15 Year Old Seeds: Can They Still Sprout?

[DezmondG]

Hey Everyone. Kinda cool thing happened today. I was cleaning up some stuff and going through some boxes and came across a little tin I forgot about . Has a bunch of seeds from about 15 years ago. They are in a little baggie and have been in that tin.
Soooooo. Are there any techniques out there to help with germination? Or do I just pop them in a cup of water till they sink and then to paper towel?
Thanks all for the help

 

[CO Finest]

I have had some 15+ year seeds sprout. I have put them in wet towels and I have put them in wet soil. If the seed is good it will sprout there is not a way to help a bad seed. It is just about keeping them moist, dark and warm until they sprout.

 

[Stormblessed]

I’d give them a little scuff then drop them in water

 

[CO Finest]

Oh forgot to add, For the seeds you are not using store them in a cool dry place helps and make sure they get no light. I found in the fridge works real good.

 

[Jackalope]

What kind of temps those seeds went through in the 15 years has a lot to do with it. If they never got too hot there is a good chance at least a few will sprout. Stored right 15 years is no problem. I have seeds from 1998 that still sprout.

 

[drift]

Scuff and a little hydrogen peroxide moist paper towel.

 

[Grandma Weedstein]

LOL i generally agree but I don’t use the paper towel method anymore. It’s a waste of time.

Let them soak overnight and then plant in soil. Think about it in terms of biology: what does that paper towel have that normal soil does not?

If you’re worried about wasting soil, just use those trays for cloning with a bunch of tiny plugs for soil.

I have done side by side tests and the seeds sprouted with the paper towel method are almost always slower to emerge from the soil than those planted straight after soaking.

 

[CannaFish]

Clean them, scuff them or clip the tip with some nail clippers. Soak in water with some super thrive. No more than 4 hrs. Then sow in moist starter soil. If they don’t germinate in a week or so you can dig them up and try again.
So you know what the seeds are from?