores (different to use for food grade)
Some stores you can see large packs on floor (by shipping disposed of.)
They look like over sized tea bags

You can also use tea bags to put granular silica gel to keep it away from product.
(I am guessing sock with twisty bread tie would work.)

Some silica get that has been spent and is full of moisture (changed from blue to pink)
can be baked in oven (I see no interest so stop there ) 300 F for 3 hours in vented oven.
(I am no expert evry products different but am shopping around --I always used little packs or free)

#11

http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/apple85.html

image

Pollen for flowers showing how to breed.

I saw some interesting apples IN UK ,
( leicestershire heritage apple project) 12 years old ,
and a 100 apples at least one newly discovered.

**and noticed they had a Nice page about collecting pollen **
(First LINK )

They say a lot of there apples are not in the Apple collection
(repository apple collection maybe I clicked off to copy/ paste (may correct later )

( I wrote it this way, because a bit of browsing around (there links redirect you)

http://www.heritageorchard.co.uk/

(in the orchard Mother page ) https://www.intheorchard.org.uk/
(prices actually low for classes Cost ÂŁ35 & e20 could meet great people )

I like what Shakespeare said about Medlar Reminds me of that
I Like how people in The UK use fruit if not eating out of hand use it more culinary
(but that’s more Common in the south of the USA Generally )

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#12

Oh I was wondering if any use for that used silica gel cat liter a while back
(clay outdoors or it had toxins from additives ,
and not good to dump in nature like under ornamentals like Horse chestnut tree )
\

I will; report back if silica cat litter dries plant matter fast (maybe normal zeolite would)
(I may dry whole flower since some breeders put flour in it to extend the pollen and you only need one grain of pollen per flower so will try to dry ,
and I will report back may try citrus peal for a experimentation tonight )

(note while if Important I will stick with the hair comb technique above in link to collect pollen
but will also see if anything can be used to make the process faster or wonder if anyone knows already (apple family or others)

Do you do this with comb Blueberry?
Do you just chop with scissors for your later apples with early pollen you saved?

#14

The Lemon Peal dried faster in open Air then sealed with silca cat litre

I didn’t think the silica cat liter will work probably low grade

Although I had it covered maybe open air would be better ,
but that is not how that works it’s supposed to absorb moisture even if sealed.

I should buy some soon

I know sometimes stores have Silica in large bean bag pouches
laying on the ground by shipping pallets that does work very good
(not food grade, but doesn’t matter for pollen. )

#15

just took a hour getting June berry pollen

I may trade or try a chock berry cross myself (but I have plenty )

about 100 years ago before tissue culture
June berry (A. anifolia) and Sorbus was crossed

A list of crosses here as well

Introduction
The Rosaceae subtribe Pyrinae (formerly subfamily Maloideae) includes an unusually large
number of intergeneric hybrids, some having natural origins and others resulting from
intentional cross pollinations. For example, hybrid clones with garden origins include
Ă—Sorbopyrus (Sorbus x Pyrus), which has been known since the early 1400s and
Ă—Crataemespilus (Crataegus x Mespilus) since the late 1800s. Much of the work on these
hybrids in the 20th century was by Ivan Michurin in the former Soviet Union.
There are several hybrid cultivars in Europe, Asia and North America used both on a home
and commercial scales for fruit production. This article aims to give an overview of these
interspecific hybrids, some of which have previously been assumed to belong to a single
species.

By the way the reference listed in the article to buy these species
I looked at some of those nurseries from over sea’s
Looks like you could buy Sorbus hybrid jam in Germany (or online )
the One in the US named forest farm in OR did not have any of these hybrids
(one green world has though)

#16

X Amelosorbus jackii
Amelanchier alnifolia x Sorbus sitchensis

Controlled crosses have been made of these species, although natural populations of
Ă—Amelasorbus are known from western North America.

I am not certain of the exact species I have pollen from
I will be too busy to identify for the time being

I found it is faster scaping the pollen with finger nail to get off the tiny flowers .

Speaking of Natural populations
our native medlar in Arkansas also crossed with a European pear
according to USDA web site articles (or Grin Publication )

#17

Is this mango under a month old flowering
these red branches now are a inch
The Kent mango came from Florida , and shipped from Peru.

A year before, as well as this year the pollen I got there in Florida (mulberry etc.)
didn’t go to good in Chicago

this year more my fault I need to be more organized.
I think I will bring multiple paper bags as well as desiccant (silicon gel found in shoe boxes)

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#18

Also I learned of the different names for pawpaw
Urodlin in Polish is pawpaw ,
and German pawpaw is Dreilappige Papau
(New Zealand is Asimoya (but known that for some time)

Of the pawpaw’s
I know the environmental conditions will change the genetics
sadly Paw paws are more commercialized in Italy , and Japan then here
it’s great we have the breeders ,
but also great the species can adapt to different countries climates ,
and change the profile even more (like wild Tomato from south America)

Why Am I bringing this up though

I am having plants go through stresses
I am trying to have them go through adaptions of my own

(the mango picture is not one of them just lucky I guess if it is flowering at a young age)

#19

Some people are against breeding plants
they get mixed up That it is a GMO

I am not for a GMO or that technology
A hybrid does not mean that it is a GMO, but I can understand peoples confusion
I re grew radish after saving seed,
and the root wasn’t even round it was a hybrid, and a woody tap root
(although I was also growing brown mustard greens so they may have crossed ,
but I think it may have been the seed companies selling unstable seeds ?
but this happens in nature as well species cross, sometimes by wind insects
animals cross too , and are sterile think donkey , and horse,
but speciation could occur ,
and a new species could be made as with time,
and some wild flowers species over lap habitats
sometimes a deletion of a gene makes the offspring fertile ,( and speciation occurs . )

Anyways

Think of this before the 1970 all strawberries ripened around the same time

All through breeding from different environmental conditions from Sub species.

Quoted from the bottom link

The researchers will also be looking for new sources of the day-neutral habit that keeps today’s cultivars bearing fruit in cycles throughout the growing season. Until the late 1970s, commercial plants fruited for only a few weeks each season. Then Royce Bringhurst of the University of California at Davis collected a subspecies of F. virginiana that blooms out of season in Utah’s Wasatch Range. Genes from that mountain clone revolutionized the industry.

https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/1999/sep/berry/

#20

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#21

got some cool oak pollens but not sure if I will use

Burr oak (grows in open area’s)
(and I think Shingle oak (see round leaves (IL. native)

Note sure if others up north have opened though
(some natural hybrids are in woods here of swamp oak already I’ve been told)

Still got some juneberry pollen
(a natural hybrid exist from over a 100 years ago with mountain ash out west (sorbus_)

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