seeds Collecting seeds

[winland]

I hope this is the right place to ask newbie questions.
 
When you cut a pepper in half and collect the seeds, a few of the seeds are loose in the pod.
Most of the peppers are connected to a central core.
Are all the seeds viable?
Are just the loose seeds viable?
Do you cut out the central core and let it dry a bit and then knock off the seeds?
 
Am I over analyzing this whole thing?
 

 

[PrimeTime]

Pull whatever seeds you like and pop em on a labeled and dated paper plate. Shake em around every day or so and pack em up after 3 weeks. Thats what I do at least. Pull as much veg off of them as you can but don't go crazy. It comes off easier as it dries.
 
You want nice ripe pods to get seed out of.
 
Enjoy

 

[Nigel]

Good Question! PrimeTime has covered very nicely it for you. Ripe pods are the important part of the equation.

 

[Wicked Mike]

Agreed. I would add that I rinse my seeds in a sieve (you'll be glad you did this later, when you go to plant those superhot seeds and touch your face or something), and I dry them at ~70 degrees under a ceiling fan on warp speed.
 
Also, when your seed is done drying, you'll probably want to fish out and discard any seeds that are undersized or darkly discolored. Big, hefty, light-colored (except with pubescens) seeds are more likely to germinate successfully.
 
I also remember having read somewhere that seeds that are air-dried in the pods have a higher germination rate, but whatever.

I hope this is the right place to ask newbie questions.

 
Newbie questions are the best kind. When there are newbie questions being asked, it's because we have newbies. And that, in my experience, is always a good thing.

 

[winland]

Agreed. I would add that I rinse my seeds in a sieve
 
I also remember having read somewhere that seeds that are air-dried in the pods have a higher germination rate, but whatever.

When you say "air-dried" might that include drying with a dehydrator or does that kill the seeds?

 

[Jamison]

When you say "air-dried" might that include drying with a dehydrator or does that kill the seeds?

Depends on temps. I think the rule of thumb is 105 or less. Might be 110. You'd be better off drying them at room temp.

 

[scarekrow]

Not to hijack but also a  newb questions. How long would the seeds be viable for, 1,2,3 years? And what is the best way to keep them for long term storage

 

[tsurrie]

if you keep them well storaged, in a cool and dry place, they should remain viable for at least 3 years and longer .... I keep them in baggies in a box in the closet in my hobby room

maybe someone could add to this about how much time you gain if you freeze seeds and keep then that way??

 

[Shorerider]

I wouldn't cut the pods in half when collecting seeds as you could cut through some seeds which would obviously render them useless.
 
I tear my pods with my fingers when collecting seeds.
 
SR.

 

[tsurrie]

beware of flying drops of oil heading to your eyes while tearing .... been there, done that, do not recommend

I usually cut the pod all around just enough to get it open ... like I would cut an orange peel to remove it faster

 

[Wicked Mike]

Depends on temps. I think the rule of thumb is 105 or less. Might be 110. You'd be better off drying them at room temp.

That's pretty much the impression I had. I dry at around 100 degrees, but I also don't harvest seed from dried pods.
 
 

Not to hijack but also a  newb questions. How long would the seeds be viable for, 1,2,3 years? And what is the best way to keep them for long term storage

That's a good question. Personally, I don't sell/trade seeds that are more than a year old. While a seeds MAY remain viable for years, I like being able to count on consistently high germination rates.
 
When it comes to storage, my seeds go into labeled coin bags which are stored alphabetically (because I'm just that compulsive) at roughly 70 degrees. While I've heard of other people freezing seeds, I'm not so sure about it. No matter how well you dry your seeds, there's going to be SOME moisture in them; water expands when frozen, which damages cells. I'd imagine the question of how quickly they reach freezing is also a factor.
 
I'd be inclined to refrigerate them before I froze them. A refrigerator is essentially a big, cold dehumidifier.
 

 

[coachspencerxc]

Not sure if it does any good but I put about 6-8 grains of rice in a pack after drying.

 

[winland]

I would have thought that keeping seeds in sealed plastic baggies would possibly promote mold/mildew/fungus growth.
Would have expected most people to use small manila envelopes.

 

[John1234]

Plastic bags, like the ones pictured above, are not air/moisture tight. Mould would need much higher levels of moisture/humidity to grow than one is looking for in properly dried seeds. It's also fairly common to presoak in chamomile or H202 before drying, though I believe that is more relevant to post-germination.
 

