Feminised Pollen Project

This is the other Barney's Red diesel plant I was supposed to be gifting to a friend However it turns out he can't have it now and since it's already been flipped to 12/12 ( his plan was to carry on flowering her in a grow tent and HID light ) Anyway this has offered me a great oppurtunity to try my hand at selfing which is a term used for the forcing of a female plant to produce pollen thru the use of a STS solution which is short for Silver thiosulphate solution . I found the following info online which explains the whole process better than I could . ITEMS YOU WILL NEED WHEN MAKING STS: Brown Glass Bottle and Sprayer Top (Pint) Trash Bag and Tape Digital or Other .xx Accurate Gram Scale Distilled or R/O Water (2)500ml Brown Glass Bottles 2 Glass Mixing Containers (I used Pyrex 2-cup measures) Dawn Ultra Dish Soap or other plain soap/surfactant (2)60cc Syringes Silver Nitrate Sodium Thiosulfate (Anhydrous or Pentahydrate) Painter's Mask Gloves Mixing the A and B "Stock" Solutions STS is stored as two solutions, A & B. When kept sealed, cool and without exposure to light, they are very stable. Separately, they can be stored for months without issue. Once mixed their life span is about 1 month, but only if kept cool, sealed and in the dark. ;) This mix is diluted with r/o water before spraying on plants. Stock Solution A Fill the pyrex 2-cup measure to the 500ml line with r/o water Measure .5 Grams of Silver Nitrate using the digital scale Slowly pour the silver nitrate crystals in to the 500ml of r/o water while stirring Stir until dissolved (15 seconds) Pour the solution in to the 500ml brown glass bottle and cap it tightly LABEL the bottle "STS PART A" in a clear and long lasting fashion Thoroughly wash and rinse the pyrex measuring cup Stock Solution B Fill the pyrex 2-cup measure to the 500ml mark with r/o water Measure 2.5 Grams of Sodium Thiosulfate Anhydrous OR 3.9Grams of Sodium Thiosulfate Pentahydrate Add the Sodium Thiosulfate to the r/o water while stirring Stir until completely dissolved (30-45 seconds) Pour the Sodium Thiosulfate solution in to a 500ml brown glass bottle and cap it tightly LABEL the bottle "STS PART B" in a clear and long lasting fashion Throughly wash and rinse the pyrex measuring cup I store these solutions in the 500ml brown glass bottles and mix fresh before diluting for spraying. It is best to keep them in the fridge. ;) Mixing and Diluting the Stock Solutions Before Spraying ALWAYS Mix Part A in to Part B! This means putting part B in a container first and then adding part A while stirring. The measurements listed here make 1 quart, which fits the size of the sprayer and bottles I posted above. This amount provides plenty of solution for a 2' tall plant, sprayed every 5 days for 30 days. When stored in a dark cool place, the mixed solution is effective for approximately 1 month. The A and B solutions will be effective for at least 6 months. For 1 Quart of Solution: which will fit the sprayer listed: Use a 60cc syringe and suck up 50ml of Part B solution Gently squirt the Part B solution in to the Pyrex measuring cup Completely rinse the syringe or use a second clean syringe Suck up 50cc of Part B Solution While stirring the stock solution in the measuring cup rapidly (I use a small Stainless Steel Whisk), gently squirt the 50cc's of Part A solution in to the measuring cup. Go slowly, yet quickly enough to completely mix them within 30 seconds. REMEMBER it's IMPORTANT to DILUTE! Without dilution this solution will burn plants When the above directions are followed you will have 100ml of mixed stock solution in a pyrex measuring cup. Pour this solution into the 1 quart, brown glass bottle with the sprayer top and then fill the bottle the rest of the way with r/o or distilled water. (800+ml) This dilution rate is very close to a 1:9, stock:water mixture. Add 6-10 drops of Dawn Ultra dish soap (or other soap/surfactant, some people use yucca extract), shake gently and spray until the soap mixture is being sprayed. Test it on a leaf. The mixture should stick to the leaf without beading up and rolling off. If necessary, add additional drops of soap until the solution sticks/spreadsStaying Safe! WEAR PERSONAL PROTECTION GEAR, including gloves, mask and goggles/glasses. You'll want to keep this off your skin and out of your mouth/lungs. Sodium Thiosulfate has no listed toxicity but it is an irritant with repeated exposure. Silver nitrate will stain surfaces brown, only light stains when mixed with sodium thiosulfate and diluted. well. Spray Every 5 Days After Lights Out Silver Thiosulfate stops the production of ethylene. This effect only lasts a few days in cannabis and spraying every 5 days keeps ethylene production the lowest. Turn off the main lights and spray before the night cycle. Silver thiosulfate is sensitive to light, so low lighting and then dark works well. Dilute Further if Burning/Yellowing Develops Some strains/phenotypes of cannabis are more sensitive than others. Should yellowing or burning develop, pour out some of the solution in the sprayer (with lots of rinse water down the drain) and add distilled or r/o water. Keep STS Out of the Root Zone Cover the base area of the plant with newspapers before spraying. Make sure the plant has completely stopped dripping before removing the newspapers or other barriers. Saturate Each Node With Spray The nodes are located at each spot where a leaf joins a branch. During vegetative growth, each node will eventually produce another branch. During flowering, each node produces flowers. Turn Off Fans Before Pollen Begins Dropping Pollen is insidious and will float in to every crack and corner of your house. HEPA filtered ventilation (even HEPA rated furnace filters work) will significantly reduce the spread of pollen. Spray down all pollen covered areas with clean water to deactivate pollen. Dilute Solution if Plants Show Burning A slight reaction is fine, while severe reactions require diluting with additional distilled or r/o water. Open up the spray bottle and top it off with about 1/3rd of a cup of distilled or r/o water. Pour a bit out first, if there won't be room. That is fair bit to read and take in . It's all about timing , if I can get viable pollen by mid flowering of my other plants I can try to use the pollen to make several crosses such as Red diesel x Red diesel Red diesel x Pink kush Red diesel x Purple Crack 😀 Remembering I need atleast 5 or 6 weeks to let any seeds mature. Thats it for now I will be making the spray today and beginning the treatment just before lights off this evening Will update weekly as usual 👍 Quick update 2 days after the treatment and there is some leaf curling similiar to heat stress