### Preservation #3 Progress Update
During Preservation #3, I encountered significant challenges. The initial batch of seeds was limited, with most succumbing to albinism or parasites in the medium. I was left with a mere handful of struggling plants, prompting concern for the potential loss of the entire line. In an attempt to salvage the situation, I contacted "My Friend" or so i had thought.. I'll be referencing from this point forward as "the original seed provider", explaining the preservation efforts and inquiring about the possibility of obtaining more seeds in exchange for a
donation and an agreement that seeds would be sent back after the Preservation has been completed. I agreed and he agreed, stating he would send the seeds the next day and requested $200, which I paid along with an additional $30 for the international wire transfer. Unfortunately, after receiving the payment, he made excuses for not sending the seeds and eventually ceased all communication.
Despite these setbacks, I did not publicly disclose my concerns at the time of posting.
The surviving plants included three variegated females and one non-variegated male. Although my hopes diminished due to the male's lack of variegation, I was determined to find a variegated male before proceeding to Preservation #4. Thus, I initiated Preservation #3.5, during which I took clones and pollinated a variegated female. This phase allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the plants and their phenotypic expressions, enabling me to selectively propagate only the best clones.
As the pollinated plants produced and matured seeds, I continued to take clones from the remaining two variegated females, observing various phenotypic expressions to select from. Upon testing a few seeds, the results were as follows: two albino, one variegated, one undetermined, and one green seed, which was subsequently culled.
Though challenging, this process has provided valuable insights and has brought me closer to preserving the desired traits within the line.
Here is a varigated seedling from the batch of seeds that were just finished drying from Preservation#3.
