Itās not really difficult, but you need the components. I use Murashige & Skroog basal media w/ vitamins. table sugar, and agar. I also add some PPM to help control contams.
M/S Basal
Agar
PPM
The M/S Basal to make 10L is $8, enough PPM for 30L is $30, the Agar is $20. Il of media will fill about 40 containers @ 25ml each.
We bought a hemp TC starter kit, and this was the documentation that came with it. It tells you how to cook up seed germination media. They hit sterile technique pretty hard, but seeds are easier to sterilize than explants, and Iāve found that PPM gives you a little slack in that area as well because itās cooked into the media.
I have some Kalga Valley seeds I got from @Upstate that are hard to germ. Iāve had 5 of them in the freezer for the last few days. Iām gonna run 'em through the germination bomb, and plate 'em up tomorrow. Iāll try to take some pictures of the process.
Oh, excellent!!
That would be a great thread, really pushing the envelope of what we do.
I was looking at that technique as version 2.0 of getting old beans to pop and grow. (I wasnāt totally happy with what I did with the Cool Runnings project)
This technique should do justice for those preservation runs.
How tough is it extracting the rooted plants from the Agar?
After germination, thatās my biggest worry. I killed them all last time, but I think they were too small. They should grow just fine in that media, so Iāll leave them in longer this time, and we should be good.
Once theyāre out, you have to very gently rinse the agar away from the roots, and pot it up. At that point, you should have a viable plant. Theoretically anyway.
Oh manā¦i forgot. I hope you can pop them. I will scatter mine just before the frost leaves the ground and cover them with a thin layer of straw. Theyāre supposed to have amazing pain-killing properties. I have a lot more seeds if you end up needing more. Coco genes wanted me to spread these around to help people. I must have tried 25 of them last year, with no luck. That was with paper towels. This year in soil I hope Iāll have better luck. Plenty to do both. Give you more, and try them in the dirt.
Yeah, may as well wait until you have a little plant to put into medium. This is really exciting. Youāll get it this time. It opens up lots of doors.
Clearly, TC is another option ( canāt wait to start doing this myself, Santa brought me a TC Starter Kit this year) but I am surprised no one has suggested wintering the seeds which is typically the first step in reviving old seed stock.
Putting those seeds in a cold fridge or in an insulated container in the freezer for a few days before scruffing, amended soak, crimping all have provided me great results with archaic seeds. I would most certainly be storing these cold from now on, and give them another try after they have been brought down to a consistent 4C for a few days before trying again.
All the best with this, super curious what are in those beans!!!
