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Frozen pods and frozen seeds.
- Thread starter BenVanned
- Start date
i know some people put them into the freezer after drying to expand their life span but they say when you use them to let them thaw for 45 mins before doing anything and try not to thaw them out alot i dont know how it would work with fresh seeds i belive it might kill them because they wernt dried but i could also be worng
I cannot provide any answer other than what I heard. I have no true first hand experience. I have always heard/read if the seeds are dried fully before freezing they will be viable. They will be unlikely to germ if they are frozen without being dried properly(ie. freezing a whole pod). However, as I said, this is not not first hand knowledge. Only what I have read.
salsalady
Business Member
well, I suppose someone would have to do a side-by-side comparison to give some scientific results.
Just some thoughts-
when dehydrating pods, "they" say not to go over 100F if you want the seeds to be viable. BUT...some chile plants growing in the wild are subjected to 110F+ in their natural environment and their seeds are fine. And on the otherside...some chile plants in the wild are subjected to frost, but the seeds still drop to the ground and grow.
Just some thoughts-
when dehydrating pods, "they" say not to go over 100F if you want the seeds to be viable. BUT...some chile plants growing in the wild are subjected to 110F+ in their natural environment and their seeds are fine. And on the otherside...some chile plants in the wild are subjected to frost, but the seeds still drop to the ground and grow.
I think the key is to keep the moisture content in the seeds as low as possible.If the seeds are frozen in a whole pod or just aren't cleaned well they seem to be less viable as mentioned above.I have seeds some seeds that have been kept frozen for five years now and still germ fine.I however,have not done side by side testing with frozen vs. non frozen seeds to compare.
you know what how about you test it for us lol and then you can tell us because it doesnt look like alot of people know for sure
BenVanned
Banned
Looks like I will be. Seeds out of frozen pods.
From experience and what I've read over the years.
Seeds in fresh pods or fresh seeds will be ruined by freezing.
The water in the cells expands and breaks the cell walls killing the seed.
Some seed banks store DRY seeds in liquid nitrogen and it is supposed to keep them viable for a very long time,15+yrs.
Dry seeds in a fridge can last as long as 15 yrs.
I had some Cancun habanero seeds that sprouted just fine that were that old.
Seeds saved in a small food saver pack with a silica/desiccant pack in it are supposed to be good for several years easily.
A friend saves his seeds in vac packed (food saver) packs with a desiccant pouch in it.He has seed packs that are good and some are 20yrs. old and still sprout.Or at least some do that I know of.
I've found a lot of the seeds I've had that were older than 5 yrs. and kept at room temp. sprout but seem to run out of energy and get shell stuck.
Some varieties last longer than others.
Seeds in fresh pods or fresh seeds will be ruined by freezing.
The water in the cells expands and breaks the cell walls killing the seed.
Some seed banks store DRY seeds in liquid nitrogen and it is supposed to keep them viable for a very long time,15+yrs.
Dry seeds in a fridge can last as long as 15 yrs.
I had some Cancun habanero seeds that sprouted just fine that were that old.
Seeds saved in a small food saver pack with a silica/desiccant pack in it are supposed to be good for several years easily.
A friend saves his seeds in vac packed (food saver) packs with a desiccant pouch in it.He has seed packs that are good and some are 20yrs. old and still sprout.Or at least some do that I know of.
I've found a lot of the seeds I've had that were older than 5 yrs. and kept at room temp. sprout but seem to run out of energy and get shell stuck.
Some varieties last longer than others.
I'm gonna try it with some of the 10,000 Jalapeno seeds I collected this year........
Was going to add my two cents about the seeds needing to be dried as the fresh seeds will be killed by ice getting into the seeds. but its already been said. I have some wild peppers that come back year after year from seeds that lie exposed to natures will, while the seeds are trapped in the small pods till they break down in the spring. So I guess if the conditions are right you might get a few viable seeds, but I would bet that you would have better luck if the seeds are dried and packaged before going into cold storage.
BenVanned
Banned
I have several mini pots and a bag of potting soil I am going to try to germinate these seeds. How should I conduct this experiment, I have 8 little pots so I can do 8 seeds. Should I just pop them in and see if they germinate, should I try another germination method, or should I try a few different germination methods?
