How long do seeds last

It has been a number of years since I have done any kind of growing. I do have seeds that has been sitting around for a few years now. How long will seeds last for they've been kept dry and pretty much in the dark

So far as i understand seed viability drops after 6 months, then sharply after 3 years of storage. Even if so, i've heard of people germinating 10 year old seeds successfully... and even older.

Just try it

I just popped a 10 pack about 10yrs old. 2 germinated.
No fancy storage. They were in a lock box in a closet for all those years.

They were alot slower at the start compared to newer seeds.

eyderbuddy said:

So far as i understand seed viability drops after 6 months, then sharply after 3 years of storage. Even if so, i've heard of people germinating 10 year old seeds successfully... and even older.

Just try it

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Happy New Year.

Boatguy said:

I just popped a 10 pack about 10yrs old. 2 germinated.
No fancy storage. They were in a lock box in a closet for all those years.

They were alot slower at the start compared to newer seeds.

Click to expand...

I am doing a water soaking until they sink then doing paper towel until open.

Did you do anything special?

Thank you.

Happy New Year

jjmd said:

I am doing a water soaking until they sink then doing paper towel until open.

Did you do anything special?

Thank you.

Happy New Year

Click to expand...

I did water soak, then straight into jiffy peat pellets.
I have killed a few using the paper towel method, so i dont do that anymore.

There's a handful of methods to help old beans pop. Roughing up the shell of the seed, you can line a small container with sandpaper and shake them around inside to help the shell open easier. A soak in URB seems to work well too. And then there's a peroxide soak, it can help deliver a little bit of oxygen and will help kill microorganisms that can dampen off the little guys.

macsnax said:

There's a handful of methods to help old beans pop. Roughing up the shell of the seed, you can line a small container with sandpaper and shake them around inside to help the shell open easier. A soak in URB seems to work well too. And then there's a peroxide soak, it can help deliver a little bit of oxygen and will help kill microorganisms that can dampen off the little guys.

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Happy New Year

Viability of seeds is dependent on how they have been stored. Hot environments are not good for seed storage which is why it's better to store seeds in a cool environment. The environment the seeds have been in will determine their viability.

You can treat old seeds with GA3 "Gibberellic Acid" to potentially help with germination.

had about 5000 plus ice seeds they sprouted good when I needed them so I put them in a tupper wear container and stored them about 4 years just this last summer I tried about 10... nothing then about 50... nothing then I just took them all and scattered in my garden with some fresh soil on top not a one popped ...they were kept in a dry cool place in the dark my closet so I don't know what happened .