seeds Seed viability over time

[Proud Marine Dad]

I have seeds that are from 2012-2014 that have been in envelopes inside a desk since then. What are the chances they may still germinate? They have not been exposed to light or extreme temperatures in storage.
Any experience with this?

 

[dlsolo]

I have seeds that are from 2012-2014 that have been in envelopes inside a desk since then. What are the chances they may still germinate? They have not been exposed to light or extreme temperatures in storage.
Any experience with this?

I'm right there with you this year.

Just soaked some fatalii seeds I got back in 2012 in some chamomile tea and put them in a ziploc baggie.

Mama is making me use or toss my older seeds as I even have some from back in 2009...

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[CaneDog]

No guarantees, but it's totally reasonable to expect decent germination from seeds of that age even without any special storage.  Especially if they were dried properly after harvest and haven't been subject to much humidity.  I just had a couple 2014's pop that weren't stored in any particularly special fashion and have had good success with seeds years older that that.  I'll often plant extras with older seeds though, in case germination percentages are lower and so I can select the healthiest of multiple sprouts.
 
Good luck.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

No guarantees, but it's totally reasonable to expect decent germination from seeds of that age even without any special storage.  Especially if they were dried properly after harvest and haven't been subject to much humidity.  I just had a couple 2014's pop that weren't stored in any particularly special fashion and have had good success with seeds years older that that.  I'll often plant extras with older seeds though, in case germination percentages are lower and so I can select the healthiest of multiple sprouts.
 
Good luck.

 
I'm with ya CD - plant extra just in case.
 

I have seeds that are from 2012-2014 that have been in envelopes inside a desk since then. What are the chances they may still germinate?

 
 
Production from old seeds?
old seeds
Can old seeds make it?
question about old seeds
Any way I can sprout these old seeds?
Old seeds germination
Germinating old seeds
no sh!t! New glog old seeds

 

[BlackFatalii]

I started several varieties this year from seeds that I bought in 2015. I even had 100% germination on a couple of them: 3/3 for Fish pepper and 4/4 for Aji Rosita. The seeds were stored in the fridge for part of the intervening years.

 

[CraftyFox]

I also swear by the chamomile. I also hold the seeds up to the light before I try germination, making sure there is some kind of light golden shadow of life in there. I tried a round of the ones that don't seem to have anything in them and, as you might expect, got nothing from them.  I've also managed to germinate 5-6 year old pepper seeds like this.

 

[Indiana_Jesse]

I found a stash of rocoto seeds my Peruvian friend brought me back from Peru back in 2014...stuck a bunch in some growing medium on the 27th of February, now crossing fingers.