How to Store Daylily Pollen

When cross-breeding daylilies, you may find that you want to store the pollen of some of your favorite flowers. If packaged correctly and placed in the freezer, daylily pollen can remain viable for up to nine years. During that time you can safely add or remove pollen from the container at any time as long as you do not allow the stored pollen to thaw until you are ready to use it.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need

• Small, sealable container
• Silica gel
• Permanent marker
• Freezer bag

1. Prune the daylily flower whose pollen you wish to collect. Pluck the yellow pollen-covered anther from the flower. Tap the anther’s pollen-covered tip into the vial to shake off most of the pollen. Scrape the anther on the edge of the container to remove any clinging pollen.
2. Label the the lid with a permanent marker to identify the daylily that the pollen came from.
3. Add a packet of silica gel to the container. Silica gel is a food preservative easily found in most grocery or craft stores.
4. Leave the open container out on the counter for 24 hours to dry. Dried daylily pollen better survives the freezing process.
5. Place the lid on the daylily container.
6. Store the daylily pollen in the refrigerator if you plan to use it within the week. If not, place the container in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact lens cases and glass vials with stoppers make ideal daylily pollen storage containers.

• Before you add any new pollen to the container, you must dry it first according to step four.