Colloidal silver to force a male- is this what is supposed to happen?

[User420111]

I tried colloidal silver once, I sprayed it from the time I started the 12/12 cycle to about 6 weeks into flower. Amazingly, the plant (feminized seed) never did anything. Never grew a single hair, never produced a single pollen sack. Nothing. I mean NOTHING. It just sat there doing that the entire time while all the other plants sexed out and produced bud. Eventually the leaves just curled up and got all weird looking like I had been spraying them with the stuff that the toxic avenger got dunked into.

Never read any sort of experience similar to that. So I'm skeptical ruining my plants and wasting so much money on CS again. But I know it works, I can see the results. I don't know, I got a mutant or something.

 

[SoOrbudgal]

Great job Ckbrew you sure nailed it

 

[VaF]

very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ace1973]

never had a problem with collodial silver, I have thousands of seeds from the process. Good work and what a wonderful pay off in the long run.

 

[VaF]

I have never planted an automatic... only regulars for 30 YEARS! even feminized ones it's not my Kiff! I find it very good and daring... but against the culture. An IBL is for me a beautiful strain... a plant crossed with chemicals, I don't use any. there is enough crap in fertilizers and other bullshit without adding unnecessary and toxic chemical transformations. But I recognize that you have to be motivated LOL! I would prefer to see a work from pure LANDRACES rather than cheap Chemistry... but you are right to try!!! I will not smoke your Weed!!! not even in dreams!!!
As a medical user, I ONLY use pure strains if I can... never chemical or automatic shit. Also out of respect for the former cultivators. I lived 4 years in Laos and planting there... I will never plant crap. Out of respect for these people with whom I learned... in the West or the USA it's Carnival in Rio!!! Lots of hybrids tampered with for nothing on arrival.

 

[Ckbrew]

The CS is only applied to the female plant for conversion to male to generate pollen. After the pollen is collected the male plant is incinerated or otherwise disposed of as the CS makes it toxic to use for any type of consumption (I have read). The pollen is then transferred to another female for seed production without transferring any kind of chemical contamination. This started as a project to attempt to save the genetics of a desired strain and the decision to try had to be made without knowing what the final product would be. But as fate would have it, the genetics were not pure. This was known last year, and the progeny of last year's wayward pollen are not showing the same characteristics as the mother. No way to tell for sure until the mother is harvested, but the aroma is way different. So this entire thing could turn out to be an academic learning experience. Now if I only could figure a way to save genetics from dried flowers...

 

[grouchyoldman]

With respect VaF, because you may know more than is apparent:

if you think you are buying anything remotely like "pure LANDRACES" from your local medical dispensary, or seed bank, you are deeply mistaken, and if your claim is that you have a personal seed bank of quintessential IBL genetics from Laos or wherever, then more power to you. But it must get boring growing the same thing over and over and over again...

It seems like you are missing out on some incredible advances in both cannabis breeding and cultivation. Nobody here "plants crap" and the "Chemistry" you disparage replicates the nutrients these plants require and receive naturally. Ckbrew explained how CS is used to encourage a female plant to produce natural and healthy pollen used for pollinizing a healthy female cannabis plant. That may be news to you but it is done every day in the Craft Cannabis growing community.

I admire your self-assurance but not your ignorance. Maybe you could lighten up a notch or two?

-Grouchy
PS, Sorry VaF, that sounded way to harsh when I read it back, I really try not to get Grouchy but sometimes the bear gets loose.

 

[Ckbrew]

Week 5 bloom, day 1

The forced male, many flowers were trimmed leaving the main center stalk and 2 side branches with balls, a few have opened, they appear empty...


Fitted with a plate to catch pollen, looks like one of those cones you put on an animal to keep them from getting at something.


closer


even closer


Then I decided that it would be easier with most of the excess leaves removed. I just hope there is something in there to use.

 

[SoOrbudgal]

Now that's a great way to collect pollen. I even do similar on the clones to help them stay up. Poke a hole in the plate cut it down to over the glass pop a clone threw it. Hope someone new sees this Ckbrew

 

[Ckbrew]

Week 5 bloom, day 5 RP-1 force male pollen maker

I never thought I would see the day when this was a good thing.Interesting plant. Usually these are disposed of.



I was waiting for pollen then doh't- using a white plate. I finally found a good use for junk mail.


Tomorrow, like rabbits I will bring the female to the male and use my paint brush to pollinate it's clone sister.

 

[Gingerbeard]

Hold on a second! It sounds like you have some amazing offers! You would be a fool to pass them up. A fool, I say!

 

[Ckbrew]

The best offer is tumbling down slope leaving that trail of powder, you could be right, this project could be a fool's errand. Waiting on harvest of the mother for the final verdict.

 

[Ckbrew]

Week 6 bloom, day 1 male
and
Week 4 bloom, day 1 female

I brought the female to the male, collected a bunch of pollen, and painted it on the pistils of the female plant. I will repeat this process in 3 days. After that, the male plant will be disposed of.

The two breeders sharing the nursery

A close up of a freshly pollinated flower. Doesn't look any different yet.

 

[Ace1973]

I pollinated every day for three days, your pistils will turn orange and curl in, you will have a five to six week wait for your seeds.

 

[Ckbrew]

Ty Ace1973 First time doing this, details sometimes make a difference.

 

[Ace1973]

not a problem Ckbrew been doing this for two years and you have done well for your first time, you will go crazy with breeding seeds, I have thousands from different plants, and this is better than keeping a mother plant.

 

[Ckbrew]

Week 6 bloom, day 3 male
and
Week 4 bloom, day 3 female


Back in the nursery, RP-1 female seed breeder, all alone. After 3 consecutive days of pollination the male was chopped. I saved 3 male colas in a paper grocery bag and will let it dry out, maybe save some pollen. I am pondering moving this plant back to the main grow area as the lights in the nursery are not adequate for a proper grow. I was wondering if in a few weeks I spray the plant down with water in the hope of killing any pollen that might be remaining on the plant to avoid cross contamination. Good idea or bad? What have other people done?


Close up of one of the flowers. Some of the pistils are getting thinner and slightly curved, almost like the plant stopped supplying water to them. Hard to tell in the pix. The sisters in the experimental grow do not have the same appearance, so I am guessing that this was a successful pollination.

 

[grouchyoldman]

Good job Ckbrew! I think you'll find your Lady to have been fully pollenated and a big pile of seeds await you.

Regarding a water spray before returning her to the rest of your plants, the general advice is YES! Spray her down really well, let her dry then do it again. Otherwise you are almost certain to have cross contamination. A friend with much more experience than I put it like this: "Treat live pollen as though it were weaponized ebola gas and you'll be in the ballpark!" BTW, if you are storing any extra pollen be sure to dry it really well, sieve out any plant material then put it in the freezer for storage. Should be good for at least a few months that way.

 

[Ckbrew]

Ty Grouchy. Is there any length of time to wait from pollination to water washing? Good thing I am using sterile technique with the pollen.

 

[Ckbrew]

Week 4 bloom, day 4 seed maker

If you zoom in you can see that many pistils are turning brown, they look bruised, and starting to curl and deflate like they would in a older flower. I guess this means that there is successful pollination.