Old seeds

[Captain Sternn]

I have some seeds, maybe 10 or so, that came from the very first Skunk that came to my little backwater home town in the 80's. We called it Skunkbud, it was also the first I'd heard the word "sensimilla." I already tried to pop some a couple years ago, with no luck.

They were never stored well, in a glass vial with a piece of tissue stuffed in to hold them there. They would have experienced temperature extremes both hot and cold while I had belongings stored at different times.

Since trying to pop those first ones a couple years ago, I have tried to learn anything I might do to help bring them to life. The only thing I've come up with on my own is to drop them in a baby food jar with some sand and roll roll roll them to abrade off any rhino hide they may have developed.

Any suggestions or input as to what could be done, or nothing to be done, is appreciated. I haven't tried chucking anything myself, but if I could get one of these to that point, I'd kinda like to preserve the genetics simply because it's from the 80's. I'd also like to cross it with Durban and name that Wayne The Fuckmore, and when people ask me how'd it get that name I can say it's because since I started growing my own bud I've got way in the fuck more.

 

[sandman83]

ugh the high heat killed my first stash of seeds too. I've read you can try gibberellic acid for seed germination but not personally tried it.

 

[Psychobilly]

I've had seeds every so often that I couldn't NOT try to pop them:

Give them a rinse of water to get any muck off, and basically grab a solo cup, and toss in a few of them, and fill with water about half way.

"Swirl" the water, and carefully dump the water out (I've lost a seed to this before) and then refill with water. The next day, empty water, refill again.

It's important that the water is fresh every day, and swirling will not only help knock stuff loose, it'll help the seed to sink. If you get a seed to sink to the bottom, that's a good sign!

I've had seeds be a real pain before, and actually require being dried out for a few days, and then re-soaked in water again. The seed had sank already but wouldn't sprout. I was about to give up on that seed, and left it to dry out, but once I refilled it with water and rinsed it, it sank again, and sprouted within a few days.

The constant water from a cup full, keep the wet seed soaking good, and once you see a seed sink, just keep refilling with fresh water each day. After 3 or 4 days, if nothing happens, empty water, let them dry a day or two, and repeat.

Just keep watch on them, and watch for anything showing the seed starting to open. You should be OK if they aren't already too far gone. Are they good brown ones ? And.....It's 80s Skunk ????

If my advice helps I want a sniff report...

 

[sandman83]

It was heart breaking pulling that box out of the garage and realizing it had been at 120f+ for months....just cooked em all in my case.

If my advice helps I want a sniff report...

who's surprised here

 

[Psychobilly]

It was heart breaking pulling that box out of the garage and realizing it had been at 120f+ for months....just cooked em all in my case.


who's surprised here

120F ??? I'd die too bro LOL.

 

[Captain Sternn]

ugh the high heat killed my first stash of seeds too. I've read you can try gibberellic acid for seed germination but not personally tried it.

I will look into that thank you

I've had seeds be a real pain before, and actually require being dried out for a few days, and then re-soaked in water again. The seed had sank already but wouldn't sprout. I was about to give up on that seed, and left it to dry out, but once I refilled it with water and rinsed it, it sank again, and sprouted within a few days.

If my advice helps I want a sniff report...

I never would have guessed that was possible. I don't mind putting the time in if there's a chance for a payoff so that could turn out to be what makes it happen if they're any good at all. Thanks dude. Yep it was the 80's and for the life of me I can't recall the exact year 88- 91 is about as tight as I can get it. That little town is the last place in the world to get anything good. The first places to get cable tv had probably had it 25 years before it got to my hometown lol. On the bright side, being the last to get good things kept me from treating blotter like a food group

 

[Rozgreenburn]

Old seeds can be a real bastard to work with. Your Idea with sand in a jar will help, but it's messy. I just cut a piece of 80 grit sandpaper to fit inside a medium sized pill bottle. Put it in the bottle with the grit facing inward. Now you can put seeds in it, close the lid, and swirl them around until they lose their shine. After that's done, I would try multiple sprouting techniques on individual beans.
I hate to say it but, poorly stored beans don't usually work out, but you've got nothing to lose at this point. Good luck amigo and may the Canna Gods smile down upon you!

