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seeds Any reason to not use place dessicant in seed packs

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dragon49

I just purchased a few packs of this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038N30OY


Most of my seeds are kept in various size ziplock bags. I was wondering if placing a pack in each ziplock could cause harm, by drying out the seed too much?

Should I do this or not?
 
Just wondering if it really defeats the object of germinating in a ziplock bag? taking the moisture out would maybe dry it out too much, and if you're wetting the seeds anyway to germinate whether the bag would get wet?
 
I believe you are just talking about storing them. The desiccant packs should not harm the seeds in that case.
 
dragon49 said:
I just purchased a few packs of this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038N30OY


Most of my seeds are kept in various size ziplock bags. I was wondering if placing a pack in each ziplock could cause harm, by drying out the seed too much?

Should I do this or not?
Click to expand...

I am guessing you mean for storage not for germination. For storage I don't see a problem with it. A few people on here recommend it, especially if you are in a high humidity climate. I don't use them but I also have not stored my seeds for over a year (just starting and I like to plant a lot and share my plants rather than save my seeds)
 
I use it, I lost too many good seeds before using it. IM,NSH,O, it is a must if you are storing in ziplock bags. You can also buy it at your local Michael's or Hobby Lobby, with their weekly/biweekly coupon for about $9.oo a lb. Which could very well last you for the rest of your life...
 
To confirm, I am storing, not germinating. From the advice given in the replies, I will add the dessicant to the ziplocks, when I receive the packs. I am having fun with this hobby, but for at least the next few years, I will have have a lot more seeds than I can grow, and want to preserve them as long as I can.
 
I'm trying something new this year for 'long-term' storage. Seeds go into labeled small plain manilla (paper) envelopes. The envelopes go into a wide-mouthed Mason jar with a couple of dessicant packs in the jar, and the jar goes into the refrig (not freezer). If the seeds are properly dried out first, I feel this method will keep them for at least a few years.
 
I'm also going to research my past purchases, trades, and saved seeds from my own plants, so I can label the individual packages with the dates. In my brief growing carreer, my record for oldest seed sprouted is a 2 year old Jwala seed.
 
Yes you can use silica gel to keep the seed dry, moisture is the main important thing for long term preservation of seeds.
Keep in mind that silica gel won't take the moisture eternally and must be heated to be dry again (a good thing is to use silica gel with moisture coloured indicator).
But ziplock bags aren't totally airtight, so moisture can come in. A good thing is to store the ziplock bags in a sealed jar.
Here is a good link about long term preservation of seeds:
http://www.seedcontainers.net/a_guide_to_long-term_seed_preservation.html
 
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