CANNABIS POLLEN: HOW TO COLLECT, STORE AND USE IT?

Cannabis pollen can scare some growers. For most growers, the idea of growing a male plant and collecting its pollen is too risky. Although cannabis pollen is not suitable for consumption, it has its uses if you want to preserve genetics or breed your own varieties. Read more about hemp pollen, its uses, collection and storage.

What is hemp pollen?

Hemp pollen is essential for seed production. It is a powdery, typically yellowish dust produced by the male cannabis plants or the male flowers of seed-bearing hermaphrodite plants. The main purpose of the pollen is to fertilise other plants of the same species.

Do only male cannabis plants produce pollen?

Cannabis is a so-called dioecious plant and has either male or female reproductive organs. Pollen sacs only grow on male cannabis plants. Buds form on female cannabis plants. The male plant must pollinate the female plant to produce seeds. In this way, growers can create new genetics and new terpene profiles.

Cannabis pollen is usually difficult to harvest without accidentally contaminating the surrounding female plants. It is not desirable for the wind to carry these small particles to the female plants, as the female plants would then start producing seeds instead of green buds. It could also lead to hermaphrodite plants that produce poor quality buds and seeds. If possible, grow male and female plants in separate rooms. If you do not have enough space, make sure they are not placed in close proximity.

How is pollen transferred in cannabis plants?

If you grow your plants outdoors, pollen naturally spreads through the air and also through insects. When growing indoors, growers must purposefully collect pollen from the male plant and place it on the female reproductive parts to pollinate the female and produce seeds.

Pollination of female plants is very simple, just apply pollen to the buds, either by shaking the male plant and scattering pollen all over its surface or by carefully applying pollen to the buds with a brush.

Why use cannabis pollen?

There are many reasons why cannabis growers should collect pollen. The main reason is to try to breed new varieties from their own production. Pollen from a single male plant can be used to germinate any variety you grow, whereas with a mother plant you are tied to its genetics and have to collect pollen from several male plants.

If you want to breed your own varieties, harvesting your own pollen is cheaper, easier and much more fun than just buying it. By crossing two different varieties, growers can create different and unique colours, flavours and aromas. In addition, cannabis genetics are often sourced from outside companies such as seed banks. By saving seeds and pollen, growers are free from relying on external companies.

It's also a great way to preserve the genetics of a popular plant for future breeding. This gives cannabis growers around the world considerable flexibility to share their genetic material with each other. It can also help preserve the quality of different cannabis varieties throughout the growing cycles.

How to collect hemp pollen?

Male cannabis plants start producing pollen a few weeks after flowering begins. As soon as pollen sacs start to form on the male flowers, growers need to keep a close eye on this.

The pollen sacs then open and the pollen begins to spread into the air. If you are going to collect pollen for storage, you need to catch the pollen when these sacs first open. This is when the pollen is most viable. Remove the entire male flower, take it off the plant and keep it sealed in a container for a few days.

How to store cannabis pollen?

Place the flower clusters on a microsieve with wax or parchment paper underneath to absorb excess moisture. For longer-term storage, you can mix a little flour into the pollen. As moisture is very detrimental to the longevity of cannabis pollen, many growers mix it with flour to keep it dry for long-term storage, at a ratio of 4:1 (flour to pollen). Store in a cool place, such as the freezer, in a sealed bag.