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Gardening in Oz

Old seeds.

21 years ago

Reasontly planted carrot seeds with a useby date mid 1986 and looks like I'll get a good crop one day.Planted bean seeds with a simular date not one came up.Question.how long do some seeds "live"and has anyone else had sucess with "old" seeds.

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Comments (12)

annabel__WA
21 years ago
Some seeds need to be planted fresh!! Did you plant all the beans or can you try sprouting some to see if they are OK.
User
21 years ago
Paddy,
Every plants seeds have different lengths of viability. When buildings in London were bombed during the war (some of them hundreds of years old) amongst the rubble, green growth was seen everywhere as old seed germinated. I believe that they found viable wheat seeds in the pyramids! Other seeds need to be as fresh as possible to germinate. The use by date on the packet is an indication of the best time frame to use them by. It doesn't mean they couldn't possibly be alright after that. I reckon if you have them you might as well give it a try...what have you got to lose?!
Cheers,
Dee.
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Sorry this is so long, I have a few things to ask about, and give info on. I'll try and upload a recent pic of of the Sapling, to try and show what I mean by the branches are confusing, which makes it hard to count the nodes. So you start at the base and count upward only along one stem. But really, node count doesn't mean anything to YOU. Only the plant knows the magic number where mature growth will begin. The whole point is that the plant has to reach some certain number before growth will transform to 'mature' and then it will be ready to bloom. At that point the plant will probably be quite tall, like 6 to 9 feet or more. But once that node is reached, perhaps some kind of hormone is given off, for the plant will then begin to bloom further and further down in subsequent seasons. Unfortunately it is still in the same pot, as the original pic. I'm trying to repot it. It also looks bare in spots due to leaf loss, otherwise it seems happy and starting growth back nicely. Make sure you check for spider mites. Leaves look a bit silvery and mottled to me (from here). Generally you'd repot in spring or summer. Plants are traumatized enough with indoor winters. I also have a Navel Orange Seedling that I think is about a year old, I bought it last July, I also have 4 Bitter (Marmalade) Oranges, 3 that came up Monoembrionic, 1 of them came up Polyembrionic so I'm really curious how they grow side by side, and a Mandarin Orange seed I just put on damp paper towel with warmth yesterday. All those should grow true-to-type, but can take many, many years. I would not waste my money buying seedlings, personally. Orange tree seedlings will need to get at least 14 feet high before they will bloom. Plus my mature trees, a Eureka Lemon, a Ponderosa Lemon, a Calamondin Orange, and my most confusing the Meyer Lime. I have scoured the internet and I can't find any information on it, only cocktail trees which are equally as confusing lol There should be a lot of info online about Meyer lemon. Check YouTube as well. I have gotten fruit off it, they tasted like a mix of orange, lemon and Lime but the peel smells exactly like a Meyer Lemon but when I cut it open it smells like an Orange Lime, I was wondering if you have any suggestions for both the Sapling and the Meyer Lime? What kind of help or suggestions are you looking for? I currently have the Meyer Lime on a heated seed mat with a grow light set for spring, (it was on a table by a large bay window for winter for a few months [sept]) as its completely bare besides a tiny branch and 3 tiny leaves. If your Meyer was outside for the summer, it is dropping leaves because of the great change in environment. Most citrus are not very happy growing in a warm, dry home in winter. My citrus are wintered in the garage where the temps are in the 45-55 degree range and the humidity is 50 to 75%. They love it and are usually in full bloom by late March/April. I'm not sure your heat mat is helping. I missed watering it and it dropped all its leaves just before winter and it's been extremely slow to grow back so I'm trying to trick it into thinking its spring and send a flush of leaves, though I just put it there today so it needs time. Winter leaf growth indoors will be weak and prone to pests like spider mites, scale, aphids. So you'll have to keep aware of outbreaks. Don't overwater if the plants have no leaves. As long as twigs remain green, the plant is alive. I'm always reading and learning, mostly on amazing forums like this one, I've learned alot reading your comments with others about node counts, which is why I asked then remembered I had this post I can ask on
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Interesting post, since this past winter I decided what the heck and went ahead and sowed some seeds from the early aughts and late 90's. I didn't have any luck though. Perhaps I should have tried the paper towel method. But then again my seeds are not very carefully stored. Gotta say it amazed me to see seeds from 1992 and the like in my seedbox! I couldn't believe it had been that long since I had sown some of those flowers. Geez time does fly. I had been thinking, instead of throwing away these old seeds I would at the very least dump them in the garden and see what happens, but maybe I will try being a little more methodical and try the paper. gdinie let us know how things turn out! :) Dee
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alisonoz_gw
21 years ago
That's pretty good about the carrots Pat. I guess some things can lie dormant for years just waiting for a chance at life! Hope you have a good crop.
robyn5760
21 years ago
I planted fresh chestnut seed nuts and much to my amazement got 98% germination. At the same time I planted fresh acorns and had 100% nothing rate... Must have been the way I held my mouth when planting - I mean, acorns sprout all over the place here - except where I plant the blimmin' things.
Sparaxis
21 years ago
I have a hollyhock growing here, (and flowering still:-) that a friend grew from seed from a plant that came up after a 100 year old slate path was lifted in a large old garden in Ballarat. The plant grew from underneath one of the slates, not in the cracks. Now it is fair to say that the person finding the plant assumed the seed was 100 years old, but it may not have been. It may have fallen on the soil after the stones were lifted. The plant did not however grow in the vicinity at that time.
Seeds found in pharoahs tombs have been known to germinate.
Robyn, maybe your acorns weren't mature enough to germinate - still green perhaps? I can imagine that you would normally expect over 100% from Ballarat acorns - LOL
User
21 years ago
Robyn,

To grow acorns, loosen the soil to 10 inches then plant the acorns on their side about 2 inches deep.

Cheers,
Dee.
paddy_2
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks all for your comments.seams like all seeds aint seeds like all oils aint oils. starting to get shoots of canner?lilies that I thought I killed about 10--15 years ago.I know lots of plants get carried by the wind & birds.anyhow found another packet different beans same vintage and still have some of the "failure"beans will try again under "nicer"conditions and not just in the garden.will post results if any.
User
21 years ago
Paddy,
What is the story with your Canna lilies? Did they reappear after you moved something else or what? I find that quite interesting.
Cheers,
Dee.
paddy_2
Original Author
21 years ago
Hi Dee-I thought at the time I had dug up all the bulbs ect and planted hippies that over the years have thickened up quite considerably now all of a sudden up comes the cannas. don't think it can be birds I know of no other cannas any where around and despite lots of other garden beds close by they are only appearing in the exact spot where they first were. I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.
User
21 years ago
That is astonishing Paddy, what a surprise. Gardening is full of unexplained mysteries I think! Perhaps that's part of what makes it so enjoyable.
Cheers,
Dee.
User
21 years ago
When I was out gardening a week or so ago, I got my 3yr. old grand-daughter to plant some rather geriatric nasturtium seeds that had fallen down the back of the shelf in the potting shed.
She was quite excited at the prospect of them turning into flowers and I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't happen....but it did; the same day that she came home from kinder with green paint on her thumb (I kid you not!) was the day we found the little shoots popping up! Is this an omen of a new gardener in the family? I sure hope so!
Cheers,
Dee. (excited Grandma)
new_garden_convert
19 years ago
I have heard that nasturtiums are sometimes used to replace capers in cooking is that true?
Cheers
Ctace (Stacey)

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