STS feminized seeds production: No pollen produced

I am currently spraying my 1 CB Diesel plant with Silver Thiosulfate Solution to produce female pollen for feminized seeds. I have pollen sacks (balls) all over the plant but the balls are not producing pollen and are very easy to fall off. I started the STS spraying one week before I started flowering using the ratio in this website: https://steemit.com/cannabis/@thecleangame/how-to-make-and-use-silver-thiosulfate-solution-sts-for-feminized-cannabis-pollen-featuring-the-gorgeous-early-dane

It's been 6 weeks. I've sprayed once every 5 days. Any idea as to why I have no pollen? Should I spray more often? Should I increase the concentration of the STS? Should I start spraying in veg earlier? Should I just use stress to produce female banana's for pollen?

Appleseed123 said:

I am currently spraying my 1 CB Diesel plant with Silver Thiosulfate Solution to produce female pollen for feminized seeds. I have pollen sacks (balls) all over the plant but the balls are not producing pollen and are very easy to fall off. I started the STS spraying one week before I started flowering using the ratio in this website: https://steemit.com/cannabis/@thecleangame/how-to-make-and-use-silver-thiosulfate-solution-sts-for-feminized-cannabis-pollen-featuring-the-gorgeous-early-dane

It's been 6 weeks. I've sprayed once every 5 days. Any idea as to why I have no pollen? Should I spray more often? Should I increase the concentration of the STS? Should I start spraying in veg earlier? Should I just use stress to produce female banana's for pollen?

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If it has balls all over the plant and it's been six weeks then continuing to spray it would probably be pointless. I use the same formula you linked to with success. I only spray a couple times not every 5 days for six weeks. I get balls forming in a couple weeks and am harvesting pollen soon after that. I don't know if spraying every 5 days was maybe too much. But something caused the male parts to be sterile.


Here's the formula I use:

0.5 grams Silver Nitrate + 500ml H2O
2.5 grams sodium thiosulfate (anhydrous) + 500 ml H2O
Mix those and then mix together to form solution
Then 1 part solution to 9 parts water.

Interesting, spraying less often. Worth a shot. I might just have 2 bottles, and use one stronger and one weaker next time. It's difficult breeding with only one grow room.

Appleseed123 said:

Interesting, spraying less often. Worth a shot. I might just have 2 bottles, and use one stronger and one weaker next time. It's difficult breeding with only one grow room.

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I have no idea if that's the reason. But looking back I have had a reversal have a bunch of sterile pollen sacs that just fell of. If I recall it was a female that had come from feminised seed. In fact I know it was. It was the feminised Frisian Duck I reversed. I did end up getting enough pollen for my purposes though but not nearly as much as normal. I've never had an issue reversing a female that came from regular seeds. These are just personal observations from my own experience and nothing to do with scientific data.

I usually long enough to just to get sacks to form then I stop so they can mature “ naturally “ .
Continued treatment may have caused an issue.

I would collect pods ... dry them and see if any viable pollen frees itself.

Thank you buds, I will do both those tips. I'll let the balls grow for another week or 2 then collect them into a mason jar. As for the spraying, I'll dial back the frequency at least on 1 branch to see how they grow next time. Thanks.

Appleseed123 said:

Thank you buds, I will do both those tips. I'll let the balls grow for another week or 2 then collect them into a mason jar. As for the spraying, I'll dial back the frequency at least on 1 branch to see how they grow next time. Thanks.

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Did you end up with any pollen?

I haven't attempted yet. I stopped flowering in order to grow mothers and give away hundreds of clones this year. I'm just starting my current to flower grow now. Ask again in 3 months. @Pestrofa

my feeling is that STS is generally more successful than colloidal silver or giberellic acid, but it would be very interesting in this case to see if colloidal silver or giberellic acid exhibits a different response from this seemingly difficult mother plant you're working with

Unfortanetly grow was delayed due to errors made on my part. Switched to soil and tap water and forgot to remove the chloramine from the water. Seedlings are growing well now. 1 month until I sex them, then 2 months until they should show some balls/pollen.

as far as my limited understanding goes, as soon as you have male parts you stop spraying STS as does take its toll on the plant and isn't need after male parts are formed

My first week of pollen sacks where sterile, after that, LOTS of pollen, used the STS recipe most use. Reversed my two favorite Crescendo phenos

I’ve read recently that too high a concentration of STS can cause your very issue. Maybe try diluting it a little more. But more likely just spray a few times and stop and that should fix your issue.

Sprayed 4 times. Started at 2 weeks before flower and stop at day 14 of flower. Spray once a week

Yep less is more with STS

Lettem dry and grind them with those pollen mesh ones. U might get enough for few seeds.

PhenoMenal said:

my feeling is that STS is generally more successful than colloidal silver or giberellic acid, but it would be very interesting in this case to see if colloidal silver or giberellic acid exhibits a different response from this seemingly difficult mother plant you're working with

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I did once 5-7 days after pistils ok autos 4:1 solution vs every day with CS and few times tried ga3 just got stretch.
Both a total waste of time.
STS and rodelization For the win. The latter needing a lot of patience and luck but not much work.






If you're stupid say rodelization makes hermies.

Marlowfarms said:

Sprayed 4 times. Started at 2 weeks before flower and stop at day 14 of flower. Spray once a weekView attachment 4659951

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Do you always do 2 weeks before flower? Do your plants still stretch and branch normally? I'm about to try spray day 7 14 and 21.

Also most reports I've seen say pollen is dropping roughly 10 to 14 days after last spray. Is that similar to your experiences?

I’m experiencing a similar issue. Sprayed 4 weeks ago, sprayed again and flipped to 12/12 3 weeks ago and only see female flowers. Sprayed with STS, made according to the steemit link above, every 5 days since 12/12. Tonight at lights off I was going to spray again. Should I or should I not? I could spray 2 and leave 2? (I have 4 I’m trying to reverse)

smallgrow123 said:

I’m experiencing a similar issue. Sprayed 4 weeks ago, sprayed again and flipped to 12/12 3 weeks ago and only see female flowers. Sprayed with STS, made according to the steemit link above, every 5 days since 12/12. Tonight at lights off I was going to spray again. Should I or should I not? I could spray 2 and leave 2? (I have 4 I’m trying to reverse)View attachment 4865860View attachment 4865861

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I last sprayed about 2 weeks ago and see a couple ball clusters on the bottom branches of 3 plants, but 95% is female flowers (that I can’t harvest). Weird that the STS didn’t seem to work, I tried one time prior to this with the same stock solutions, but only spray at 12/12 switch. Maybe I need to remake the stock solutions, maybe something else was off, any ideas appreciated.