a friend of mine recently acquired some seeds dating between 1980 and 1992. some are landrace, some are this growers hybrids that he made between these 12 years. what im wondering is what is the best method to successfully germinate seeds this old? and how long should i expect to wait before they pop? i have put them in a cup of water and definitely have mostly sinkers. in the past i have germed seeds simply using the elementary school technique we used in 2nd grade growing bean plants, put seeds in a moist paper towel and tape the ziploc to a window
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best method to germ 20+ yr old seeds
- Thread starter odium33
- Start date
stinky33
Member
tannins yes...antibodies no. maybe you meant hormones? I don't believe plants, not genetically altered, make antibodies.
CannabisDog
Member
I just got nine year old seeds to start. I just did the paper towel method and then popped them in rockwool. If you can get your hands on it gibberellic acid with help with older seeds and germination.
D
DHF
Take tweezers , hold each seed by the front and back , and rub the entire seam edges on a matchbox striking plate/sandpaper type shit , then soak in warm water with super thrive or B-1 complex 24-48 hrs to see if they`ll crack open......
The moist paper towel method on a warm surface works well for new beans , but with older one`s , extra measures are needed to actually crack the seed hull so it can even hope to germinate ........
I physically cracked some 16 yr old Gold Columbian beans between my teeth after soakin for couple days many yrs ago , and had 10 for 10 viable seeds pop , although 8 of em were male , and the remaining 2 took 18 weeks ta finish.....
Gotta crack the seam before they ever even have a chance of growin when they`re that old Bro.....
Good luck....DHF....
....
The moist paper towel method on a warm surface works well for new beans , but with older one`s , extra measures are needed to actually crack the seed hull so it can even hope to germinate ........
I physically cracked some 16 yr old Gold Columbian beans between my teeth after soakin for couple days many yrs ago , and had 10 for 10 viable seeds pop , although 8 of em were male , and the remaining 2 took 18 weeks ta finish.....
Gotta crack the seam before they ever even have a chance of growin when they`re that old Bro.....
Good luck....DHF....
....CannabisDog
Member
Good information, thanks DHF. I am going to give that a try next go around.
Take tweezers , hold each seed by the front and back , and rub the entire seam edges on a matchbox striking plate/sandpaper type shit , then soak in warm water with super thrive or B-1 complex 24-48 hrs to see if they`ll crack open......
The moist paper towel method on a warm surface works well for new beans , but with older one`s , extra measures are needed to actually crack the seed hull so it can even hope to germinate ........
I physically cracked some 16 yr old Gold Columbian beans between my teeth after soakin for couple days many yrs ago , and had 10 for 10 viable seeds pop , although 8 of em were male , and the remaining 2 took 18 weeks ta finish.....
Gotta crack the seam before they ever even have a chance of growin when they`re that old Bro.....
Good luck....DHF....
This is all good advice. I just tried a trick that dutchgrown pointed out in here thread on sprouting. I used a black dvd case, took 18 beans put them in wet paper towles and closed them up in the dvd case. Kept them at 80f; 36 hours later 100% germination, no scarification no cracking needed. The beans I used were 15 years old. Good luck,
HM
D
DHF
Sounds like a killer lil micro-incubator to me HM........
......but....I`ve attempted ta germ old ass beans in similar/different containers and soaked em while on thermostatically controlled heating pads with zero results so many times I can`t count........
With old beans.......it`s the luck of the draw/roll of the dice.....Scarifying the seams and soaking in superthrive increased my results over the yrs.......
Congrats on your good luck...DHF.........
......but....I`ve attempted ta germ old ass beans in similar/different containers and soaked em while on thermostatically controlled heating pads with zero results so many times I can`t count........With old beans.......it`s the luck of the draw/roll of the dice.....Scarifying the seams and soaking in superthrive increased my results over the yrs.......
Congrats on your good luck...DHF.....
....
Superthrive is excellent just add a drop or two in a solo cup with Fiji water which has important minerals and silica in it that is just great for seedlings at least that is my newest recipe along with one teaspoon of basic drugstore bought hydrogen peroxide to prevent any possible damping off if you are soaking them for a few days remember there is bacteria and fungal spores everywhere. Adding the small amount helps to ensure bright white healthy tap roots as well as adding some oxygen to the water. Temps in the 75F to 85F range have got me almost perfect germination results with 8 yrs and older seeds soaked in this recipe and you must remember to check them at least every 12 hours and take them out the minute they crack open to prevent rot or damage. Plant them pointing tip down in the medium and keep it moist but not soaking wet. Do not let the germinating seeds get chilled or the medium get too cold because it will stunt them so work somewhere warm when transfering them into their new homes.
The embyro's in the seed have been hibernating and have used alot of their stored energy so make sure they are in a medium with some light nutrients (200 ppm of equal parts GH flora series works perfect) for the tap root to find or they may grow very slowly and be stunted. If they don't have the energy to shed off their seed shell after coming through the medium you can mist them with warm water to help dissolve the connective tissue that holds the seed to the leaves instead of pulling on it which can damage the young tender sprout.
The most important thing with sprouting very old seeds is alot of patience and don't give up on them even if they start out very slow, because plants grow out the same regardless of the age of the seed because genetically they are the exact same. A 10 yr old seed will grow an identical plant potentially as a 1 year old seed it's just the starting them that may take longer with the older beans. If you have a good amount of them you might also want to crack a few open ahead of time and look inside to make sure the embyros are not all dried out & totally dehydrated. If the embryo is smooth and has some oil or moisture in it then the seeds are still viable but if they look like a tiny piece of dried up spinach or worse then obviously they might just have been too old or stored improperly. Cannabis seeds stored properly just above freezing in a fridge in an airtight moisture proof package that were grown to full maturity on healthy seed mothers can and will germinate 5, 10, 15, 20+ years and later people do it all the time so good luck with yours!
The embyro's in the seed have been hibernating and have used alot of their stored energy so make sure they are in a medium with some light nutrients (200 ppm of equal parts GH flora series works perfect) for the tap root to find or they may grow very slowly and be stunted. If they don't have the energy to shed off their seed shell after coming through the medium you can mist them with warm water to help dissolve the connective tissue that holds the seed to the leaves instead of pulling on it which can damage the young tender sprout.
The most important thing with sprouting very old seeds is alot of patience and don't give up on them even if they start out very slow, because plants grow out the same regardless of the age of the seed because genetically they are the exact same. A 10 yr old seed will grow an identical plant potentially as a 1 year old seed it's just the starting them that may take longer with the older beans. If you have a good amount of them you might also want to crack a few open ahead of time and look inside to make sure the embyros are not all dried out & totally dehydrated. If the embryo is smooth and has some oil or moisture in it then the seeds are still viable but if they look like a tiny piece of dried up spinach or worse then obviously they might just have been too old or stored improperly. Cannabis seeds stored properly just above freezing in a fridge in an airtight moisture proof package that were grown to full maturity on healthy seed mothers can and will germinate 5, 10, 15, 20+ years and later people do it all the time so good luck with yours!
if you have any luck,
soak for 24 hours, no longer
scarify the outer rim of the shells
media germ them, not to wet, not to dry. big factor here being not to wet
dome them with a new hydrofarm digital heat mat controller, I would say 85F is your best friend
good luck
soak for 24 hours, no longer
scarify the outer rim of the shells
media germ them, not to wet, not to dry. big factor here being not to wet
dome them with a new hydrofarm digital heat mat controller, I would say 85F is your best friend
good luck
i havent yet sorry. i was just trying to gather some information, so i dont waste any when I do begin. im hoping to start small scale breeding in the next year or so, so we will see. i will definitely post any results i achieve
