Old seed germinating

jlane35

Well-Known Member
Why is it that seed can sit in the seed bank for many years until it has access to sunlight and moisture. But seed can go bad after a year or two in a sealed bag?
 
Why is it that seed can sit in the seed bank for many years until it has access to sunlight and moisture. But seed can go bad after a year or two in a sealed bag?
I've done some reading on it, and it's a neat subject. There isn't a great and organized place to understand every seed on earth, but resistance to germination in general is a survival tactic. What I've read is that seed can sit dormant until the perfect conditions present for germination, and it's more than rain. There has to be a specific chemical change in the soil. When that chemical stimulus happens, viola, you get mother nature's response.

I tried testing resistant germination with barley this spring. The doubters thought I was nuts to throw it down on frozen ground. If you pick up a barley seed or an oat seed, and chew on it a little, it's fibrous. I had a hunch that stuff would sit there unaffected until it thawed and took off. I'm kinda shocked it worked, but it's changed my plans completely. Next spring, I wanna try a blend of barley and black oats into my clover.
 
I've done some reading on it, and it's a neat subject. There isn't a great and organized place to understand every seed on earth, but resistance to germination in general is a survival tactic. What I've read is that seed can sit dormant until the perfect conditions present for germination, and it's more than rain. There has to be a specific chemical change in the soil. When that chemical stimulus happens, viola, you get mother nature's response.

I tried testing resistant germination with barley this spring. The doubters thought I was nuts to throw it down on frozen ground. If you pick up a barley seed or an oat seed, and chew on it a little, it's fibrous. I had a hunch that stuff would sit there unaffected until it thawed and took off. I'm kinda shocked it worked, but it's changed my plans completely. Next spring, I wanna try a blend of barley and black oats into my clover.
It was news to me very recently that you can frost seed oats, rye, etc. I'm going to try it with oats this year, for spring food with the clearance oats I got at tractor supply for $8/bag
 
It was news to me very recently that you can frost seed oats, rye, etc. I'm going to try it with oats this year, for spring food with the clearance oats I got at tractor supply for $8/bag
I was watching the forecast for when the daily lows began to stay above 20. Once that hit, I let it fly. It dropped down to 14 for 3-4 days before it germinated. Never harmed it in the least.
 
I was watching the forecast for when the daily lows began to stay above 20. Once that hit, I let it fly. It dropped down to 14 for 3-4 days before it germinated. Never harmed it in the least.

What type of soil and forage conditions are you frost seeding oats into?
 
What type of soil and forage conditions are you frost seeding oats into?
Any conditions that enable the seed to have soil contact should work to frost seed grain. As far as germination, it's very important to store seed in a cool, dry place if you want them to remain viable. And that's kind of what nature does too. Most seeds either drop too late in the season to germinate, have a genetic period of dormancy, or have some type of husk protection until the next growing season. Some seed like marestail will actually germinate right away and overwinter as a stunted, dormant plant until the next spring.
 
It also depends on the variety. The seed of various species remain viable for varying times.
Using weed seeds for example, my book "Weeds of the Northeast" lists the viability of some weeds. Some are viable for many decades and some are short term...just a couple years.
I was told by an "expert" that soybean seeds are short lived.
I've had bad luck with old sunflower seeds.
 
It also depends on the variety. The seed of various species remain viable for varying times.
Using weed seeds for example, my book "Weeds of the Northeast" lists the viability of some weeds. Some are viable for many decades and some are short term...just a couple years.
I was told by an "expert" that soybean seeds are short lived.
I've had bad luck with old sunflower seeds.

I had two bags of old soybeans laying around and was planning on throwing them out this month. I put 30 into a wet paper towel in the fridge and got none to sprout. That is what got me thinking about it.
 
I had two bags of old soybeans laying around and was planning on throwing them out this month. I put 30 into a wet paper towel in the fridge and got none to sprout. That is what got me thinking about it.
Your fridge is probably too cold for them to sprout. Try it somewhere warmer.
 
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