 

[HBZ]

I have some seeds, maybe 10 or so, that came from the very first Skunk that came to my little backwater home town in the 80's. We called it Skunkbud, it was also the first I'd heard the word "sensimilla." I already tried to pop some a couple years ago, with no luck.

They were never stored well, in a glass vial with a piece of tissue stuffed in to hold them there. They would have experienced temperature extremes both hot and cold while I had belongings stored at different times.

Since trying to pop those first ones a couple years ago, I have tried to learn anything I might do to help bring them to life. The only thing I've come up with on my own is to drop them in a baby food jar with some sand and roll roll roll them to abrade off any rhino hide they may have developed.

Any suggestions or input as to what could be done, or nothing to be done, is appreciated. I haven't tried chucking anything myself, but if I could get one of these to that point, I'd kinda like to preserve the genetics simply because it's from the 80's. I'd also like to cross it with Durban and name that Wayne The Fuckmore, and when people ask me how'd it get that name I can say it's because since I started growing my own bud I've got way in the fuck more.

I know not much help now but in the future....I store seeds in small glass vials wrapped in baggies buried in rice inside glass gallon jars..In the bottom of the fridge..Can easily pop beans from 10.. 15 years ago..When I do pop I use them small plastic restaurant containers with lids for dressing and shit..Distilled water and two drops of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide...Just did 27 beans with 100% in two days..

 

[Psychobilly]

I will look into that thank you


I never would have guessed that was possible. I don't mind putting the time in if there's a chance for a payoff so that could turn out to be what makes it happen if they're any good at all. Thanks dude. Yep it was the 80's and for the life of me I can't recall the exact year 88- 91 is about as tight as I can get it. That little town is the last place in the world to get anything good. The first places to get cable tv had probably had it 25 years before it got to my hometown lol. On the bright side, being the last to get good things kept me from treating blotter like a food group

As long as it's not a dead seed, there's a chance

I know some people go for a wet paper towel, but for me it's simply quicker to do a real soak in a cup of water. Just make sure you are emptying the water out and refilling it each day or you'll get the "fuzzy beans" which is no good either. I've been sprouting them this way for a few years now. Only seeds I haven't been able to sprout, were two so far; A sad Blue Cheese bean I found in a roach, which wouldn't sprout (It was Cheese...Of course I tried anyway LOL) and a single white bean from a bag of MSG that was too tasty not to try anyway haha.

Hope it helps man

 

[HBZ]

As long as it's not a dead seed, there's a chance

I know some people go for a wet paper towel, but for me it's simply quicker to do a real soak in a cup of water. Just make sure you are emptying the water out and refilling it each day or you'll get the "fuzzy beans" which is no good either. I've been sprouting them this way for a few years now. Only seeds I haven't been able to sprout, were two so far; A sad Blue Cheese bean I found in a roach, which wouldn't sprout (It was Cheese...Of course I tried anyway LOL) and a single white bean from a bag of MSG that was too tasty not to try anyway haha.

Hope it helps man

Ya I stopped with the paper towels...Also that hydrogen peroxide keeps that fuzzy gone💯 I try not to shake em around. The peroxide seems to surround the beans with tiny tiny air bubbles...They don't sink and the tail usually just start heading straight down...At that point I put them in dirt with the shell just barely under the dirt..Super quick some of them Punchsicle were above dirt in 4 days from removing from the pack

 

[Psychobilly]

Ya I stopped with the paper towels...Also that hydrogen peroxide keeps that fuzzy gone💯 I try not to shake em around. The peroxide seems to surround the beans with tiny tiny air bubbles...They don't sink and the tail usually just start heading straight down...At that point I put them in dirt with the shell just barely under the dirt..Super quick some of them Punchsicle were above dirt in 4 days from removing from the pack

I haven't tried Peroxide yet but I've heard about it a few times. But yeah, once I have some good taproot showing, I put them in. Some strains will keep growing a taproot until it's huge, and some stop after it's popped, and those I just put in too since they don't seem to want to go any farther than they do. Sometimes I put them in Root Riot Moss Blocks, and some, I use my pinky finger to do like a half inch hole, and put the seed in root down, and then cover it up a bit.

