Age of Seeds

when you germinate em and they dont have a tong comeing out

cali-high said:

when you germinate em and they dont have a tong comeing out

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I dont know how long is too long, but they have no tong i know what your talking about tho and its called a taproot.
If you germenate your seed and no taproot comes out after a while, i think you got a dud.
Now i would also like to know whats the longest you can keep a seed for because, i have some bagseed that were old and sprouted.

I know that seeds can last at least a year b/c I used year old seeds for my first grow. But they can and will get too old eventually.

For uninterrupted long term storage, freezing in a vacuum pack with a dessicant is best. Each time a batch of seeds goes through a freeze/thaw cycle, a few become unviable. For storage lengths of a few years or less, room temperature storage in an airtight container with a dessicant is satisfactory. Vacuum packing with dessicant and room temperature storage is best for access without the thaw and re-freezing that kills them. The problem with using the refrigerator for any period of time is the excessive amount of moisture constantly present. Each time the door is opened, moisture condenses on items inside, for which the dessicant is an inadequate deterrent for molds. A vacuum sealed container should not condense moisture on the inside. I have no knowledge of the effective lifespan of rice as a dessicant, but it could be replaced occasionally if suspected to be losing effectiveness. Using heat to remove any moisture present in rice or other "makeshift" dessicants will improve effectiveness and longevity. I have heard of vermiculite being used as a dessicant, but would recommend silica gel as a first choice. I heard of properly stored seeds over 10 years old still germinating at acceptable rates.

I got lucky I think. Just soaked 4 seeds yesterday 2 Bubble gum 1999. And 2 tutti fruity 70's era I know the tutti fruity is 70's genitics but from 4-6 years old all have taproot in 1 day. Don't know how they were stored tho.

There is a thread on another site regarding a grower who claims to be germinating 28 year old seeds....he says he has 80% success rate....
Interesting.

I have kept and grown out seeds that were almost 10 years old...(I never froze them)...then I ran out of them.....arghhh!

Wow. I never knew you could use seeds as old as what you all have said.