Cannabis seeds, with their hard outer shell, appear pretty hardy. And while nature has definitely designed them to withstand various variety of conditions, cannabis seeds aren't invincible. Sudden changes in temperature and high humidity, for example, can easily ruin collections of seeds. Luckily, caring for your seeds is easy. Keep reading to find out how.
Most people forget this, but it's real: your cannabis seeds are alive organisms. Before they grow, however, they are in a state of rest, just like some animals when they hibernate. And like all organisms, seeds can die. When storing your seeds, you'll want to give them the ideal conditions to guarantee they survive until you're ready to plant and plant them.
Cannabis seeds have four main enemies:
Ideally, you want to preserve your seeds in cool, dark, and arid place. Whenever possible, keep your seeds in their initial packaging. At Royal Queen Seeds, we've specifically designed our packaging to safeguard our seeds until you're ready to germinate them.
If your seeds get exposed to light or sudden changes in temperature, these conditions will make them to use up their nutrients before they ever touch soil, meaning they won't have the nutrition they need to grow. High humidity, on the other hand, can trigger fungi to form on your seeds.
Humidity is easily one of the biggest threats to your seeds. Here is how different levels of humidity (% relative humidity) influence your cannabis seeds:
| Levels of Relative Humidity | Impact of Humidity on Cannabis Seeds |
|---|---|
| 80 - 100% | Seeds begin growing. |
| 40 - 60% | Seeds raise respiration and preservation fungi become major problem. |
| 20 - 30% | Temporary storage. |
| 18 - 20% | Intermediate storage. |
| 12 - 14% | Long-term storage. |
| 8 - 9% | Reduced longevity than seeds kept at slightly higher humidity. |
Seeking advice on controlling humidity for your plants? The Grow Guide offers key tips for maintaining healthy growing environments.
For short-term storage, dim cupboard or drawer with steady temperatures is typically fine. Try to keep your seeds out of areas of your house that are prone to the natural temperature changes of your area environment.
If, for https://nativesusa.com/ (https://nativesusa.com/) example, you reside in a location with very warm daytime temperatures and cold nights, try to shield your seeds from these changes and don't store them outside in garages or garage.
For prolonged storage, it's best to keep your seeds with moisture absorbers, such as silica gel, in a sealed container inside the refrigerator. Remember that opening the door of your refrigerator can actually create some pretty major temperature shifts. If you happen to have a second fridge that gets accessed less often than the one in your kitchen, pick that one to store your seeds.
Again, if possible, keep your seeds in their factory packaging. If you do break packages of seeds and have extras, transfer the extra seeds directly into an airtight container.
Ziplock bags, for example, are excellent because you can extract all the air from them to make nearly vacuum-sealed container for your seeds. Once packaged, put your bag inside dark plastic bag or black container to guard your seeds from your refrigerator light.
Moisture-free fridges are the best to store seeds. The problem is when there is humidity in the fridge, since humidity is the most dangerous enemy for seeds (more harmful than temperature, light, oxygen...). For this reason, it is recommended to store the seeds in No Frost fridges.
Yes, cannabis seeds can be kept in the freezer. The colder the temperature, the more gradually they decline. However, it's usually not necessary to freeze your seeds. Follow the conditions we described above, and you should be able to preserve your seeds for up to five years and still get a high germination rate.
When you're ready to germinate your seeds, check them and germinate any seeds with issues to the outer shell first. The outer shell of your seeds is made to protect the volatile genetics inside. Seeds with cracks in the outer shell are much more vulnerable and can't be stored.
At Royal Queen Seeds, we pride ourselves in our work and want to ensure every grower only has the top genetics in their garden. That means we examine all of our seeds before packing. If you notice any damage to your RQS seeds, reach out with our customer service team immediately.
We've all located an odd seed somewhere at the depths of forgotten drawer or cupboard. Here are a few tips on how to sprout weed seeds:
Before growing your old seeds, try soaking them in carbonated water enhanced with fulvic acid, enhancers, hydrogen peroxide, or gibberellic acid. For best results, use lukewarm water and soak your seeds for twelve hours in dark place.
Mature seeds often have an extra tough outer shell. Gently scratching this shell with fine sandpaper can help water and warmth reach your seed at the time of germination. Try carefully scarring your old cannabis seeds just before submerging to help them sprout.
The ridge is the somewhat elevated side of your seed. Like sections of the shell, this ridge can become extra tough over time. Taking off it gently with a sharp Stanley blade can help your seed germinate.
In final attempt to sprout your seeds, creating tiny cut in the shell may help. However, this is no guaranteed fix, and you'll need to be cautious to avoid harming the inside of your seed. If you damage the embryo, the seed will never germinate.
Remember, some old seeds just won't grow no matter how much you try. When possible, avoid purchasing more seeds than you will plant so as to avoid having any issues at the time of germination.