 

[sandman83]

I know not much help now but in the future....I store seeds in small glass vials wrapped in baggies buried in rice inside glass gallon jars..In the bottom of the fridge..Can easily pop beans from 10.. 15 years ago..When I do pop I use them small plastic restaurant containers with lids for dressing and shit..Distilled water and two drops of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide...Just did 27 beans with 100% in two days..

I learned my lesson for sure...mason jars with dessicant in the fridge sealed from then on .

Oh I add a few drops of h202 to the soak water for mine as well.

 

[Gentlemancorpse]

Im a big fan of rapid rooter plugs in all circumstances but especially with older seeds. I scuff with sandpaper in a tube or match bix as others have suggested then into the plugs. Ive gotten a bunch of older poorly stored seeds to crack that way, though Ive certainly had my failures as well.

 

[Kind024]

Greetings everyone, after reading this thread it made me think of a write up another brother wrote on a different forum. I'm going to copy and paste it here.

@Captain Sternn and everyone trying to germinate the old gems. Best of fortune for germinating those old seeds. This planet needs more true Skunk weed.

"I thought I'd share my most successful method of germinating old seeds, I've had some great success using the following method..

Items needed..

1. fresh water
2. liquid Oxygen ( h202 - hydrogen peroxide)
3. Black Tea
4. Humic Acid
5 Kelp
6 tupperware ( sealable plastic container)
7. Tissue
8. heatmat

So, as old seeds are less vigorous than fresh seeds it's basically a race against time to get them off to a good start so you can get their tap root feeding as soon as possible before any bacteria/molds can take a hold and damage them. I tend to keep seeds away from any sources of mold spores etc. so soil is a definite no no for me, in fact, I keep them away from any growing media until they have totally shed their shells.

step 1..

add 2ml of liquid oxygen( 11% strength) to 100ml of fresh water. ideally in a small bottle container with lid so you can shake it.. add your seeds and shake vigorously for a minute and let sit in this solution for 20 minutes. ( this is purely to sterilize the seeds of any mold spores that are present)

Step 2

boil some water and soak 2 black tea teabags or 2 teaspoons of loose black tea in the hot water and leave to steep until the water is tepid. add the first 100ml of peroxide water to the tea water with the seeds and let soak for a day.

step 3

add 1ml of liquid humic & 2ml of liquid seaweed, or (2 pinches of powdered kelp and a pinch of powdered humic) to 100ml of water . add the seeds after you've drained the first solution of peroxide tea away. leave 24 hours, by this time some of the seeds may start to split their shells.

step 4.

Line a plastic container ( with lid) with tissue paper and wet it with the humic /kelp solution till quite wet but not puddles. add your seeds and place them onto a heatmat set to 24oc. Leave for a day and check daily, open the lid to allow fresh air in and reseal again, simply keep checking till all your seeds have germinated and have grown a taproot and shed their shells which happens easily in the sweaty high humidity environment)

I then prepare some coco coir or soi if you prefer and poke deep holes with my finger and carfully lower the taproot intop the hole carefully, leaving 10ml above the surface and carefully fill the hold with coir/soil. water with a light feed 0.8 EC with humic and kelp also. . put under a good light in a warm area and monitor daily to determine if need watering. Do NOT overwater, its a good idea if you arent sure to add 1ml per Litre of liquid oxygen to your first few waterings to reduce any chances of root rot. once they are growing, keep them fed and mist with weak feed/humic acid/kelp till strong and inoculate with mycorhizae.







below is an old article on seed germination in general if you wish to learn more..


https://www.breedbay.org/community/threads/seed-germination.5854/


happy germinating...


regards"

All credit goes to @Pistils. Thanks for sharing brother!

