storage Will below freezing temperatures damage hot pepper seeds?

[SaintSteven]

So I moved to a new town and couldn't find any ghost pepper plants here. I asked my friend to mail me some of his seeds but I'm somewhat concerned the cold weather may kill them. Do below feezing temperatures kill hot pepper seeds or do you imagine they will be fine?

 

[Eephus Man]

Unless they are still in the pepper (or have undue moisture in them), they should be fine.

My caveat here is that I have no idea if there is a lower limit to this. IOW, at "normal" freezing temps for short times, those seeds will be just fine.

 

[geeme]

Agree. I sprouted a bunch of seeds from frozen pods two seasons ago. They had been in my freezer at least 4 months. All sprouted fine - 100% germination.

 

[millworkman]

Generally freezing will kill seeds still in pods or those not dehydrated enough. Most seeds people have on hand will survive transport in freezing temps just fine.

 

[ThePepperManiac]

if seeds are properly dried then frozen it wont do anything to the seeds

 

[ajijoe]

if seeds are properly dried then frozen it wont do anything to the seeds

yup as long as there dry they can be kept frozen almost indefinitely
ice crystals destroy the embryo if they are moist

thanks your friend Joe

 

[geeme]

Generally freezing will kill seeds still in pods or those not dehydrated enough.

Mmhmmm...... tell the seeds I sprouted from inside frozen fresh pods that.....

 

[millworkman]

Mmhmmm...... tell the seeds I sprouted from inside frozen fresh pods that.....

Ha. I said generally.

 

[wildseed57]

Yup if the seeds are kept dry they can be put in cold storage if you want to without any problems.
Some of the wild tepins that self seed have it even harder and still germinate although most of the pods
that are on the ground are dry and overwinter and when the spring rains come the seeds germinate.

 

[Hammerfall]

i have cut open a naga morich 2 days ago.
i have put the seeds to dry (they are probably dry as i write this.
 
i want to test the viability of frozen seeds in pods.
 
so with my frozen naga pod (at least 8 month in the freeze.
i will try to start all the seeds to see if there is still life in there.
 
and gather the info.
 
for your info inside the pod due to long time freezing and cold tehre was like crystal of iceeverywhere in the pod and when the peper tawed was all smoochy and soft.
the seed was looking fine but it is only the look of the seed... will life sprout from there???  more to come!