Old seeds

[eyolf]

I'm using the Tapatalk App on my phone; search doesn't work. I'm pretty certain there are old threads about old seeds.

Long about 3/1, I searched through stashes of old seeds, and did some germination testing with nitrate soaks, plain water, weak bleach, and weak hydro peroxide, looking for any advantage.

If there is any, it's variety dependant as much as chemical. One variety from 2006 germinated in about a week in plain water, and almost none in bleach or H2O2 germinated as quickly as in weak nitrate solution.

After about 4 weeks, I stopped checking every day. After about 8 weeks, I stopped checking. I put the bags aside, thinking I'd check soon...and forgot until Tuesday.

To my surprise, two seedlings, white and anorexic, were hoping for a photon...after at least 11 weeks. Not expecting much, I gave them a chance in some potting mix...and see they are shucking their little hats today.

"Romance" is supposedly a European indeterminate high-solids home canner. Not especially interesting. And getting more than a couple of tomatoes to save seeds from may pose a challenge.

But seeds traded for in 2006, then abandoned, working so hard to survive...

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[Labradors2]

Ah! They really want to live, don't they? Hope you can find a spot for them .

Linda

[slugworth]

sounds like perfect cloning materiel once the kids get bigger.

[rxkeith]

i had put a thread on earlier in the year about oldest seed to germinate this year.

brandywine yellow was the winner at 2005 seeds. nine came up. some were weaker
than others, and one plant had four true leaves then no growing tip. i thought that
one was going bye bye. it ended up growing a shoot from the joint formed from a
cotyledon. no pre soak, i just planted them. i had a few other ones that were 12, and
13 years old still giving excellent germination. those foil lined tea bags make good
storage containers for smaller quantities of seeds.






keith

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by rxkeith

i had put a thread on earlier in the year about oldest seed to germinate this year.

brandywine yellow was the winner at 2005 seeds. nine came up. some were weaker
than others, and one plant had four true leaves then no growing tip. i thought that
one was going bye bye. it ended up growing a shoot from the joint formed from a
cotyledon. no pre soak, i just planted them. i had a few other ones that were 12, and
13 years old still giving excellent germination. those foil lined tea bags make good
storage containers for smaller quantities of seeds.






keith

My best success for germinating old seed has been varieties sent to me in foil lined tea bags (another trader). Did you store them at room temp, or freeze them?

[rxkeith]

room temp gary.


if i stored them in the freezer, i might not find them. they would end up getting buried, and i would lose track of them.




keith

[FarmerShawn]

I still have two plants from Carolyn's seed collection from seeds dated 1992! I thought I'd lost them, after a hard freeze appeared to kill them after I set them out in the greenhouse, but I left the apparently dead plants, and now, after almost a month, they have nice new suckers growing robustly. I am probably spelling it wrong, but I think it's Violeceum Kryp, or something close to that.

[VirginiaClay]

Probably Violaceum Krypni Rozo? Deeply scalloped pink beefsteak; looks interesting. I'd enjoy following along with your results this year if you have time to post updates.

[FarmerShawn]

Originally Posted by VirginiaClay

Probably Violaceum Krypni Rozo? Deeply scalloped pink beefsteak; looks interesting. I'd enjoy following along with your results this year if you have time to post updates.

That's probably it, though I'm certain Carolyn's vial did not include the "Rozo" part. But I've discovered that she frequently abbreviated the names, as writing space on the vials was limited, and I'm sure she just figured she'd remember the full name. Thanks!

[MrsJustice]

I have seeds from Dr Carolyn that I have been growing for over 7 years. She called them Gary"o. as a Short Name. They are Deep Deep Red with Deep Blue Shoulders. I am calling them 4th of July Specials I guess I can Call them Gary' O 4th of July Specials. If you slice them on a white plate, it looks like a 4th of July Special Tomato Dish.

Farmer, Joyce Beggs

I hope everyone has a Good Memorial Celebration for All This Nation fallen Hero, even Native Americans.