Old Seed Germination

14 years ago

Today is a good day! I used a lot of seed from my old stash this year. I hadn't winter sown since 04/05. I had quite a bit in that box that hadn't seen daylight since then. I stored them in my closet with silaca gel packs to keep them dry.

So far some of what hasn't come up is columbine, but my new seeds for that haven't sprouted yet so I still have hope. What has sprouted is amazing!

Yarrow, three kinds

Blanket flower

catnip

Foxglove

Alyssum

Candytuft, two types

Sweet William

Maiden Pinks

I knew some would sprout, but I hardly expected near 100% germination! The only containers that I'm sure have been lost are Sweet Peas, but that coulod be for reasons other than age. Snaps might be another dud... but who cares? I'm still doin' a happy dance!

Comments (11)

kiddo_1
14 years ago
Kris puts on her dancin' shoes and joins ND in doing the WS line dance. bum-ba-bum-ba - bum ba!....
tiffy_z5_6_can
14 years ago
Great going!! Nice to take a leap of faith and have it come through. :O)
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I'm a compulsive seed buyer and have seed that I will probably NEVER get a chance to sow! There's just something about those packets of seeds that thrills me. I do try to store them properly. This year, I'm sowing a lot of "old" seed, with quite a few from 2001 and 2002. So far, I have germination with: Alyssum (2001 and 2004) Red Scallop Poppy (2003) Bachelor Buttons (2003 and 2005) Dianthus 'Siberian Blues' (2006) Some of the others look promising (seeds swelling up), but nothing that can be called germination yet. I've got a container of Burpee's Bush Big Boy tomatoes - seeds from 2000. Those, I think, are a real leap of faith. PV
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I hate to rain on this parade. It is very unlikely that any of your seed will grow. There is however a small chance if you will try the method below: How can I improve germination and "Wake UP" old or poor quality seed? Old seed gradually lose viability because of oxidation of the endosperm and loss of nutrients in the embryo. If the seed are dead, they are dead, no amount of heroics will make them grow. If even a few of the seed are viable, then here are some steps that may help. 1. The most important and essential item needed is water, but not in excess. The next most important is oxygen. Third most important is nitrate. Fourth is a source of growth regulators like salicylic acid. 2. Prepare a seed start tray with good quality moistened seed start mix such as promix bx. This MUST be sterile mix! 3. Get some miracle grow or peters or whatever variety available of water soluble fertilizer with a high nitrate content. Mix 1/2 teaspoon fertilizer with a quart of water. Alternatively, use "tea" made from oak or tea leaves as below. 4. Saturate a paper towel with the fertilizer water and then let just enough drip out to be thoroughly wet. 5. Loosely wrap a large quantity of seed in the paper towel so that the seed are not clumped up, but are in a single layer with each seed touching the towel. 6. Place the paper towel in a ziploc bag and drop it in the refrigerator for 16 to 20 hours. The bag MUST contain air, the seed need oxygen! See instructions below to increase the oxygen level if you feel that might help. 7. Remove the seed from the paper towel and carefully sow them on top of the seed start mix well spread out so that seed do not touch each other. 8. Do NOT heavily cover the seed, instead, gather a small amount of the seed start mix and dust it over the seed so that they can still receive light but have a light dusting on top. The easiest way to do this is by putting the seed start mix in a large mesh screen kitchen sifter/strainer. The seed must be spread out so they are not touching each other, otherwise mold will be a problem. 9. Place the seed start tray in an incubator at 85 degrees for up to 20 days. A chicken egg incubator works fine for this purpose. Humidity must be kept very high. If you are using a chicken egg incubator, fill the water tray and keep it filled. If you are trying to germinate them at room temp, cover them with a sheet of plastic to prevent evaporative cooling and to keep the seed moist. 10. check the seed daily to see if any are breaking the seedcoat and if so, put them in very bright light immediately. 11. Be patient. I have had seed take up to 7 weeks to germinate. 12. Old seed that manage to germinate may have a range of problems from stuck seedcoats to missing growing points. Stuck seedcoats are easiest to remove by coating them with saliva and waiting 30 minutes, then pinching the seedcoat off. If there is no growing point but the cotyledons are healthy, wait patiently, they will often generate an adventitious shoot which will grow normally. Increasing the oxygen content in the ziploc bag can help. I have done this by putting a cup of hydrogen peroxide in a pint jar and then adding a package of dry yeast. This releases a huge amount of oxygen which you can capture by holding the ziploc bag over the top of the jar. To make seed tea: Get some dry oak leaves, crumble them up, then pour 1 quart of boiling water over them. Let them steep until the water is cool, then pour the water through a strainer into a quart jar and add 1/2 of an aspirin (pure old plain generic aspirin is salicylic acid, a plant growth regulator) and 1/2 of a teaspoon of a water soluble fertilizer such as miracle grow. Soak a paper towel in the liquid and wring out most of it. This also works using ordingary "tea" leaves. The tannic acid from the oak leaves prevents mold and helps break dormancy. The salicylic acid from the aspirin stimulates growth. The nitrate from the fertilizer triggers the seed to initiate growth. But the magic secret is that it contains water. Remember, no matter what you do, you can't wake up a dead seed!
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patrushka
14 years ago
Fantastic!!! Don't ya just love it?

