Old seeds: alive or dead?

[Clair]

Before shelling out on fresh seeds, I wanted to try germinating some old ones.

Last Friday, following some advice found on the interweb, I drop a few seeds between sheets of damp kitchen paper, put them in a sealed bag and kept them warm.

Now what?

What am I looking for and how long should this take? [8-)]

 

[Tony F Dordogne]

Clair, a lot depends how old they are and what they are.  Quite often the seed companies put quite arbitrary dates on them which comply with their 'test' dates rather than actual viability   .

This is a subject discussed often on gardening forums and the usual advice is try to germinate them and if it doesn't work, hey ho.  But many seeds remain viable for several years longer than the seed packet may indicate - tho parsnips can be problematic when fresh, let alone a couple of years old.

I don't do the paper/bag thing, I put my oldies in pots and cover with a polybag, with wires in the pots to stop the bag touching the compost/soil and the seedlings, helps stop the rotting off, and then uncover as soon as the seedlings look viable, much less fiddly for me.

Edit:  You're looking for the seeds starting to sprout, as soon as they do and they're looking good, get them into pots or into the ground, again depending on what they are.

[Clair]

Thanks Tony.

I had a look at the seeds yesterday evening and although I cannot see any obvious signs of germination, there are no signs of any of them rotting either.

I might try another tack and do as you suggest. Would a heated seed propagator be a suitable substitute for the bag over the pot?

[Tony F Dordogne]

Clair, I think that heated propagators are easier to control and that bage can be hit and miss.  You wont see the seeds rotting, they just may not germinate - what seeds are they?

 

[Clair]

They're heirloom tomato seeds of various origins [:)]

I haven't tried them in the last 3 years, although I did have a lot of success with them when I last grew them.

I have some Broad Ripple Yellow Currant, Whippersnapper, Mahgrebi and Tommy Toe.

[Tony F Dordogne]

Shouldn't be a problem, I've a chumlette in the UK who swears that tomato seeds remain viable for up to 10 years.

If you've got any left over, wanna swap?

[Clair]

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]If you've got any left over, wanna swap?[/quote]

No problem!

I'll let you know if I get anything out of them! [:)]

[dragonrouge]

Clair as to a propagator I have purchased what I can only describe as a hotmat and its of
German manufacture.  I have a bench then I put some poly boards on it then the hot mat and then on top capilliary matting. Be careful with water and obviously electricity and is using outdoors you do need the special socket which stops water entering the system!

[Jo]

If they haven't shown any signs of life by 14 days, they have probably had it, obviously longer for parsnips parsley etc.

[cricri]

Hi Clair, I grow a lot from seeds i collect. The trick to get them to germinate is to simulate a winter to kick them in to life. I put mine in the freezer for 3 weeks before potting them. If the seed has a hard shell, I will soak them for a day first. If it has a really hard shell, i will make a small hole in it just to let in a bit of water.

Good luck

Terry

 

[Scooby]

As a general tip - if you're keeping seeds for a long time it's worthwhile putting them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

[Clair]

A quick update on the seed trials...

I have had no luck with the seeds in the wet kitchen towel and no luck with the heated propagator either.

On the positive side, I did buy several cherry tomato plants, all of which appear to be thriving in fleece-covered pots (the temp drops to 6°C at night, even if it rises to 20°+ during the day).

I have also planted a single pumpkin plant and a courgette plant, all doing well under their €20 Lidl cold frames

[MedocGreenie]

My experience with out-of-date seeds is that one shouldn't spend too much time and money on them. I just agglomerate them all in a little seed compost in a tray and water.. and see what happens.  sometimes a few germinate and can be grown on , but generally it doesn't warrant expensive compost and individual pots, (and precious space !!)

good luck

[Catalpa]

If you keep the seeds absolutely dry between years, I find I still get reasonable germination. I got a very good crop of rocket last year from seed (unopened foil pack) that was 5 years old; I'm still using pea seeds from 3 years ago and my runner beans are on their third year too. But I am very careful to keep the seeds in a warm, dry atmosphere over winter.

[hoverfrog]

I'm still using seeds from Dad's seed-box (he died in 2004) and they all grow.

Parsnips are funny - if they don't germinate then don't think the seeds are fubar, try again - parsnips are like that even with fresh seed!

Am I the only one that hears the voices saying "you SOW seeds, you PLANT plants"??? Maybe I was hard of hearing in my youth :)

[Tony F Dordogne]

[quote user="Catalpa"]If you keep the seeds absolutely dry between years, I find I still get reasonable germination. I got a very good crop of rocket last year from seed (unopened foil pack) that was 5 years old; I'm still using pea seeds from 3 years ago and my runner beans are on their third year too. But I am very careful to keep the seeds in a warm, dry atmosphere over winter.

[/quote]

If the seeds are foil packed they shouldn't deterioraite too badly and if they'r self gathered seeds - like peas and haricots - they should be good for three years at least, mine are if stored as above.

[Tony F Dordogne]

[quote user="hoverfrog"]Am I the only one that hears the voices saying "you SOW seeds, you PLANT plants"??? Maybe I was hard of hearing in my youth :)[/quote]

Also setting seeds seems to be quite popular :)