seeds Growing older seeds... Anything to help?

[Wulf]

https://ibb.co/k1szsgd
 
So, my TS seeds on the right of that pic clearly aren't doing so hot.  My last attempt with them suffered pretty much the same fate.
 
I harvested them from my first TS plant that grew many years ago.
 
Are they just trash at this point, or is there anything I could possibly do to give my last remaining few a fighting chance?
 
Edit:  For clarity, I assume the 5 blackened ones in the image are too far gone.  I have 5 more that could be attempted.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

A quick search turned up:
 
Germiating Old Seeds
Any way I can sprout these old seeds?
Starting seeds?
germinating pepper seeds

Hope this helps!

 

[Wulf]

Thank you sir.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Thank you sir.​

 
 

 

[Bou]

Soaking them for a while would certainly help!

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Soaking them for a while would certainly help!

 
Hey Bou, anything special about the soak - like additive to the water? I've read salicylic acid  helpful?

 

[HeatMiser]

You can try different things. CD has linked to a study where a soak in an H2O2 solution for 18 hours helps with germination.
 
Paul Bosland, from NMSU, also lists a 1:9 bleach:water solution as helping to provide some level of scarification to seeds, especially wild varieties that don't germinate as easily.
 
Other methods involve soaking in Chamomille tea. 
 
I've personally tried all 3 methods above, with good germination rates on 7+ year old seeds. If the seeds were stored properly, they should maintain viability for a long time.

 

[Bou]

 
Hey Bou, anything special about the soak - like additive to the water? I've read salicylic acid  helpful?

 
There is many recipes/procedures when it comes to soaking (non chlorinated water, camomille tea, potassium nitrate, giberilic acid, etc.). Nothin scientific here, just my own personal way to go for every pepper seeds I'm sowing: I begin with a 2 hours soak in H2O2 (3% store-bought peroxide) then another 18-24 hours more in tap water. Peroxide will soften the shell, kill any nasties hanging around and give an oxygen boost to the seed. Probably overkill for fresh seeds but it's working for me and peroxide is on the cheap side anyway so... I know that many are soaking for a day or so in a diluted H2O2 solution with good results too.
 
Also, for what its worth I'm always using Jiffy pellet placed under a dome and sitting over a heat mat. Usually, I see the first sprouts appearing between day 5 and 8. Hope it helped, good luck!
 
CaneDog started a thread about the exact same subject in March 2019, just click here for a quick teleportation!!

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

CaneDog started a thread about the exact same subject in March 2019, just click here for a quick teleportation!!

 
As usual, great info & timely help - thanks Bou!

 

[Kramer]

Thanks indeed. I'm going to try this today on some that just don't want to crack even under ideal conditions.

 

[Wulf]

I have 5 seeds left and I'll try to peroxide a few of them later tonight.
 
They were stored by myself, pulled fresh from the pod and dried on some paper towel, whereupon they were placed into an air tight film-canister style container and placed into a dry, cool, dark area.
 
I'll report back when failure has consumed me.

 

[skullbiker]

Might I suggest you immerse those seeds in Brothel Sounds for a couple of hours. [emoji848]

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

I have 5 seeds left and I'll try to peroxide a few of them later tonight.
 
They were stored by myself, pulled fresh from the pod and dried on some paper towel, whereupon they were placed into an air tight film-canister style container and placed into a dry, cool, dark area.
 
I'll report back when failure has consumed me.

 
 
Hey Wulf, I reviewed the thread and see no mention of supplemental heat during germination, any used?

 

[Wulf]

 
 
Hey Wulf, I reviewed the thread and see no mention of supplemental heat during germination, any used?

They're being germinated on a shelf directly above my Xbox and PC in a corner of the room.
 
So, it's hardly scientific but above the temperature of the room outside this corner, and the general room temperature tends to be warmer rather than chillier.  Room temp is currently 22 Celsius.
 
The peter peppers and jalapenos have responded beautifully to the setup, but I may just be too incompetent to kill them properly.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

So, it's hardly scientific but above the temperature of the room outside this corner, and the general room temperature tends to be warmer rather than chillier.  Room temp is currently 22 Celsius.

 
Well 22°C is about 72°F which is a bit low.......
 
I started seeds in Hydrofarm plugs on a heat mat set at 82F.
Got it running between 85-87 degrees F.
on a heat mat using a PID controller to keep the mat around 83-85 degrees.
Two large 5' heating mats controlled by a Herpstat. I keep it at 85 degrees