20-40 year old seeds

I was just gifted a jar full to the brim of seeds that vary in age from 20 to almost 40? years old. I guess this is going to turn into the great strain quest for me.

Do folks in general think there's a chance I will find some gems out of these?

Will they even germinate after so long?

The story of how I came to get these is a marvelous...but will have to be saved for another time

I'm guessing you'll get a 5% sprouting ratio or there about with seeds that old. Sometimes more, sometimes a lot less. Just depends how dried out they are basically. They may take a 10-20 days to sprout too- after that, they won't be any good. Seems almost like a waste of time to me......could take you years to find anything decent. Or maybe not.

I'm wondering about the germ. rate myself. Just dropped about 10 in a wet paper towel.

I certainly wouldn't dedicate a whole grow to the unknown seeds, but growing a few in a "time capsule" strain hunt seems fun to me.

good luck with your quest!

I just popped some 6 year old seeds about 3 weeks ago.... I went 3/4 but then ended up pulling one that was growing slow.... so 2/4....

these were kept in a freezer though and i think that definitely helps... the strain is Danny Boy... supposed to have some durban in it i think

20-40 years old? Wow...now that's finding long lost treasure. You can resurrect some strains that probably no longer exist! The problem with a jar full- It will take you years to even test them all, and even if you did lots at once, you could have far too many plants on your hands than you'd like.

This begs the question however- Has anyone here EVER popped seeds older than that? Ever?

I've heard of pretty old seeds being germinated successfully, though not that old. Still, I think you stand a decent chance of at least some of them germinating if they've been stored well.

A couple of years ago I found a little vial that I put some seeds in back in '74, so they were about 35 years old. They were from "a really good bag," which is the only thing we used to grow in the 70's and the 80's. So I tried to germinate them, there were about 20 seeds, and none popped.

Good luck with yours!

nice i just got some seeds from the 70s i am starting out with 60 hope i can get at least 1 male and female. Anytime they came across some awsome bud at the time they saved the seeds. I think it would be cool either way it turns out just to try something that was that old and would never be able to come across again

i'm a sucker for these old seed threads, still waiting to see a good grow that looks legitimate, but i keep hoping

Well , I put 15 in a paper towel a week ago and none from that group cracked... I will keep trying for sure. I do not think they were stored with care though, they were in ana attic.

I agree on the comment that it could take years to try them all. I joked that it was a lifetime supply of seeds.

These were collected over a long period by an herb purveyor in North Portland Oregon. We are hoping he would have only kept seeds from the best...

Anyone out there have thoughts on how to increase the liklihood of germintating them?

I am going to try a high nitrate pre-soak next.
http://forums.seedsavers.org/showthread.php?t=1135

I am also trying to bring back some of my old seeds.

I can get some of them to germinate, but the first set of true leaves never comes. I may try a pre-soak.

not sure what high nitrate will do, i'd guess it would cook a seed, gentle is what you need
there are a couple of methods i've seen, never had old seeds to try though
one is a bit of bleach to the sprouting water, not much, idea i think is to inhibit any bacteria that could do in a weak seedling
i've seen a few name breeders that have mentioned that's the technique they use
another method i've seen mentioned is kelp in the sprouting solution, micro nutes and the like

jujubee said:

I am also trying to bring back some of my old seeds.

I can get some of them to germinate, but the first set of true leaves never comes. I may try a pre-soak.

Click to expand...

presoak the seeds in a cup .. get some hydrogen peroxide.. 3 % stuff.. and add like 2 drops tothe water.. wait and till the seed pop and place in media with gloves on of course..

• Treatment of hempseed with ethylene gas will increase the resulting number of female plants by about 50%. Ethylene is produced by certain plants (i.e., bananas, cucumbers and melons), and these can be used to treat hempseed in a simple manner. About two weeks before you plan to sprout the seeds, place them in a paper bag or envelope and put that in a plastic bag with the peels of a ripening banana or cucumber. Replace the peels after a couple of days, and change the bags to prevent mold.
  
  
  

  • Ethylene is a plant hormone. It has to do with plant germination, fruit growth, and fruit ripening. It is widely used in agriculture to make the fruits sprout quickly, fully, and uniformly.
    
    
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hmmm......