After many years of tinkering around with reversal spray, I am proud to offer my own proprietary formulation of STS reversal spray with additional additives to help your chances of success. I am calling it “STS+”.
Don’t be fooled by other brands who use cheap impure ingredients, and inconsistent mixtures. I only use high quality materials, and all of our STS+ products are mixed and measured with extra care using Class A, ASTM certified lab equipment.
Our STS+ product is available in “2 part concentrate (part A and Part B stock solutions)”, and also in a “ready to spray” solution for those who prefer no mixing, measuring, or diluting hassles.
STS+ Ready to Spray Solution:
-includes (1) 16oz bottle of ready to use spray, and (1) chemical resistant sprayer head.
-1 bottle should be all that is needed for those who only want to reverse a single smaller plant, or branch of a larger plant.
-To be used at the beginning of 12/12.
-Rubber gloves, protective coverall, respirator, and eye protection are recommended.
-Shake vigorously before use.
-I recommend adding 2-3 drops of dawn dish soap into the sprayer mix before application for better coverage.
-The ready to spray STS+ will last several months when stored in proper conditions.
-All STS+ products should be stored in a refrigerator when not in use.
In my experience, a 32 ounce spray bottle is just right for EACH application of 1 light worth (5×5) of canopy of medium to large sized plants, or 16oz for half a light. You want good coverage. You may have some left over after each application.
If your plants are smaller, you may not use as much. If you are only reversing a single small plant or a branch of a plant, then the ready to spray product may make more sense to use. Just remember, it’s always better to have more, and not need it, than to not have enough, and need more! If you find yourself in this position, then reach out to us as soon as possible and we will do what we can to get more to you asap! But please plan on getting more than you think you might need. You can always fill up a spray bottle with water and see how much it takes to fully saturate however much vegetative material you plan to work with, and that will give you a good idea.
I spray about every 5-7 days until I see solid male stamen (pollen sacs) starting to set. This can be anywhere from 5-6 applications. 5 applications is usually enough for most plants. Sometimes you may see some female stigma (pistils/hairs) during the early phase of the reversal. Do not worry, trust the process. Spray the tops of the leaves and the new growth nodes as well.
I recommend raising or dimming the lights during application, and increasing the intensity again after the leaves have mostly dried. This will help prevent burning. A little bit of leaf burning or phytotoxicity may occur, but should not be worried about.
Timing of flowering the reversal and the receiver plants plays a huge role regarding how much seed you get. I’m not going to dive too deep into this. For best results, you should ideally know how long it takes to get pollen from your reversal (donor) plant, and how long your receiver plants take to reach their perfect pollination window. Indica dominant plants tend to produce sooner than sativa. Not every plant reverses at the same rate. Usually 4-6 weeks flower. Sometimes a bit shorter sometimes a bit longer. The receiver plants are usually in their prime around 4-6 weeks of flower. Again, this is just a general time frame, some plants can mature soon sooner, and some plants can mature later than that. It really helps to know your plants when it comes to timing. Timing is critical if you prefer to use fresh pollen, but you can also use dried/stored pollen. If you’re going to error on timing, error on the side of the reversal plant being done before the receiver plants are ready to be pollinated. You can always collect pollen and dry out the branches of the reversal and store the pollen until the receivers are ready. Sometimes the pollen is not plentiful or there are a tight cluster of male parts that do not release the pollen easily. In these cases, it is usually ideal to dry out the branches and sift the pollen manually. I have thrown dried branches into paint strainer bags that i shake around the plants. Its a great technique! If you are sifting the pollen, you can stretch it out even further by mixing it with baked flour. There are many resources on the internet for that method.
Keep in mind that not all plants reverse well. It is possible to have a female plant create all male flowers, and then have no pollen, somewhat sterile pollen, or just very little pollen. Also, some strains accept female pollen from other strains better than others. I personally have run into the issue trying to make different types of S1’s over the years where sometimes the receiver clones of the same strain as the plant being reversed, do not like to accept its pollen very well. However, other strains take to it just fine. Genetics are what they are, and I cannot control that so just be aware that these possibilities exist.
One last thing. If you are able, do the reversal plant in a separate room/area than the receiver plants. If that’s not an option, and you have to do it in the same area as the receivers , just be sure not to be sloppy with your spray and avoid any cross-contamination, whether it be in the air, on the floor or on the walls, reservoirs etc. Turn the fans off while spraying. Make a temporary tarped off area for the spraying. Whatever you have to do make it work, just don’t be sloppy! The last thing you want is for your receiver plants to throw some male flowers (due to sts contact/overspray) and pollinate each other!!
The reversal game is not all ice cream and lollipops. It can be brutal at times, but also extremely rewarding! I wish you the best of luck with your creations, and as always, I appreciate your support! -Pip
