How to care for seeds

[Buckshot]

I am wondering what the best method for storage and storage environment is. I would also like to know how old they can become before they will no longer germinate.

Looking for professional grower help on this

 

[Buckshot]

I see by the number of views that many are interested. How about I drop the word "professional" ?

 

[lil stinker 420]

any dry cool place try to keep the container air tight. it depends on how long you plan on storing them to. if you just want to store them for a couple yrs. use a air tight container and store them in the fridge. try and maintain the temp. at around 35 deg.c. and the humidity less then 10%. for storing them longer i hear its best to freeze them and when you want to use them let them sit out at room temp. but dont try to refreeze them. once you thaw them use them. im know pro by any means but this might spark up some more replys. hope this helps ya.

 

[Buckshot]

the basics

any dry cool place try to keep the container air tight. it depends on how long you plan on storing them to. if you just want to store them for a couple yrs. use a air tight container and store them in the fridge. try and maintain the temp. at around 35 deg.c. and the humidity less then 10%. for storing them longer i hear its best to freeze them and when you want to use them let them sit out at room temp. but dont try to refreeze them. once you thaw them use them. im know pro by any means but this might spark up some more replys. hope this helps ya.

Thanks lil stinker 420 for your reply.

Temp is one of my questions. For the more tropical strains won't freezing kill them? Is there a strain that can winter? Northern Lights?

humidity is another question ... if it is too low will it not "dry out" the seed? Can desiccant be used?

What about vaccum sealing?

Any of you seed sponsers care to chime in? Those of you that care to help in this thread would gain credibility with me and I am sure many others

 

[DEAN420]

Just keep your seeds in a cool dry dark place or the fridge and they'll keep for years.

Dessicants like the ones found in new trainer boxes can be used to keep em even longer and will help with moisture that may build up within the container its stored in...

 

[lil stinker 420]

yeh, i forgot to mention i use those little silicon packs to absorb any moisture but you could probably use rice too im sure. theres a type of rice but i cant remember the type. im sure just regular rice would be o.k.

 

[doublejointed]

i had some seeds in a wooden "joint" case(it's a little case about as long as a cigarette) sorry got side tracked.. my point was, the seeds in it were at least 8 years old and they germinated in 7 days...this case was in in a box with other paraphernalia at the bottom of my closet. so my guess would be seeds will last about 8 years

 

[Buckshot]

million dollar idea for you seed vendors.

When you make your first million please send me some free seeds! (for life)


I have been checking out the best way to store seeds. If I saw it I would buy ...

A nice airtight container that has smaller individual airtight containers inside with dessicant in each container so the top can be opened but the individual containers stay sealed. Each container should have some way to label it

thanks in advance

 

[FoxMulder]

I have been trying to germinate some old seeds with no luck so far.
Tried many different methods.
They were stored in an airtight film canister in a desk drawer, so storage was reasonable.
They are at least 10 years old, so it looks like 10 years may be too much, for this type of storage anyways.

 

[DEAN420]

I have been trying to germinate some old seeds with no luck so far.
Tried many different methods.
They were stored in an airtight film canister in a desk drawer, so storage was reasonable.
They are at least 10 years old, so it looks like 10 years may be too much, for this type of storage anyways.

Have you tried soaking any in water??

 

[Buckshot]

I have been trying to germinate some old seeds with no luck so far.
Tried many different methods.
They were stored in an airtight film canister in a desk drawer, so storage was reasonable.
They are at least 10 years old, so it looks like 10 years may be too much, for this type of storage anyways.

You may have already tried this... standard white paper towel, fold twice, moisten not wet, place seeds in second fold. Take the towel and put it in an airtight zip lock bag. Before you close it all the way blow in air and zip shut (inflated) put on top of refrigerator, check in four days.

 

[FoxMulder]

The paper towel method (and all its variants) has been my usual method of germination over the years, with much success except with these old seeds. Also tried water soaking, the DVD case method, and also the strainer method taught by jjmcguyver. 0 for 40 so far with these 10 year plus old seeds. Might also mention that 5 year old seeds gave me no problems at all. So likely somewhere between 7 to 8 years is the shelf life of seeds stored in an airtight container in a drawer. Has anyone experienced longer shelf life by using refrigeration or freezing ?

 

[jimm14]

Sorry to jump on a old one here but i just keep my seeds in the fridge, i know people that freeze them but i would be very very careful about humidty in the container you freeze them in too much and you WILL kill them they frost up and will die.

In the fridge i use a locking side tub for food i always dry it as much as i can before i put seeds in then i line it with kitchen towel and put the seeds in, if i have alot different seeds i use paper wage packets to separate them never plastic baggies and keep the tub in the veg crisper (coolest part of mine). As long as the seeds dont get wet they last over 10 years easy.

grown white widow from 1999 not long ago, fridge seed stock rules just grab enough seeds for a mother when you need them, great way to keep clean genetics or them once in a life time seed stocks.

 

[FoxMulder]

Thank you for the good info jimm14, I will keep my seeds in the fridge from now on.
What exactly is a "locking side tub" and a "paper wage packet" though ?
And is the kitchen towel cloth or paper ?

 

[jimm14]

The tub can be anything air tight, and i mean AIRTIGHT, any water that gets in will ruin your seeds thats why i use the food tubs with locking tabs and rubber seal around the top.

the ''wage packets'' are just small paper envelopes. and the kitchen paper i just use to collect any ambient moisture so anything toilet roll etc is fine.

 

[GrowinGirl]

I used to store all my vegetable seeds in the fridge, inside their packets and inside a plastic box with a fairly tight lid. Some seed varieties keep for years and years. Some, notably onions, only keep for a year.

My only personal experience with cannabis seeds is my lone bagseed that just germinated. It was inside a ziploc in my dresser drawer for at least a year and possibly was the one from over 5 years ago that I lost track of. That room gets warm, so it was NOT kept cool.

 

[jimm14]

I used to store all my vegetable seeds in the fridge, inside their packets and inside a plastic box with a fairly tight lid. Some seed varieties keep for years and years. Some, notably onions, only keep for a year.

My only personal experience with cannabis seeds is my lone bagseed that just germinated. It was inside a ziploc in my dresser drawer for at least a year and possibly was the one from over 5 years ago that I lost track of. That room gets warm, so it was NOT kept cool.

That's fine too for short term (2-3 years) just like the packets you buy in a garden store, But the idea of putting them in the cold is to keep them from drying out, Also the seed will think it's winter and won't pop. This way you can keep seeds 5-10 years with little trouble. If your keeping the seeds for only a few months then just keep them dry.