Re: Seed advice--Chantal

Tanya, you're right, of course it depends on how rare is the plant. Because it is the rate of  germination which is declining. For instance, you keep 100 seeds of one plant, if you saw them immediately, the rate is 100/100. one year later, it will be 80/100 and 5 years later : 10/100. And there will be another factor changing the rate, the conditions of storing them. If you store them in the open air, it will not be the same that if you store them sealed in a box in a room where the temperatures are constant. As soon as you give the seeds humidity and/or light, it can break the dormancy. And if you break the dormancy, the processus of life is involved and you must keep on growing this seed to maintain the process. If not, it will die for ever.
Generally speaking, shrubs seeds last about one year, but there are many exceptions. 
Some seeds as tobacco last many years.
My rule of thumb, and it is personal, I keep my seeds 3 years except if The seed is rare or if I know that I can keep them more longer.

Chantal
Montpellier-France
MGS Seed Coordinator


Le 22 mai 11 à 08:59, Cali Doxiadis a écrit :

I'm crearing out my tool-shed after quite a while and finding, 3-4 years of undated saved seeds I never got myself sufficiently organised to send to the exchange.  Should they all be tossed out as worthless? Some are only a year old, others up to 4. Some are in paper bags, others in open containers. Do some types of seed keep better than others?
Cali, in Corfu

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