When Are Your Seeds Ready to Harvest
- Thread starter Nelson
- Start date
Nelson
R.I.P. Gone, but not forgotten.
The old man at the breeders club uses a tinfoil pie plate. He cuts a hole in the middle and slices through it from the edge to the middle so he can take it off to water. He uses cookie sheets underneath to catch the seeds that hit the pie plate. He claims great success with this method. I told him he should write a book with all his tips. I learn a lot from him and spread it around here. He won't have anything to do with a computer. He thinks they are evil. I tell him they are just a tool like a shovel. He just looks at me weird. Come to think of it my wife and sons look at me weird too.
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Nelson
R.I.P. Gone, but not forgotten.
Well I pulled a bud of the Magic Dragon that had been pollinated by the photo Trainwreck. The male was taken away two weeks ago. About 80% of the seeds are totally ready. I have about 50 seeds in my pill bottle allready with only about 5% of the plant taken. Should be a seed production total success. Now I guess we will see if they auto by growing them out in the totes and bubbly pool. Wish me luck. I guy like me can always use some luck it takes the place of expertise for me.
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G
Glear420
Guest
Nelson - I recently tried my first round at growing inside. I thought it was a great success but tonite i pulled off the bottom nuggs just to take a look and early taste and I have noticed at the bottom of my buds there is a pod that has a bud like skin with hair on it but when i break it open it has a small white seed looking thing did my plant get pollinated or am i just over reacting? I did have a male plant but i pulled it and threw it away before i thought any pods burst. Also, i was wondering if they are seeds can i still harvest soon or should I wait till I know the seeds are ready before i cut and hang? Thanks so much.
Nelson
R.I.P. Gone, but not forgotten.
It is hard to keep a good male down they will pollinate a female right through cement walls. It just leaves you saying how did that happen. Pollen fills the air and gets on your clothes and then when you get near the female it finds a way. Most commonly when bottom buds are polinated it was from early contact with a male. However your seed sounds like it is relatively new cause it is white not a dark mature one.
Check all your females for male flowers in case you got a herme. There is also a possability some pollen got inside from the outside. Maybe a neighbour or a rogue plant that grew in your compost pile. If you just have the one seed you found don't stress much. If you feel the buds carefully with your fingers you can often find buds with hard little lumps in them. Those are seed pods. you do have trouble if the rest of your plant is heavily seeded. Commonly lower buds properly polinated will have 50 seeds in them so I am guessing your plant just got seeded from stray pollen.
Check all your females for male flowers in case you got a herme. There is also a possability some pollen got inside from the outside. Maybe a neighbour or a rogue plant that grew in your compost pile. If you just have the one seed you found don't stress much. If you feel the buds carefully with your fingers you can often find buds with hard little lumps in them. Those are seed pods. you do have trouble if the rest of your plant is heavily seeded. Commonly lower buds properly polinated will have 50 seeds in them so I am guessing your plant just got seeded from stray pollen.
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C
canon
Guest
For collecting seeds that drop...
Try a couple of the larger saucers for under the pot. Cut away & discard a 1/3 pie shaped piece and a center big enough for stem.
Then just slide the 2 pieces of the 2/3rds around the stem one from each side. Works quite well. Could tape the seams, but I find it not needed.
I too like using a brush for polinating. I'll mix the pollen with equal parts of flour first. Helps keep the brush from getting too icky,, and better disperses the pollen over a larger area.
But here's the catch... I run the hose from the shop-vac under the branch getting treated. Helps to pull the pollen into the bud & minimizes airborn contamination to rest of plant. I generally only do 2-4 lower branchs and let them be, even after harvest until well into retirement. Then cut / dry until crumbly before removal. Seems to be working well. These can be planted anytime,, they're ready to go.
Try a couple of the larger saucers for under the pot. Cut away & discard a 1/3 pie shaped piece and a center big enough for stem.
Then just slide the 2 pieces of the 2/3rds around the stem one from each side. Works quite well. Could tape the seams, but I find it not needed.
I too like using a brush for polinating. I'll mix the pollen with equal parts of flour first. Helps keep the brush from getting too icky,, and better disperses the pollen over a larger area.
But here's the catch... I run the hose from the shop-vac under the branch getting treated. Helps to pull the pollen into the bud & minimizes airborn contamination to rest of plant. I generally only do 2-4 lower branchs and let them be, even after harvest until well into retirement. Then cut / dry until crumbly before removal. Seems to be working well. These can be planted anytime,, they're ready to go.
Nelson
R.I.P. Gone, but not forgotten.
The trick for catching the falling seeds is very similar to the old man's method. There is something to be said for polinating once and for polinating just a branch. I usually do the whole plant and mostly let nature take it's course. the problem being of course with this method is that the female grows and the male keeps dumping pollen out so the seeds are different maturity. I keep a room to do my polinating in I like to call the Honeymoon suite. It has a heppa filter on the outlet fan so I don't scatter pollen all over the place.
