seeds Seed Preservation Question

[UrbanNoir75]

I just received a deluge of various seeds, and more coming. My plan is to hold most of them through winter (about 7-8 months). I've heard various opinions on how to best keep them, one person saying refrigerator storage was fine for short term. I'm curious what people think about freezing vs refrigerating. Is 8 months "short term?" Any experiences with lower germination rates for seeds kept in the fridge, etc?

On a side note, but comparatively less important, was wondering if the repeated light exposure (of opening and closing fridge and freezer doors) is deleterious to seeds in transparent packaging.

 

[kcso53]

On the advice of many on this site, I put my individually sealed mini ziplocs into a plastic container with a sealed lid and put a couple silica gel packs inside of the container. These gel packs were from electronics that I purchased. I put the container in the bottom drawer which is not opened on a regular basis. I had them stored for several months before germinating and I had no issues. I had around an 85-90% germination rate.

 

[Prehensile]

yep no moisture and a good seal is very important, though I have seeds sprout from my compost pile all the time after I mix up the contents.

 

[SRBII]

oops just read you cant copy text from there.....DOH! anyway great source link below
SOURCE

 

[UrbanNoir75]

SOURCE

That's quite a source link you provided there at the bottom. I got lost in there for a while. It's one of the more comprehensive chile pepper how-to sites I've seen. I'd be curious to find out how the author determined refrigeration trumped freezing, if it was a subjective account of personal experience or more objectively true ina pattern he recognized with other people. Some great info in there anyway. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SRBII]

That's quite a source link you provided there at the bottom. I got lost in there for a while. It's one of the more comprehensive chile pepper how-to sites I've seen. I'd be curious to find out how the author determined refrigeration trumped freezing, if it was a subjective account of personal experience or more objectively true ina pattern he recognized with other people. Some great info in there anyway. Thanks for sharing.

your welcome

well at the very top it says the info came from 40 years of exp in the seed industry

 

[fubarhouse]

So how long will they last, out of curiosity?

 

[menotume]

From what info I have gathered, freezing IS better than refrig for long-term storage, but ONLY if the seeds are very dry and kept sealed air-tight. That's really only for long-term as opening the air-tight jar will reintroduce moisture especially if opened before the contents reach room temperature. You'd have to make sure they are well-dried out before putting them back in deep-freeze. Note that 'well-dried' means about 5-10% humidity, only attainable with using silica crystals or some other method.

EDIT:
For storing for one year or less, room temp is ok if you control the humidity.
For storing 5 years or less, refrigeration is the way to go.
If you want to start a seed bank, or pass seeds on to your children/grandchilden, use the freezer method

 

[gnomepunter]

im just keeping my seeds in little sealed baggies in a dark drawer on my computer desk that gets opened like once a month maybe.but im only storing mine from now till january.

 

[Unleashed Hottness]

I would love to place them in the fridge but i'm afraid of the moisture. I put my seeds in a sealed container with silica bags or raw rice to absorb excess moisture and put them in a dark cool (74*F) place and they last me at least 3 years. Germination rates do drop over time, by year 3 germ rate is usually 60-70% vs 90-100% when fresh.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

oops just read you cant copy text from there.....DOH! anyway great source link below
SOURCE

I don't know about some of the stuff in that link. He says...

"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever use peat pots, peat pellets, or potting soil that is mostly peat.

Everyone always asks "Why??" ---We don't know---It may be that the peat is too acidic, or that there is something in peat that inhibits pepper seed germination."

I get very good results germinating in Pro Mix, which is about 80% peat. Tons of people germinate seeds just fine in peat-based mixes, but for some unknown reason he thinks peat prevents germination and is terrible for seed starting. Potting mixes are pH balanced already, so the acidity of the peat shouldn't matter. Plus he recommends several mixes with a lot of pine bark fines, which are also very acidic. He recommends Miracle Gro Organic Choice too, and everyone and their mom agrees that stuff is garbage, it has a 2/5 rating on their own website. He also says to mix in a tablespoon of Miracle Grow fertilizer per gallon for the seed starting mix, along with what's already in there, seems really excessive for seedlings. I can't even imagine how fried my seedlings would be with a full strength dose of Miracle Gro on top of Miracle Gro potting mix. He claims that using fertilizer speeds up germination, which isn't true. The food that plants use to germinate is stored within the cotyledons.

And his list of times for germination is a little ridiculous. He says you should have 25% germination on bhut jolokia at *17* days. 18 for tepins. He must be doing something very wrong if these are the kind of times he gets.

Another thing from that link that isn't true..."Most hot peppers and some sweet peppers require insect pollination to form fruit."

For someone with a large, reputable seed company, he sure has some bad information in that link. He also claims that the tepin is the hottest pepper in the world, based on some bizarre formula regarding how much it takes to make a certain amount of salsa noticeably hot or something. Another claim on that site is that 3 year old Manzanos can produce up to 1,000 lbs of fruit in a year per plant. I've never had a 3 year old Manzano, and don't have the climate to keep plants out year around, but I can't imagine a pepper plant ever producing that much fruit in a year. Maybe I'm wrong, I know they can get much larger than most varieties and be huge producers, but 1,000 lbs seems absurd for any pepper plant.

 

[Mister_Al]

I've got seeds in my fridge that are over ten years old and I get 60%-75% germination rates with them. They're stored in 3x2 ziplock baggies from walmart (100 for a dollar), and then put in larger baggies. I don't use any silica packs and they get light every time I open the refrigerator door. I think that if seeds were too easily destroyed they never would make it through the winter months growing in the wild.

I believe that if you just dry your seeds well and store them in a cool, dry atmosphere they'll stay viable for a few years.


Alan