 

[MacGydro]

Back a few years ago, when they released the “Ancestral Skunk" seeds that were supposedly in storage since the 60s, or whenever, the best results were gotten by people who sprouted them into good microbiologically active compost. I guess the good bacteria and fungi played a big part. (They might have been tossing them out because the first tries didn’t pop, and they figured they were too old. Can’t remember exactly, but the thread was on ICMag somewhere)
The oldest I’ve personally done were about 5 years old, non-refrigerated. They’ve got a few weeks left to flower, but popped and grew fine.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Right before tossing a solo cup in the compost, I try to find the seed and give it a squeeze.
If it's still solid, I'll add more water and keep waiting.

If not... 👻

 

[Rasterman]

I have some seeds, maybe 10 or so, that came from the very first Skunk that came to my little backwater home town in the 80's. We called it Skunkbud, it was also the first I'd heard the word "sensimilla." I already tried to pop some a couple years ago, with no luck.

They were never stored well, in a glass vial with a piece of tissue stuffed in to hold them there. They would have experienced temperature extremes both hot and cold while I had belongings stored at different times.

Since trying to pop those first ones a couple years ago, I have tried to learn anything I might do to help bring them to life. The only thing I've come up with on my own is to drop them in a baby food jar with some sand and roll roll roll them to abrade off any rhino hide they may have developed.

Any suggestions or input as to what could be done, or nothing to be done, is appreciated. I haven't tried chucking anything myself, but if I could get one of these to that point, I'd kinda like to preserve the genetics simply because it's from the 80's. I'd also like to cross it with Durban and name that Wayne The Fuckmore, and when people ask me how'd it get that name I can say it's because since I started growing my own bud I've got way in the fuck more.

No solution to your problem here, but I just wanted to say that when I was 16 I encountered sensimilla. My friends and I had no idea what it meant - we thought it was the strain name and believed that for months.

 

[Captain Sternn]

Old seeds can be a real bastard to work with. Your Idea with sand in a jar will help, but it's messy. I just cut a piece of 80 grit sandpaper to fit inside a medium sized pill bottle. Put it in the bottle with the grit facing inward. Now you can put seeds in it, close the lid, and swirl them around until they lose their shine. After that's done, I would try multiple sprouting techniques on individual beans.
I hate to say it but, poorly stored beans don't usually work out, but you've got nothing to lose at this point. Good luck amigo and may the Canna Gods smile down upon you!

This. Not quite futile, but awful odds. I will pick a technique and a seed and go from there...in like January or February. If magic happens I can keep a plant going indoors long enough to get it outside later.

I have 5 seeds not 10, and I suppose I should consider what could be done towards preservation if any of them germinate. Thanks to everybody who commented, I've had success and failure at various times getting the beans to pop and there's some good stuff there.

 

[JL2G]

This. Not quite futile, but awful odds. I will pick a technique and a seed and go from there...in like January or February. If magic happens I can keep a plant going indoors long enough to get it outside later.

I have 5 seeds not 10, and I suppose I should consider what could be done towards preservation if any of them germinate. Thanks to everybody who commented, I've had success and failure at various times getting the beans to pop and there's some good stuff there.
View attachment 172411

Yer go at the old beans has me wanting to have another go at some oldies I've got too.
Mine were from the mid 80's and before. Not well kept, but likely some treasures for sure if something will pop.

Best wishes of success for you goin for it.
👊👊👊

 

[Rasterman]

This. Not quite futile, but awful odds. I will pick a technique and a seed and go from there...in like January or February. If magic happens I can keep a plant going indoors long enough to get it outside later.

I have 5 seeds not 10, and I suppose I should consider what could be done towards preservation if any of them germinate. Thanks to everybody who commented, I've had success and failure at various times getting the beans to pop and there's some good stuff there.
View attachment 172411

Even one seed would at least get you the genetics.