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Long Term Seed Storage

G

Guest

I have a question about "long term" storage of our precious seed stocks in the refrigerator. We all know that most perishable items if stored with as little air as possible in their containers tend to fare best. But, what about something that is alive.........like cannabis seeds? Could one kill their seeds by removing the air from the container either by pumping it out or better yet by spraying in a wine preservative that's CO2/Nitrogen & displaces the O2. My thinking here is that we might be able to extend the long term storage viability of the seeds.........if it doesn't kill them first, hehehe!!

Would like to hear the thoughts of some of the seed producing experts or anyone else that actually knows the answer..........rather than just an opinion. How do you seed producers/sellers take care of this matter?

Storing my one year old bud this way with C02/Nitrogen keeps it as fresh as the day I plunked it in the jar!!! :woohoo:


Bh
 
C

Chamba

I dont know anything about replacing air with other gases for seed storage....but the basics are ......: keep your seeds cold, dark, dry, uncrushed and sealed..and they will be viable for years....after a few years of storage, the germination rates tend to fall..about 5% per year (give or take) ...I recently popped some seeds that were kept in the fridge in a plastic container with dry rice in a plastic baggie for 8 ~ 10 years....I got 60% or 70% germination rates...

another factor is the seed itself..make sure the seeds you make are fully mature before removing from the tree..the seeds should be dark, heavy, full and shiny...these are the seeds that will keep for years.

Happy seeding!
 
G

Guest

smarx

Hey man, thanks a bunch for the link. Just took a quick look at things and there appears to be a huge amount of info to rummage through. When I have the time, I'll see what I can find out with regard to my post above. I'll then report back in this thread if there is anything useful. I kinda thought this might be some good info for those growers that collect various strains & keep them for long periods of time.

Bh
 
JLP

JLP

Active member
Veteran
Sealing them with an inert gas shouldn't harm the seeds but I'm not sure if it would help either.Replacing the atmospheric air with gas would remove all the humidity from the container but a small amount of silica gel will achieve the same thing.
Fortunately,seeds are one of natures toughest creations.Kept in a cool,dry environment they will last for years.

JLP

Here's a couple tests I did to see how freezing effects germination.The dry ice is -100* F if I remember correctly.




 
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G

Guest

JLP

Thanks for your post......your info is much appreciated.
I guess ultimately, what I'm wondering about is .......if we reduce the possibility that oxidation can occur by displacing the air, will that prolong the seed's shelf life? To find out for yourself would probably take a few hundred seeds, complete with control groups & about 10 years. hehehe :chin:

Bh
 
N

Natural

Active member
I keep mine in the freezer...
They're in the breeder pack that they came with, rolled up and put in a jar of rice... They've been in there for over a year now. Still good germination rates too.
 
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