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Old seed viability

L

Lieder

Hey guys, in high school I used to grow peppers and bought quite a few pepper varieties that never got planted. 8+ years later I just bought a house with my wife, bought a 8 tube Sun Blaster T5HO fixture and just getting back into growing peppers. I soaked the seeds for 24-48 hours in a weak tea solution and have the peppers growing on a heat pad around 75 degrees. I noticed that the seeds were fairly hard (to be expected) after the soak and 8 days into their germination I disturbed some seeds and found them just as hard. Is 8 years TOO long for seeds to sit. I understand that it's not advisable, but just for knowledge even if the seeds were stored in perfect conditions, would/could they still germinate after that time period?
 
Thanks for your help and experience,
Josh
 
It might be a little bit too long but I wouldn't give up on them yet. I bet you can get at least a few to sprout. Turn the heat up to 80 and have patience.
 
And depending on how they were stored, some will last longer than 10 years. I agree that seeds seem to prefer 80f or above for quick germination. 75f works for most, but certain types will take a long time to sprout.
 
Soaking overnight in a weak Saltpeter / potassium nitrate solution will loosen the dried outer shell and germinate quicker.
 
Since you started so early for 2014, you still have loads of time to start over in case this sowing/planting doesn't work out.
 
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