This technique, first noticed by subcool, tommy, and myself, can be useful for a number of reasons. It is possible for very small scale cultivators to grow without the use of mother plants. It is also possible to hold males in reserve without wasting space or worrying about dropped pollen. It all involves your standard kitchen refridgerator.
The crisper drawer and a ziploc bag provide a suitable stasis chamber for a fresh cutting for upwards of EIGHT weeks. In order to obtain this sort of longevity in the fridge, the bag containing the dry, unrooted branches should be opened to breathe at least once a week.
Clones kept in the fridge this way actually root faster than non-fridged clones once they are removed-- up to a point of 2 or 3 weeks, when they will take longer to root and you may lose a few. When they are removed from the fridge to be replanted, be sure to recut the stem with a fresh X-acto blade or scalpel.
Holding clones in "fridge stasis" offers many new possibilities for testing many different males, holding strains while evaluating, changing the way you time your mothers, etc. |