vendor Get The Word Out About Pod Drying For Seed

[Big Mike]

This is going to be a public service announcement since I know a lot of producers see this forum..

Have any of you experienced poor germination on seeds you buy from the market but dramatically good germination from seeds you and your close friends produce at home? Me too! This of course could mean one of several things. But the most likely suspect is drying pods intended for seeds in a dehydrator or in the blazing sun on a sheet of dang tin or something.

Please think about this. The seed is a living organism and cant stand that heat or rapid dehydration. And yes, some crank up the heat on that dehydrator too.

And quit using zip-lock plastic bags for storage and shipping too. The dang things need air!

These things are in no way practiced by the good producers. There are many many good producers and sellers out there that really look out for us.

Ok. Ill step down now.

Big Mike

 

[CaneDog]

Good reminder Big Mike.  I'll add this link to your message - http://howtosaveseeds.com/store.php  My favorite quote "Drying should be gradual and thorough."  A big problem with heated drying is, even though the seeds may have decent germination rates initially, the viability drop-off is supposed to be much more rapid.
 
FWIW, I use zip lock plastic baggies for shipping now, just started that recently because it seems to be the norm, but all my term storage is in the manila paper seed envelopes, in an air-tight Pelican case, with desiccants.  I'm not sure a plastic bag is all that bad if the seeds have been properly dried, but I prefer paper long-term because if they aren't properly dried and are continuing to give off moisture the lack of breathability of the plastic is a problem.
 

 

[alkhall]

I just remove the placenta, leaving the seeds attached, wrap in a paper towel, place in a legal size regular envelope, and place on a high shelf in the kitchen for the winter.

I can honestly say I have not had a seed dried this way fail to germinate.

 

[TrentL]

Big Mike you have good points. Last year I had really REALLY bad germination rates with seeds I'd ordered in large quantity from a couple of vendors (Buckeye, Pepperlover). Several trays of habaneros and brown moruga (hundreds of seeds) didn't even germinate one sprout. Several other trays from Pepperlover were very low % germination rates (I suspect old seeds). With Buckeye there was a fine powder in the plastic bags so I'm assuming they were dehydrated, at too high of a temp (probably seeds salvaged from a powder / flake production, was my theory).
 
Anyway, last year forum members (including Justin at WHP) bailed out my farm grow and sent me seeds. Was a great year for peppers at the farm. 
 
Last fall we saved tens of thousands of seeds over the course of a couple weeks at the end of the year. We cut apart the pods, pulled the placentas out, and laid them out on wax paper in the grow room (in a thin layer so as not to create a pile). Put fans on them, and let them dry naturally. I've got very good germination rates from this process so we'll keep doing it that way. It's simple and effective. 
 
As far as packing, when we ship seeds to customers we use coin envelopes - sturdy, acid free, and breathable. Somewhat more expensive than small plastic zip locks but less labor to pack and seal them. Plastic was a pain in the rear, both from packing seeds in to them, and getting seeds back out (static, etc). Plus labels stick easier to paper.
 
We do have some varieties of seeds available on our website (www.lawrenceproduce.com) - these are open pollinated, our isolation structures weren't done in time last year. Thus, some variation is expected.  (we have several thousand square feet of isolation capability this year, so isolated seeds will be available next winter)
 
Use THPSEEDS discount code for 66% off (which basically gives USDA certified organic seeds at $1 a pack, heck of a bargain!). That's our way of giving back to the community that helped us get started out and has been so great to work with.