Seed Patch

LongWait

Active Member
I do a small indoor grow where I take clones to keep genetics. Last year I put outside some clones that would have been thrown away to see how they would do. It was a losing battle to bugs and mold. This year I put outside 6 female clones and 1 male clone to see if I could get some seeds. Thinking that seeds wouldn't be affected by mold etc. 1 male amnesia 3 jack herer f 1 jack flash f 1 blue kush f 1 deep cheese.

  1. How does mold affect seed? The blue kush was totally browned out with just a brown clump for buds but was loaded with what seem to be good seeds.
  2. How do you harvest for seeds? a.Do you chop at regular time as for buds or let them just go till completely browned out? b.After chopping do you just dry out longer or do you cure in jars? c.Do you leave in buds or try to separate everything at once?
  3. Do you clean seeds off with any bleach water solution or h2o2(peroxide). Soaking for a few minutes especially if bud seemed moldy?
  4. Best way to store? Cold dark with rice in dark containers like film canisters. Pictures I've seen are all in plastic zip lock sandwich bags.
Just trying to get a feel for how people deal with their seeds. Thanks for any replies.
 

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SageFromZen

Well-Known Member
Questions 1) and 3) I breed chile peppers and they're a type of seed that are more susceptible to mold upon germination than other seed types. If you have any mold concerns you don't have to worry about it right now. By proxy every season I soak my seeds in a small glass of water with a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide and then rinse them before putting them into the germination towels. I do this with all heirloom seed species.

Question 2) Me personally, I mark off whatever branch that I've pollinated with different colored ribbons and document which color was pollinated with what. If I'm breeding out single branches(as opposed to pollinating the whole plant), I harvest the un-pollinated colas and hang them in the shed before sun-up so there is minimal nutrients within the plant at time of harvest.

I leave the pollinated branches on the plant until I can either see that the seeds have matured or I'll pop-open a calyx and see what color they are. I prefer fully mature seeds of dark color but that's just me. Depending on when pollination took place by the time your trichomes are cloudy to turning amber most seeds are ready as early as then but my personal preference is to leave those seeded arms on the plant to mature a little longer. At time of seed harvest I gently cut each remaining seeded arm off the plant and hang them with the others. Gently, I say, so that you don't lose any seeds that may already be loose enough to get free.

Dry no differently than you would your bud harvest until thin small branches "snap" between your fingers. I use a large 16 inch stainless steel kitchen mixing bowl and by one ribbon color over the bowl at a time I gently rub the seeds free. This allows one to easily separate seeds from vegetable matter. I also let the seeds sit in a bowl of open air on top of my refrigerator for an extra day or two to insure that any remaining moisture has evaporated out. The temperature on top of my fridge keeps and average 60 or so degrees Fahrenheit.

Question 4) I go to my local head shop and depending on what quantity of seeds I have on hand per strain I purchase glass vials(those commonly used to store illicit powdered substances ie: 1 Gram vial, 2 Gram vial etc), and I also purchase little ziplock baggies to accommodate whatever size vials. I put each strain type into their own vial and in turn put each vial into their own tightly fitting ziplock bag with the name of what's inside written on the bag with a sharpie pen. I also like to keep a journal with notes about whatever I may need to know the following season about that particular strain. It's a good idea to keep a journal of every grow from start to finish anyway.

All said and done I keep my ziplock vials in a bigger mason jar in a cool dark place in my closet. Some people get real superstitious and even religious about seed storage temperatures. Some put them in the crisper in the fridge; others put them in the freezer. I know people that put them in the kitchen cupboard with no consideration of temperature at all who don't have any complaints either. My method with an ambient temperature in the mid-40's Fahrenheit hasn't failed me yet. I've germinated seeds up to 5 years later with minimal loss. I've also completely creamed seeds in the past when driving through the desert in high temperatures!!! Temperature is indeed important and in my experience don't let any temperatures rise above what Mother Nature does outside from Fall to Spring. Cannabis is by origin an outdoor plant whose seeds drop in the Fall for a new life in Spring when the gravitational pull of the Earth informs them that its time "pop" and wake up with those Spring rains.

Hope this helps!
 
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SageFromZen

Well-Known Member
Please pardon the poor 2mp picture quality. It's all I've got at the moment.
The first image is what my ziplocks look like front and back with the vial inside. The second image is a small portion of other things I've got laying around just to give you a better idea. Air tight and cool is the combination that's needed for preserving seeds imho.
 

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LongWait

Active Member
Sage Thanks for taking the time to reply and the great Information. Do you think it makes sense to rinse them in in water and peroxide after harvest and before storage? I was thinking a few ml of peroxide to a cup of water and dropping the seeds in for 2-5 min. Then scooping them out and drying completely with paper towels. How long do you soak your seed in water peroxide before germinating?
 
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