[eyolf]

Last(?)entry.

Seeing germination from bleach and nitrate soak. 2008 Kotlas seed.
H2O2 (1%) soak: 13/50; 4 days
Nitrate soak. 8/50; 8 days
2.7% Hypochlorite. 12/50 5 days

Conclusion: make your own.

The H202 soak seemed to deliver as many as it was going to by day 5. Bleach delivered NO stragglers. I assume the nitrate might still deliver one or two if I wanted to keep watching.
Similar treatments to seeds as old as 18 years have failed to yield a single surviving seedling. Seeds 10 years and younger germinated at acceptible rates without special treatment.

A tiny-seeded variety (a container cherry) was dead at ten years, but Lycoprea (a rugose-leaved dwarf delivering golf-ball sized red tomatoes) germinated at 50% from 2009 seed. My own selection of a L. Pink Bulgarian cross (Thank you, Fusion) did about 5% from 2008 seed, 30% from 2012.

A Martin Longseth variety of paste did 50% from 2008 seed, but Italian Black from Bill Minkey (2008, again) did 3/50

I don't mind throwing dead seed away. But I'm sad to throw away living seedlings. But I don't have the energy to care for 500 tomatoes like I did 20 years ago.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk