GrandfatherRat
Active Member
A bro called me today with the news he'd rediscovered his seed stash, lost since his last house move ages ago. They were in a ziplock bag, stuffed into a bin full of camping clothing, and left in a closet for fifteen years. During the fifteen years before that they had stable storage conditions in two homes. This friend is a particular dude-- he's a collector, and really careful about saving stuff. He's also been a stoner for almost 35 years. During 85-87' (he's dead sure on the time period), he saved and collected seeds from any good pot he had. He didn't save everything-- only seeds from weed that he considered worth keeping. He was pretty well connected at the time.
It's just a big loose pile. This is all East coast seed, from northern PA, most likely coming from or through New York. Some high grade brickweed, some green and red buds. At the time, strain names weren't such a thing. My bro claims he's sure of two strains being present-- Acapulco Gold, and Bork. He recalled the Acapulco Gold being brickweed, which may offer a clue-- but of course we have no real idea what he was buying. I could find no solid info on the Bork strain. Below is a shot of the stash; we spilled them onto a table and I did a sample count of 100, then used their measured area to get an estimated count-- approximately 1000 seeds.
Here's the plan. I will count, then divide seeds up into rough sorted batches by size and color. These will be cataloged in groups, with the hope we may be able to predict grow outcomes from similar looking seeds (far fetched, I know). We will germinate in small groups until we find conditions that yield the best success rates.
It has been suggested to me to put seeds into a fridge for a couple of weeks, to wake them. I have also been told to expect long times for some seeds to pop, and to let them go as long as possible before giving up. I have a large greenhouse set up for growing, as well as a winter indoor setup; this will provide the base of operations to attempt germination, grow out winners, take clones of every plant, and preserve genetics. I'm in a legal state, and deeply connected to the industry, with access to advice from top growers. Even so, this is an unusual opportunity, and I hope to take full advantage of it.
I would love community input on my plan, particularly from folks with direct experience;
What methods might be best for germinating 31 year old seeds? Water soak, fridge, freezer? Heat mat?
Any ideas on germination rates? What size batches should I run at a time?
What strains and traits should I look for in 'heirloom' cannabis? Does any 30 year old plant have potential value as a more pure connection to earlier lines?
I'm open to general input, and suggestions on managing the scale of this process, tracking every clone, logging traits, photo-records, etc.
It's just a big loose pile. This is all East coast seed, from northern PA, most likely coming from or through New York. Some high grade brickweed, some green and red buds. At the time, strain names weren't such a thing. My bro claims he's sure of two strains being present-- Acapulco Gold, and Bork. He recalled the Acapulco Gold being brickweed, which may offer a clue-- but of course we have no real idea what he was buying. I could find no solid info on the Bork strain. Below is a shot of the stash; we spilled them onto a table and I did a sample count of 100, then used their measured area to get an estimated count-- approximately 1000 seeds.
Here's the plan. I will count, then divide seeds up into rough sorted batches by size and color. These will be cataloged in groups, with the hope we may be able to predict grow outcomes from similar looking seeds (far fetched, I know). We will germinate in small groups until we find conditions that yield the best success rates.
It has been suggested to me to put seeds into a fridge for a couple of weeks, to wake them. I have also been told to expect long times for some seeds to pop, and to let them go as long as possible before giving up. I have a large greenhouse set up for growing, as well as a winter indoor setup; this will provide the base of operations to attempt germination, grow out winners, take clones of every plant, and preserve genetics. I'm in a legal state, and deeply connected to the industry, with access to advice from top growers. Even so, this is an unusual opportunity, and I hope to take full advantage of it.
I would love community input on my plan, particularly from folks with direct experience;
What methods might be best for germinating 31 year old seeds? Water soak, fridge, freezer? Heat mat?
Any ideas on germination rates? What size batches should I run at a time?
What strains and traits should I look for in 'heirloom' cannabis? Does any 30 year old plant have potential value as a more pure connection to earlier lines?
I'm open to general input, and suggestions on managing the scale of this process, tracking every clone, logging traits, photo-records, etc.
