Mephisto Genetics 6-7 Years old auto seeds wont crack / open.

[Birdu2]

Hi guys ! after soooo long !
Im back !, and i need your help advice please ...

I have some good old ( 6-7 years ) Mephisto auto seeds the im trying to make them germinate with no luck so far.

I have try to soak them in water for 24 hrs with some pre oxide water some of them and nothing. Also i use some sand paper on them and nothings ......

Im using the paper towel / tupperware way the i always use with no problem. There have been there for 8 - 10 days and nothing.

i already use 8 seeds with no luck, i have 10 more left, and it will be a shame not to use them or waking up them ....

Any idea ? Or they are already to old to use them ?

There have been storage in the original plastic sealed cone inside the original zip plastic wrap inside a zip bag inside a closet.

Thanks for your time and help guys !!

 

[DCLXVI]

@stan_mephisto - ... Kinda maybe long past expiration eh?

 

[AKtack]

Try keeping in a damp paper towel at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not let the towel dry out once you start. It will require constant surveillance.
Have a wonderful day, good luck!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

@stan_mephisto - ... Kinda maybe long past expiration eh?

nope might be a little slower though.. unless they werent stored properly, then youre probably right

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

My personal experience with old tough seeds is sand paper and kelp in the soak. You need to scuff the edge of the seed where the crack is and break through the dry waxy cuticle. Then I soak overnight in a kelp solution and plant normally. Keep evenly moist at 80°F constant. I am happy if 50% of 5 year old seeds germinate. 80% for fresh.

Some people actually crack the seeds with pliers, a device made to do it or their teeth. I have not tried that.

 

[Waira]

.... and some just plain don't age well, even if kept in the fridge/freezer... @Birdu2 how did you store them? Any temp shock hot<--> cold happen meantime?
I've had old seeds run the gamut for germ' and successful establishment... no-crack; crack but radical stall; PPP after breaking surface...
This year near 10yo seeds, ironically a Mephisto photo cross made-for-fun during parent hunting for auto candidates, go 6/8 with one that was a mutie...
2/4 on one cross made just last year!
Some things can be done to improve chances: edge sanding; soak solutions with kelp/hormones/fulvic acid/Si; cracking is a thing! Twenty20Mendo has a cool basic wooden tool made for this- ...to be sure, proper setting and technique are critical!
...but busting the case is just a start, often I find stall-outs as common as no-cracks... there is some mechanical swelling that takes place even if the seed is a activation/germ' bust,.. other times the radical pokes out a bit then shuts down,...

All said and done, you can tweak the odds a bit, past that there's nawt-to-do but cross ye fingers!

 

[Birdu2]

Thanks guys, ill try one more time with sand paper, this time, ill go deeper with it, let it soak in water and then paper towel.

 

[Birdu2]

.... and some just plain don't age well, even if kept in the fridge/freezer... @Birdu2 how did you store them? Any temp shock hot<--> cold happen meantime?
I've had old seeds run the gamut for germ' and successful establishment... no-crack; crack but radical stall; PPP after breaking surface...
This year near 10yo seeds, ironically a Mephisto photo cross made-for-fun during parent hunting for auto candidates, go 6/8 with one that was a mutie...
2/4 on one cross made just last year!
Some things can be done to improve chances: edge sanding; soak solutions with kelp/hormones/fulvic acid/Si; cracking is a thing! Twenty20Mendo has a cool basic wooden tool made for this- ...to be sure, proper setting and technique are critical!
...but busting the case is just a start, often I find stall-outs as common as no-cracks... there is some mechanical swelling that takes place even if the seed is a activation/germ' bust,.. other times the radical pokes out a bit then shuts down,...

All said and done, you can tweak the odds a bit, past that there's nawt-to-do but cross ye fingers!

There were stored inside a closet, ambient temp. no big changes from hot to cold, as the geographic location is in the caribean side of Mexico.

 

[Waira]

Thanks guys, ill try one more time with sand paper, this time, ill go deeper with it, let it soak in water and then paper towel.

So many ways that work, no one is "right".... :smoking:

Myself, for what;s it worth:
- scuff/sand pointy end and seams with 220grit
- soak solution (about 1 fl oz, easier to mix) is fairly low ppm water (not pure RO/Di) + dash of fulvic acid + 1 drop Si + kelp extract (hormones, surfactant properties)
- I go no more than 8 hours, over night basically
- upper 70's - 80F ambient T's
- then direct sow, no towels (which potentially can have nasty chems in them)... I found no difference in time-to-emerge between them, so I KISS it and let Mama Nature take the wheel!
usually I see soil break in 2-4 days... not totally uncommon for some to take a week+.... peep's like the pt method because they can hawk the results directly, which I get- ....

 

[Waira]

There were stored inside a closet, ambient temp. no big changes from hot to cold, as the geographic location is in the caribean side of Mexico.

Ah! ... warm T's, even normal house T's can erode away at the viability rate pretty quickly... fridge them mate, sealed and chiller will serve you well