Methods To Effectively Store Cannabis Seeds
Cannabis seeds, with their tough outer shell, appear pretty hardy. And while nature has definitely designed them to withstand many variety of conditions, cannabis seeds aren’t invincible. Sudden changes in temperature and elevated humidity, for example, can easily ruin collections of seeds. Luckily, looking after your seeds is simple. Keep reading to find out how.
Your Seeds Are Alive
Many people forget this, but it’s real: your cannabis seeds are active organisms. Before they sprout, however, they are in a condition of rest, just like some animals when they rest. And like all organisms, seeds can perish. When preserving your seeds, you’ll want to give them the best conditions to make sure they remain viable until you’re ready to sprout and plant them.
Ideal Conditions for Cannabis Seeds
Cannabis seeds have four key enemies:
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Light
- Oxygen
Ideally, you want to store your seeds in cool, dark, and moisture-free place. When possible, keep your seeds in their factory packaging. At Royal Queen Seeds, we’ve specifically designed our packaging to protect our seeds until you’re ready to plant them.
If your seeds get hit by light or sudden changes in temperature, these conditions will trigger them to consume their nutrient stores before they ever touch soil, meaning they won’t have the nutrition they need to germinate. Excessive humidity, on the flip side, can trigger fungi to develop on your seeds.
Effects of Humidity on Cannabis Seeds
Humidity is easily one of the greatest threats to your seeds. Here is how different levels of humidity (% relative humidity) affect your cannabis seeds:
| Ranges of Relative Humidity | Impact of Humidity on Cannabis Seeds |
|---|---|
| 80 – 100% | Seeds begin growing. |
| 40 – 60% | Seeds raise respiration and preservation fungi become significant problem. |
| 20 – 30% | Brief storage. |
| 18 – 20% | Medium-term storage. |
| 12 – 14% | Extended storage. |
| 8 – 9% | Lower longevity than seeds preserved at somewhat higher humidity. |
Seeking advice on handling humidity for your plants? The Grow Guide offers key tips for preserving healthy growing environments.
Storage Methods to Store Your Cannabis Seeds
For brief storage, dark cupboard or drawer with steady temperatures is generally fine. Try to keep your seeds out of areas of your house that are prone to the normal temperature changes of your local environment.
If, for example, you reside in an area with very hot daytime temperatures and cold nights, try to shield your seeds from these changes and don’t place them outside in sheds or garage.
For prolonged storage, it’s recommended to keep your seeds with desiccants, such as silica gel, in sealed container inside the icebox. Remember that using the door of your fridge can actually cause some pretty significant temperature shifts. If you have have a second fridge that gets accessed less often than the one in your kitchen, choose that one to preserve your seeds.
Again, if possible, keep your seeds in their factory packaging. If you do unseal packages of seeds and have remaining seeds, transfer the extra seeds directly into an airtight container.
Ziplock bags, for example, are perfect because you can extract all the air from them to make an almost vacuum-sealed container for your seeds. Once vacuum-sealed, put your bag inside a dark plastic bag or dark 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 dangerous than temperature, light, oxygen…). For this reason, it is recommended to store the seeds in No Frost fridges.
Can You Store Seeds in the Freezer?
Yes, cannabis seeds can be preserved in the freezer. The more extreme the temperature, the more gradually they decline. However, it’s usually not essential to freeze your seeds. Maintain the conditions we detailed above, and you should be able to maintain your seeds for up to five years and still get excellent germination rate.
Understanding Which Seeds to Grow and Which to Store
When you’re ready to grow your seeds, inspect them and germinate any seeds with issues to the outer shell first. The exterior of your seeds is built to protect the sensitive genetics inside. Seeds with cracks in the outer shell are much more vulnerable and won’t be stored.
At Royal Queen Seeds, we take pride in our work and want to make sure every grower only has the top genetics in their garden. That means we inspect all of our seeds before packing. If you find any damage to your RQS seeds, get in touch with our help team immediately.
Tips for Germinating Older Cannabis Seeds
We’ve all discovered stray seed somewhere at the back of an old drawer or cupboard. Here are several tips on how to germinate weed seeds:
Soaking with fortified carbonated water
Before growing your old seeds, try immersing them in carbonated water enriched with fulvic acid, https://nativesusa.com/, https://nativesusa.com, enhancers, hydrogen peroxide, or gibberellic acid. For best results, use lukewarm water and soak your seeds for half a day in dark place.
Scar your seeds
Older seeds often have an extra tough outer shell. Gently scratching this shell with some sandpaper can help water and warmth reach your seed at the time of germination. Try lightly scarring your old cannabis seeds just before submerging to help them germinate.
Take off the seed’s ridge
The ridge is the somewhat elevated side of your seed. Like other parts of the shell, this ridge can become extremely tough over time. Taking off it gently with fine Stanley blade can help your seed grow.
Cut open your seed
In a last attempt to grow your seeds, creating a small cut in the shell may help. However, this is no miracle cure, and you’ll need to be cautious to avoid harming the inside of your seed. If you damage the embryo, the seed will never grow.
Remember, some old seeds just won’t germinate no matter how long you try. Whenever possible, avoid buying more seeds than you plan to plant so as to avoid having any problems at the time of germination.