My 87 year old mother likes Beefsteak Tomatoes. I sowed several seeds from two different packets (hers) packed for 1994. Other tomatoes were sprouting but nothing in that jug. I really didn't expect any to grow. I was amazed when I saw the first sprout. There are now six of them.

Pat
northerner_on
14 years ago
I wanted to grow Lupins this year, but had not received any trades early in the year, but I found some saved in 1999. It's strange that I was not a gardener then, but I still saved seeds. However, I threw them in a container and would you believe they are gowing - sprouted before some I got in a trade. They were stored in a little film cannister, and it will be interesting to see what the blooms are like. The label says 'red' but I can't remember where I got them!!Adventure!!
karendee
14 years ago
wow that is great. good to know some old seeds may still sprout!

Karen
nancy_drew
Original Author
14 years ago
I just love this! I knew old seed would sprout, but never expected this well! It takes away any guilt about not sowing what I have right away. I know I can tuck them away for a year or three or four... and still get them to sprout like new! I have some Columbine, Scott Elliot mix that I can't wait for!! Those are from 2002.
sheltieche
14 years ago
It is really matter of luck when trying old seeds... good luck with columbines although everywhere it stated columbine is no good after one year...
re strange germination habits- I got couple aconitum seeds from Gardens North during late fall and germination was good, about half f the seeds germinated and I was happy. Now when Gardens North had their 50% off sale in April I ordered those seeds again- just love aconitums, can not have enough- what do you know I had 100% germination now and much more uniform...
and I know from vast experience how difficult to germinate older acontium seeds....
vera_eastern_wa
14 years ago
I know the excitement!

I sowed (indoors) seeds from Crocosmia 'Lucifer' a month ago that I harvested in 2004. It took 3 weeks, but I've now got 5 baby plants. I'm completely ticked :)

Every year I sow a few containers of old flower/Veg seed that I've been holding on too. Last year my best and fastest pepper germination came from 6 year old Jalapeno 'Biker Billy'! Go figure.
Not so sure I'll get anything popping up in my 7 year old sweet corn or french bush beans though. I did get back up bush beans (Blue Lake) from Walmart sown just in case, but forgot to grab corn. Not so sure another 80 mile round trip just for that is worth it though :(
nancy_drew
Original Author
14 years ago
Good luck with those bush beans, Vera! The tree rats got mine! I sowed a second batch and now they're setting roots, but just won't pop up! They've been that way for about a week and it's getting on my nerves! I yelled at them today, "Am I going to have to get my beans from a can again this year, or WHAT?" No response... defiant I tell ya!
mo_girl
14 years ago
Congrats! It's so fun to see how resilient Mother Nature is, isn't it?

I have been surprised several times by old seeds. I still have some tomato seeds left I got for free from Trudi's site three years ago. I didn't have a lot left, but had several Chadwick Cherry seedlings came up. I remember these from my first year, and they were so prolific right up until frost.

I have some old Thai Bottle Gourd seeds that were a couple years old when I purchased them on sale, a couple years ago. The two I direct sowed into my raised beds are no shows, so I planted almost all the rest in a container. I am really hoping to get at least one, preferably two. I will report my results later. I let a few of my cucuzzi gourds cure outside over the winter, and I think I might be hooked. I haven't tried any crafts with them yet, but I think it could be fun.
keiaraa
14 years ago
I'm having luck with old seeds well. I wasn't able to garden one year, and then not really into it the next, so other then some virginia stock seeds I picked off a few plants last year, all my seeds are from 04-06 and a mix of seed trade and purchased packet leftovers.

Particularly thrilled that my mutant cosmos (had extra petals - not quite like anything I've seen in pictures from seed companies) from 05 or 06 (note to self - date packets in future) has sprouted a couple days ago. I am really curious to see what that one looks like when it blooms.

Old Seed Germination

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kiddo_1

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