When I harvest seeds I just have to throw out the immature seeds I like to do a bud at a time not the whole plant. It puts me more in touch with how the seeds are maturing. The minimum has to be for me that 80% of the seeds are mature or I just leave it go longer. I usually start about two weeks after I take the male plant away. Of course the male plant has been doing its thing for over a month and there are already mature seeds but waiting for the extra two weeks lets the plant get to the 80% mark of maturity. Some leave them for 5 weeks after they take the male away. Whatever works for you is the way you should do it. I hate doing a whole plant cause seeding out a plant is a lot of work and just like clipping I like to do it at a leasurly pace cause mostly I'm a geezer and it suits me better. The leisurly pace also lets me have bud leaf for my smoothies and bud remains for the tincture pile. The dog helps with the extra leaf by sitting beside me and taking what is given to him. He loves leaf.
Remember not to put the cover the jar with fresh seeds let them dry for a week or they could mold. Nothing is sadder than seeing a jar full of fresh seeds full of mold and if they do mold they are useless.
I liked the vacuam cleaner trick. If I was doing my pollinating with a brush and doing a branch at a time it really makes sence to me. Besides pulling the pollin into the bud it would keep the stray pollin off of the rest of the plant. Never heard that one before.
When I harvest seeds I just have to throw out the immature seeds I like to do a bud at a time not the whole plant. It puts me more in touch with how the seeds are maturing. The minimum has to be for me that 80% of the seeds are mature or I just leave it go longer. I usually start about two weeks after I take the male plant away. Of course the male plant has been doing its thing for over a month and there are already mature seeds but waiting for the extra two weeks lets the plant get to the 80% mark of maturity. Some leave them for 5 weeks after they take the male away. Whatever works for you is the way you should do it. I hate doing a whole plant cause seeding out a plant is a lot of work and just like clipping I like to do it at a leasurly pace cause mostly I'm a geezer and it suits me better. The leisurly pace also lets me have bud leaf for my smoothies and bud remains for the tincture pile. The dog helps with the extra leaf by sitting beside me and taking what is given to him. He loves leaf.
Remember not to put the cover the jar with fresh seeds let them dry for a week or they could mold. Nothing is sadder than seeing a jar full of fresh seeds full of mold and if they do mold they are useless.
I liked the vacuam cleaner trick. If I was doing my pollinating with a brush and doing a branch at a time it really makes sence to me. Besides pulling the pollin into the bud it would keep the stray pollin off of the rest of the plant. Never heard that one before.
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Wow, pollinating is easier than it looks!
Just one question, I may have missed it in the forum. If you drop pollen on a Female, at what week is this done? As soon as you flower? 2 weeks into flowering?
Thanks for the pollination thread, you have definitely given me condifence to make some seeds for myself.
OGShiva
Just one question, I may have missed it in the forum. If you drop pollen on a Female, at what week is this done? As soon as you flower? 2 weeks into flowering?
Thanks for the pollination thread, you have definitely given me condifence to make some seeds for myself.
OGShiva
littleT
Dragon Addiction Councellor
i ve read its 3 weeks--4 weeks and even 5 weeks by differant articles--i have 2 girls with <child>seed at 3 weeks--a couple pods are starting to open alittle.will have to wait and see.gonna try to get the best possibe seed!!!
Nelson
R.I.P. Gone, but not forgotten.
I don't have a definative answer for that question. Alot of things enter into the equasion for me. Are there other females around that you don't want pollinated. Then the only way to go is the paint brush route using pollen that you have collected. I could describe how I collect my polen if anyone wants to know. Some people just want to smoke most of the plant so they harvest it and just leave a few bottom branches. then they polinate them by bringing the male around. I usually always keep my males in pots so I can move them around. I keep them in a remote area. It is also good for lending them out to other friends I have in our local Breeder's Club. One of the members keeps the list of available males to be lent out. Such a wonderfull thing.
I like to do three kind of breedings. If it is a male in a pot I shake the branches of the male over the female for three consecutive days. I then take the male away. I do this because I like to know when the seeds are pollinated so that I can start the seed count down to harvest. If I am doing paint brush technique I polinate three times on three consecutive days and then quit.. It is much better than polinating over weeks cause when you harvest the seeds you end up with them being of equal maturity. Even doing this for some reason I still get about 10% of not mature seeds.
I try to wait at least 6 weeks before harvesting the seeded plant. Do a quick check of maturity take one bud of and see what the seeds are like. They should come out of the pods easily and should be a mature color. Usually light or dark brown. If they are light green or white they are not mature and you have to wait longer.
I hope this helps.
It is
I like to do three kind of breedings. If it is a male in a pot I shake the branches of the male over the female for three consecutive days. I then take the male away. I do this because I like to know when the seeds are pollinated so that I can start the seed count down to harvest. If I am doing paint brush technique I polinate three times on three consecutive days and then quit.. It is much better than polinating over weeks cause when you harvest the seeds you end up with them being of equal maturity. Even doing this for some reason I still get about 10% of not mature seeds.
I try to wait at least 6 weeks before harvesting the seeded plant. Do a quick check of maturity take one bud of and see what the seeds are like. They should come out of the pods easily and should be a mature color. Usually light or dark brown. If they are light green or white they are not mature and you have to wait longer.
I hope this helps.
It is
