I have been having problems with unused seeds. I keep them in their little baggies in a jar in the fridge but have been having poor luck on getting any to germinate. I recently moved to Hawaii when this started. So heat and humidity might be my problem. They pop great when I first get them but not after being stored. Any ideas?
1 Like
I live in South Texas and I just keep the seeds in original baggies placed in a ziplock bag based for each type: Autos, Photos, CBD and Landrace.
Its so hot and humid here one bag of seeds I had in the bathroom grew tap roots and sadly I had no room for them so they went into the trash can.
My method. I soak seeds generally 18 hours. I then transfer them to a freezer ziplock bag with damp toilet paper. I then will place seeds with tsp roots into the soil and place a dome over them.
I spray twice a day till the leaves touch the
sides of the domes and I then pull the domes. Then its on like Donkey Kong. 
4 Likes
I store my seeds in packets of two. Pull them out as I need them.
How cold is that fridge?
If a single ice crystal forms in the seed it’s done for.
I would just keep them in a cool place but not a cold place if it was me
2 Likes
I’m having the exact same issue! I can’t get seeds to sprout after the first couple of months. I live in Costa Rica and so I get seeds delivered to the US and then fly them in a checked bag here to Costa Rica. I thought maybe the change in atmospheric pressure plus them going from room temperature to a colder atmosphere in the baggage compartment was affecting viability.
I see from previous comments that it may be the way I’m storing them. I put the little baggies into a film container and then put that into a very cold beverage fridge. Maybe that’s causing the seeds to ice up? I’ve begun to add rice to the film container to help keep down the humidity.
Any words of wisdom from the more experienced folks out there? Thanks
1 Like
I’m not really much of an expert on keeping seeds fresh. But I would think as long as they dont freeze it shouldn’t hurt them.
If an ice crystal forms, it literally stabs or cuts the material around it as crystals are very sharp.
I’m wondering how you propagate them?
I don’t do so well sprouting seeds useing the “suggested method” soaking in glass till tail pops then into a paper towel hasn’t worked to good for me in the past.
I now soak in 50% water and 50% brown bottle proxide for 15-20mins then i put the seeds into peat pods that I have soaked in clonex solution.
These peat pods are then placed into a propagation dome that is on a digital controlled heat mat set at 75-77°f…
This has greatly increased my germination rate to near 100%.
I do believe the propagation dome setup is one of my best investments in my garden.
This is what it looks like, its awsome for vegetable seeds to 
1 Like
I’ve tried all the normal methods to propagate. Between wet paper towels, soak in plain water until you get a tail, direct into a peat wafer (like you’ve shown in the pic), and just stuck about 3/8th inch into prepared soil.
I waste so much $$ on seeds it’s ridiculous. Bought the mix with Zkittles/Gelato/Sunset Sherbet and only got 5 out of 15 to germinate (no Sunset Sherbet seed popped).
Keeping seeds cold is supposed to extend their viability! I never complain to ILGM for what I see as my fault but if the next batch I buy doesn’t propagate well I’ll look at making a change in seed companies. And I’ll be keeping an eye out for anymore posts about best storage practices.
1 Like
Maybe just to see, dont put say so many in cool temps next time and see if theres a difference in the germ rate 
But yeah, buying beans that dont pop can get expensive…
If it was this much trouble fir me to get them there, if it was me, I’d make my own seeds there.
Sacrifice one plant and pollinate it. …
You have more seeds then ya know what to do with…
2 Likes
Thanks for the advice. Next purchase I’ll do my best to keep them cool (not cold), in a dark location and get something that’ll help regulate the humidity.
My grow is very small. Only room for 2 plants in my tent. So I’d have a hard time getting one pollinated. Cloning is an option though. 1 of 3 attempts took root and was doing well. Top leaves started curling up and I’m trying to diagnose. Here’s a pic.
2 Likes
Oh wow, that is some curly leafs…
So l really hope I am wrong my freind but only 2 things i know of looks like this.
Thats “russet” or “broad” mites (not sure I spelled that correctly but its close 
)
I hope I’m wrong because both are catastrophic.
You would need a microscope to see them, they are very tiny and cant be seen with the naked eye.
@Cleve, what are you using for your soil and your fertilizer? My guess would be way too much N
1 Like
That’s the clone. Since posting the pic, I’ve been studying and it’s possible it’s just a heat problem. We use very little A/C due to the high cost and the tent gets and stays pretty hot. Probably averages 90 to 92 Fahrenheit most days. Luckily it is getting a little cooler since we’re going into the rainy season. Might bring temps down into the mid-80s. I have 2 small electric dehumidifiers in the tent but they do very little to reign in the humidity. Just have to work around the issues trying to grow in a high heat/high humidity environment.
I have a loupe and will inspect those curled up leave to see if I can spot any pests. I have both Capt Jacks and Neem oil should they be needed. Thanks again
1 Like
My guess would be the light getting to them. I keep mine in a light proof cloth baggie in the crisper of my fridge. If seeds are exposed to light they can begin to use their stored nutrients, then when you go to germinate the seeds they won’t because there isn’t enough stored to germinate.
1 Like
The soil is reused FoxFarm Ocean Forest amended with sterilized worm castings. I’ll try just straight water that’s had a bit of PH Up. The water here is pretty hard with plenty of calcium but it’s over 7.0 PH so I’m always trying to bring the PH down to about 6.5.
Battery is dying! Thanks for the advice! Hopefully it’s a nute issu which is fixable.
Ok check out this vpd chart. .
If you git high temps you could actually benefit from the high humidity.
Good air circulation on them and at 90°f they would be happy with higher humidity as long as air flow stays good and no super giant buds to rot…
Shut the dehumidifiers off and save some electricity…
That makes a lot of sense. It does seem like many of the seeds want to germinate but don’t have enough energy. But my seeds got very very little light exposure. In fact, when I get some out to germinate, the container/baggies are only out of the fridge for 1 or 2 minutes. I don’t want them going from 34 degrees Fahrenheit to 92 degrees and 85% humidity because I think they’d start to sweat which would in turn, cause them maybe freeze up once they go back in the fridge. (I put rice in the film container to control humidity.)
Next purchase I’ll split up. Some I’ll keep some in a dark drawer in a dresser and the rest will go into the produce drawer in the regular refrigerator. Both in opaque containers so no light can get to them. Appreciate the advice.
1 Like
Wow! Great info. When I do get a plant going, they don’t seem to suffer from the heat and humidity. I’ve inspected that plant but found zero pests. And it’s really just the new growth that curls up so maybe it is just too much nitrogen as another person suggested.
I’ve searched out seeds that are supposed to do well with high humidity. The Sweet Mix fit the bill. Zkittlez and Gelato both did well and I had a pretty fair harvest for my first real grow. Sunset Sherbet was a bust. No seed popped for that variety. Zkittlez had only one seed pop. 4 of the 5 Gelato popped though.
That makes me think some varieties have better genetics and stronger seeds.
2 Likes