Problems with 12 year old seed germination

I made some auto seeds around 12 to 13 years ago. Haven't grown in many years.

Here's my problem, the auto seeds I made won't germ, tried paper towel method, some will Crack open and y9u can see the beginning of the tap root, then they just stop growing. I threw some in ffof and nothing.

Using a seedling heat mat, tried directly in ffof on the heating mat and dome and nothing. These seeds have been in a zip lock baggy at room temperature for years.

Also tried 24hrs in a shot glass of water on the heating mat then directly in soil and paper towel... some pop but they just stop growing after they pop a little.

Was really looking forward to the white widow x diesel but it's looking like it's a lost cause.

Oh yeah, also pit a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the shot glass. Running out of ideas... would putting them in the fridge for a while help them at all?

I've went through ab9ut 50-60 seeds trying to get a viable baby and nothing... thanks for any replies or ideas!

how have they been stored? it makes a hell of a differance to germ rates

go go kid said:

how have they been stored? it makes a hell of a differance to germ rates

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Yeah, just in a zip lock baggy at room temperature. No refrigeration.

have you tried float tech? put a seed on pH balanced water. It should float. after a day or maybe 2 or 3 a tap root should sprout, from there gently plant. If you get a tap root you should be good to go. I have read that adding hydrogen peroxide can help with stubborn seeds but you would need to be precise and not over do it. Also scarifying might help I.e. sanding them a little.

laddyd said:

have you tried float tech? put a seed on pH balanced water. It should float. after a day or maybe 2 or 3 a tap root should sprout, from there gently plant. If you get a tap root you should be good to go. I have read that adding hydrogen peroxide can help with stubborn seeds but you would need to be precise and not over do it. Also scarifying might help I.e. sanding them a little.

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Tried sanding & and peroxide. I'll try the floating technique, does it have to be in the dark? I wonder of my seedling heat mat is too hot? Room temp for me is 68-70, think the heating mat could be killing them off? I should probably get one with a thermostat....

I’ve seen some people recommend sprouting old seeds in worm castings, with the benefit of natural bacteria and enzymes. I think you might be in a position where you need the extra boost of growth hormones to get them going. You can try something like coconut water, or sprouted seed tea - both contain enzymes and naturally occurring growth hormones that are essential to early life.

MissinThe90’sStrains said:

I’ve seen some people recommend sprouting old seeds in worm castings, with the benefit of natural bacteria and enzymes. I think you might be in a position where you need the extra boost of growth hormones to get them going. You can try something like coconut water, or sprouted seed tea - both contain enzymes and naturally occurring growth hormones that are essential to early life.

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Thanks, I think I'll try the worm castings and a heating mat with a thermostat before i give up.. 75 degrees should be perfect for germination inside a dome, I think? Any input?

I use bioag fulpower to soak

I also tried popping my seeds from 7 years ago that I initially didn't store in the fridge. Tried popping ~50, got nothing.

Seeds that weren't stored in the fridge that long are likely dead, Unfortunately

i would try sanding the seeds a little, then a fresh water soak with some h202, then put them into some paper towels or fresh soil with fresh worm castings. hopefully the biotics from the vermiculture aid the sprouts!
once the sprouts come up if the seed casing doesnt come off mist it with water and maybe try after that carefully peeling it off with tweezers or something

MrCatatonic said:

Tried sanding & and peroxide. I'll try the floating technique, does it have to be in the dark? I wonder of my seedling heat mat is too hot? Room temp for me is 68-70, think the heating mat could be killing them off? I should probably get one with a thermostat....

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yes in the dark at room temperature.

Another method I’ve read about on forums for sprouting old canna seeds, is to cut a fresh aloe Vera leaf, and put the seeds within there to soak for some time. Aloe Vera also has naturally occurring growth hormones that may help sprout stubborn seeds.

It seems as though a lot of methods are for tough or dried out seed coats, but your issue is not getting them to crack, but to push out a taproot and grow. I think hormones are worth a shot - coconut water and aloe vera are easily available and low risk. Look for versions without preservatives, or use fresh.

If you like experimentation and want a more interesting route, read up on gibberellic acid (GA3) and DMSO for starting seeds. Those are harder to obtain and a little more dangerous to play with, but there’s some neat reading and studies that show promise.