That's pretty much the impression I had. I dry at around 100 degrees, but I also don't harvest seed from dried pods.
 
 

That's a good question. Personally, I don't sell/trade seeds that are more than a year old. While a seeds MAY remain viable for years, I like being able to count on consistently high germination rates.
 
When it comes to storage, my seeds go into labeled coin bags which are stored alphabetically (because I'm just that compulsive) at roughly 70 degrees. While I've heard of other people freezing seeds, I'm not so sure about it. No matter how well you dry your seeds, there's going to be SOME moisture in them; water expands when frozen, which damages cells. I'd imagine the question of how quickly they reach freezing is also a factor.
 
I'd be inclined to refrigerate them before I froze them. A refrigerator is essentially a big, cold dehumidifier.

 
I believe 5-6% moisture content is perfectly fine for freezing, without loss of germination rates. I did try to find a reference yesterday, but gave up too soon It varies with different plant types, but 4-6 percent covers 99% of plants. It's quite easy to measure if you have enough seeds for destructive testing. Otherwise, a long drying process in a low humidity environment should do the trick (I have not tried/tested, regurgitating what seed producers recommend). It's almost impossible to dry seeds below 5% without vacuum pressure if I recall correctly.

 

[Wicked Mike]

Plastic bags, like the ones pictured above, are not air/moisture tight. Mould would need much higher levels of moisture/humidity to grow than one is looking for in properly dried seeds. It's also fairly common to presoak in chamomile or H202 before drying, though I believe that is more relevant to post-germination.
 

 
I believe 5-6% moisture content is perfectly fine for freezing, without loss of germination rates. I did try to find a reference yesterday, but gave up too soon It varies with different plant types, but 4-6 percent covers 99% of plants. It's quite easy to measure if you have enough seeds for destructive testing. Otherwise, a long drying process in a low humidity environment should do the trick (I have not tried/tested, regurgitating what seed producers recommend). It's almost impossible to dry seeds below 5% without vacuum pressure if I recall correctly.

See, now that right there is why we collaborate.

I would have thought that keeping seeds in sealed plastic baggies would possibly promote mold/mildew/fungus growth.
Would have expected most people to use small manila envelopes.

Good train of thought. And in some cases, such as storing dried pods in bags, I'd agree. When they're thoroughly cleaned and dried, though, I still get germination rates in the 90-100% range.

Not sure if it does any good but I put about 6-8 grains of rice in a pack after drying.

I've seen other guys do this. Can't hurt.

 

[John1234]

Found something. It was just my search parameters that failed, as per usual hehe. I'll poke around a bit more, this reference more highlights the main tenets of good seed storage.
 
Seed Storage:  Effects of temperature and moisture
 
Each 1% reduction in seed moisture doubles seed life.
 
Each 10o F reduction in seed temperature doubles seed life.
 
Above 30% seed moisture, non-dormant seeds will begin to germinate.
 
10-15% moisture content suppresses seed activity and fungus.
 
At less than 14% seed moisture, no ice crystals will form, so you may store seeds below freezing.
 
At below 10% moisture, few insects survive.
 
At below 50o F, few insects grow.
 
100o F is the maximum temperature that should be used to dry seeds of most plants.
 
4-6o F  is ideal seed moisture content for long term storage (more than a year). Can be higher if refrigerated. (My note: I believe oF to be a mistype.)
 
Seeds stored in refrigerator or freezer must be in sealed container, or they will imbibe moisture.
 
Seeds dried to a low water content take a longer time to germinate.
 
For those that like reading way too much information:
 
A brief review of management principles with emphasis on grass seeds stored in Oregon
 
"One could ask when storage really begins" - HAH! I love it. This is not entirely relevant, but there are enough parallels it's worth the read to anyone storing seeds in quantity.
 
And, as I say, I love being wrong.
 
Storage fungi have the capacity to grow at very low seed moisture content. Most storage fungi belong to Aspergillus and Penicillium genera. They cause seed deterioration by producing toxic substances that destroy the cells of seeds which creates dead tissue to sustain the saprophytic fungi.

 

[PrimeTime]

I keep mine in coin envelopes in a binder with "baseball card" sleeves top shelf of the fridge, no problems past few years. I keep the whole binder in a big ziplock bag and try to let it warm up before I open it to reduce condensation entering.