When do seeds lose their vitality?

[tstick]

I bought some seeds from Archive a few years ago....got sidetracked and couldn't get my grow going....I finally got it together and went to get the seeds. Out of 12 or so seeds, only three popped and all three of the sprouts that came up, just produced their cotyledon leaves and then stopped...never even sent up a single, serrated leaf! I also tried a few other strains that had been lying around for a few years and they are growing extremely sluggish. I know it's due to the age of the seeds. I have a bunch of old seeds. I wonder how long it's worth it to save seeds for...? I don't even know what new strains are output I'm sure they are a long way from anything kind of natural genetic "landrace" for lack of a better term. Anyway....just bored and curious about seed vitality. Thanks

 

[oill]

I bought some seeds from Archive a few years ago....got sidetracked and couldn't get my grow going....I finally got it together and went to get the seeds. Out of 12 or so seeds, only three popped and all three of the sprouts that came up, just produced their cotyledon leaves and then stopped...never even sent up a single, serrated leaf! I also tried a few other strains that had been lying around for a few years and they are growing extremely sluggish. I know it's due to the age of the seeds. I have a bunch of old seeds. I wonder how long it's worth it to save seeds for...? I don't even know what new strains are output I'm sure they are a long way from anything kind of natural genetic "landrace" for lack of a better term. Anyway....just bored and curious about seed vitality. Thanks

Yeah they do lose the likelihood of working the older they get

 

[BDGrows]

Best way to keep your seeds viable is to put em in a desiccator and freeze em like they do at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. I like to just little jars along with some color-changing silica (acts as a desiccant and lets em know if there is excess moisture getting in) and put em in my chest freezer and forget about them. Unless I am going to pop seeds right then and there, ill throw em in one of those and freeze em.

 

[Skoal]

I keep my seeds in the fridge. I havent had a problem yet. I have some blue cheese i am hoping to pop soon.

 

[Rurumo]

I've popped 10 year old seeds with good germ rates. There are a lot of scientifically proven methods to increase germ rates of old seeds too-using a h202 soak, kelp, fulvic acid, and even chitosan increased germ rates by 16%. But well stored seeds should sprout with very little trouble for several years as long as you properly germinate them and treat them like seeds and don't swaddle them in paper towels.

 

[dubekoms]

Definitely worth it to crack old seeds open a little bit prior to germinating. You can buy or build a seed cracker similar to this for old seeds.

 

[dubekoms]

Pliers would work as well as long as you're careful not to crush them.

 

[thenotsoesoteric]

Pliers would work as well as long as you're careful not to crush them.

I use eyelash tweezers. Works great.

 

[skuba]

I use eyelash tweezers. Works great.

I use eyelash tweezers. Works great.

Do you just score the hull with the tweezers?

 

[GrownAtHighAltitude]

Sandpaper lined matchbox to scarify seeds prior to soaking.

Try soaking some pinto beans in water overnight, then use the water to soak seeds the next day.

Refrigeration is better than freezer if your time horizon isn't decades.

 

[GreenGuy_1995]

Loss of vitality or germination rate depends on how they are stored...

Keep them in the fridge, inside of an opaque container with a desiccant to eliminate temperature, light and humidity fluctuations..

I still have home made seeds over 12 years old stored this way that give me a 95% germination rate.. and they grow great!

 

[Rurumo]

Loss of vitality or germination rate depends on how they are stored...

Keep them in the fridge, inside of an opaque container with a desiccant to eliminate temperature, light and humidity fluctuations..

I still have home made seeds over 12 years old stored this way that give me a 95% germination rate.. and they grow great!

Yep, this 100%. My seed collection is just waiting to be birthed lol

 

[thenotsoesoteric]

Do you just score the hull with the tweezers?

No, I hold seed along seam with tweezers and then hold the seed with finger and thump. A little gentle pressure and the seed pops. Then just throw in a paper towel. Works really well.

 

[dbz]

I know this is a little old, but looking forward to trying some of these methods. SWIM knows an old head who was growing a lot in the 70's. He gave us about 100 seeds of stock he had when he stopped in the early 80s. Said he mainly grew skunk and redbud. Who knows?
The seeds were stored in a dark cool place, but are 40 years old. So sometime soon, I'll still give it a shot.

 

[AaronHernadez]

I popped over a dozen 8+ year old bag seed last spring with no problems and I kept them in a baggy in my top drawer. Sometimes you just get lucky.

 

[bodhipop]

My buddy has a lot of beans in the freezer. I told him they will lose viability each time they thaw out and he should move them to the fridge for awhile before grabbing out any. How long does a seed take to thaw out from the freezer to 60 degrees F though? If he wanted to keep them frozen and just grab a pack I said he should wait until winter. Have an ice cooler packed. Pull the jar out. Into the cooler. Run to the garage where it's freezing temps and sort that shit out lol.