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Question about Chile seed shelf life

11 years ago

First, I'd like to say that Heather's seed exhange is awesome. I sent in 21 packets and got back 39 packets of seed, all really nice cultivars which I'm very excited to grow out. Thanks also to folks out there who were kind enough to trade seed with me.

Now, there's no way that I'll be able to take care of some 50-odd plants next year. I am wondering how long the seed will remain viable for. If I don't plant them next season, will the seed still germinate the following season? What about in five years? Also, what are the optimal storage conditions? I've read that chile "germ plasm" (i.e. seeds) are best stored frozen for best longevity. On the other hand, some folks tell me that they try to prevent their seed from freezing and prefer storage at room temperature. How should I be storing seeds that I plan to germinate in a couple months or a couple years?

With a nice collection of seeds starting, it would be nice if I could keep them around for years on end, each year selecting those varieties I'd like to grow and carrying the rest over indefinitely...could it work like that or is the loss of viability too quick? Or is it more like the other extreme...for varieties I want to keep in my collection, do I need to grow them out each year to produce new viable seed? And how is this done commercially - how long would a large scale vendor keep their seed around for?

Lots of questions here, and I understand there may be no simple answers. I guess I'm looking for a general idea of what to expect. Thanks!

This post was edited by maple_grove on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 13:12

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Comments (2)

esox07 (4b) Wisconsin
11 years ago
Many people on this list use more than one year old seed. I have seen posts claiming 7+ year seed germination. I think someone posted a while back that they found a partial packet of pepper seeds in a drawer that were at least that old an they germinated fine.
The key is to make sure they are good and dry before storing them. They are commonly stored in small envelopes at room temp. Some refrigerate them. But I think the biggest issue is ensuring they stay dry or you might experience a mold problem or them may try to germinate while in storage.

I have used two year old seed with no problems at all but I have only been growing peppers for a few years. I started out storing mine in small envelopes but now I store mine in capped test tubes with a small pack of desiccant to control moisture. I then keep them in the dark at room temp or slightly cooler temps.

I am sure others will be able to provide their experiences as well. But you should be able to store seed for several years with little effort.
Bruce
fusion_power
11 years ago
There are lots of variety dependencies. There are also species effects. Most peppers germination drops off rather fast compared to seed of other Solanacea. Seed up to 3 years old will germinate reasonably well. From 3 to 6 years, germination will drop to less than 50% for many varieties. Past 6 years is a crapshoot. You might get some plants, you might not. There will be problems with vigor as seed get older.

Proper storage will increase the usable life of your seed. Verify that they are fully dry. Put them in a glass jar in paper envelopes and add 2 or 3 packs of dessicant. Be sure it has been properly prepared by heating it until it is fully dried first. Seal the jar with a metal lid. Wait 3 days for the desiccant to absorb moisture, then put it in the freezer. Seed stored this way will last at least twice as long as they will stored at room temperature.

DarJones
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