How should I store my seeds to increase longevity?

I’m in the process of obtaining the first quality seeds I’ve ever had thanks to the OG community. I’m excited, but how best to store them?

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Don’t hesitate to show pictures

How long do you plan to store them?

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As long as possible. I’m small time so I won’t burn through them too quickly and I want them to last.

BTW - how long can seeds live?

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You’re going to get a lot of different answers. Fridge freezer vials mason jars etc. people have success with these moves.

I store mine in a basement that’s cold and dry all year and have germed seeds that are 25 years old with excellent germination rates.

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25 years is amazing! I had no idea.

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They don’t last that long just sitting in my cupboard for sure

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I store mine in small plastic tubs (to separate breeders etc) with silica packs or rice in each tub. Then all of those small tubs go into a larger mason jar, again with silica packs in. Then this goes in the fridge, at the back on the top shelf.

:v:

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That’s thorough!

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I mean, it’s more because I don’t trust any one seal on the tubs/jars I have.
So I like to build in redundancy to my storage.

If you want really long term storage, ideally you’d keep the seeds in a fridge that doesn’t get opened/closed very often, to reduce temperature fluctuations. I don’t have that option, so best I can do is keep them at the back where temperature will be most stable.

:v:

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I didn’t think about temperature variations. I wonder if relative warming sends a sprout signal to the seed?

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It shouldn’t effect them much in the short term, 2-3 years, if theyre in a fridge.
But if you want to store for anything like 5+ years, it’s definitely something to consider.

:v:

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It’s a bit of track from canna but its interesting stuff, there’s date seeds been sprouted after 2000 years and silene stenophylla after 30,000 years.
That’s truly astonishing :astonished:

Seeds kept in the fridge isn’t a guarantee :face_with_monocle:


Iirc 6/8 months before I noticed they were sprouting.

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Researchers found Cannabis/Hemp Seeds in China 5,000 years old…some germinated!!! All depends on “proper storage”, which differs depending on many factors. I have a friend who germinated +40ish year old seeds (Okra from Ghana). SS/BW…mister :honeybee: :100: :pray: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Damn! The seeds are alive. Imagine that many years of life as a seed and then you sprout and live one season.

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Spencer’s seeds are almost 100% germination after 20 years in a refrigerator. Spencer's Legacy Seeds

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In a freezer, in a jar. Jarred at ~50-55% rH (at around 70*f). For me, freezing is the only way to go long term. It doesn’t stop time, but it stops almost all biological/chemical processes in seeds. Refrigeration only slows it.

I have nothing to back this up, but I don’t think it’s necessary to add rice or anything unless you are regularly going in and out of it, letting it thaw, and trapping the condensation. I figure the seeds need some water in them, so I am weary of desiccating the seeds themselves.

All that said, seeds have evolved to survive harsh conditions and long waits for fertile land, especially in some seeds.

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These folks know a thing or two about seed storage: Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Seed Vault, carved into virgin solid rock was opened on 26 February 2008. The seed storage area itself is located more than 100 meters inside the mountain, and under layers of rock that range between 40 and 60 meters thick.

The entrance portal is a simple concrete construction that has gained status as a global icon, in part due to “Perpetual Repercussion”, an illuminated fiber optic art installation created by the Norwegian artist, Dyveke Sanne, that decorates the entrance. Many Svalbard visitors go the Vault’s entrance to take selfies and tick off “been there”.

Cooled to minus 18°C

The mountain mass has permafrost, with a stable temperature of between minus 3 and 4°C. The seed storage area has an additional cooling system, to bring the seed storing temperature to minus 18°C and ensure that it remains constant. Electricity for the Seed Vault is provided by the public power plant in Longyearbyen. In addition, the Seed Vault is equipped with generators that provide electricity in the case of a power outage.

The seed store facility consists of three halls, each with a base measuring about 9.5 x 27 meters. Each hall can accommodate about 1.5 million seed samples, thus giving the Seed Vault a total capacity to store 4.5 million seed accessions. To date, the holdings in the Seed Vault are more than1 200,000 seed samples. Only one of the three halls is in use, cooled to minus 18°C and equipped with shelves for seed boxes. When this hall reaches capacity, the second storage hall will be prepared and cooled to the level needed for seed conservation.

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I’ve always wondered what type of cannabis seeds they have in Svalbard vault.

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You MUST be sure the seeds have been dried/ cured for at least 1 month in a cool dark place. Open container. After that they can be frozen and should last for the rest of your lifetime. Some OG members dry seeds and some send fresh seeds. You are better served to dry them when you get them just to be sure. :rainbow:

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