One of the most frustrating things hybridizing bearded/cristate daylilies is having pollen on hand when you see an awesome bloom. So much of the pollen produced from Michaels Sword offspring is bad and unusable making the plants pod parents only.
Here is a picture of some bad pollen (light or white colored); Yes, I did spread some pollen on this plant :)
Because so much of it bad, I always try to have enough *good* pollen on hand stored in my freezer. I use some centrifuge tubes we were throwing away at work combined with some cotton to create the perfect storage conditions. People can also use matchboxes or other kinds of containers as well. Know that moisture will be a problem if you can't keep the pollen dry!
Here are a few pictures of how I capture and store my pollen. I take a few stamens (the pollen producing stack) and rub them on the cotton. If the head falls off I use a tweezer to remove it. I can then take the tube and place it over the pistil when I want to hybridize with it. I store this in my freezer and allow to thaw well before using it. If I try to use it to quickly moisture from the air will condense potentially allowing moisture to ruin the pollen. This allows me to use pollen from daylilies that aren't in bloom whenever I want. I highly recommend trying it out. Happy hybridizing!
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