Best way to store cacti & succulent seeds

11 years ago

I was thinking about buying some succulent & cacti seeds but wasn't planning on sowing them for a few months. I know that different seeds have different lengths of viability but in general can I store them in the fridge with the rest of my seeds? If not what's the best way to store them or should I wait and buy them closer to the time I want to plant? I know that huernia seeds store quite well in the fridge but don't know about anything else. TIA

Comments (7)

bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
11 years ago
Good question... had you thought about asking the vendor/supplier of the seed for specific storage requirements? Silly me, of course you have cuz you're a smart person and you grow some beautiful plants!
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
11 years ago
Oh, BTW what might be on this potential shopping list? Anything interesting....
karyn1
Original Author
11 years ago
They are all eBay listings so I hadn't asked. If I decide to buy I'll probably ask the vendors. Even though any vendor I'm looking at has an excellent feedback rating I don't necessarily trust what they say. I prefer to ask on the garden forums. When buying from a reputible nursery I usually trust what they say but eBay, eh. Howard it's just a variety of stuff. I'll send you a PM with what I'm looking at.
cactusjordi
11 years ago
Karyn,
don't expect the seeds to be fresh when buying them later. They will be the same seeds as offered earlier just be stored by the seller till you buy them.
And BTW I had good germination with 3 year old asclep seeds stored at room-temps. Other seeds in a thicker shell have an even longer shelf-live. I actually never use a fridge let alone a freezer to store seeds.

Jordi
Beachplants
11 years ago
With Jordi. I also keep my excess in a old shoebox, usually in a cupboard in the house until I have time to sow them.
karyn1
Original Author
11 years ago
Jordi you have a good point. I didn't even consider that. I've always kept seeds in the fridge. I actually have a fridge in the garage just for seeds. I don't have enough space to keep them anywhere else. I was just concerned that the cool temps might damage some. Huernia seeds are fine for quite a long time so I assume most asclepiads would do fine. Last night I noticed aloe seeds that had been stored in the fridge sprouted. I'd like to start the seeds right away but will be out of town for several weeks over the next few months. My mature plants don't suffer the neglect but my seedlings often do.
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
11 years ago
Something else.. I attended Michigan State University back in the Ice Age! Being a science major, I had occasion to take a botany class or two. There was a rather famous professor At MSU, William James Beal. He created the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden which is the oldest continuously operated botanical garden in the United States at MSU. Part of his research had to do with this very topic about seed viability. As the story goes, he buried numerous bottles, Beal's Bottles, on the grounds of the MSU campus (back then it was The Michigan Agricultural Collage). At predetermined times, a bottle would be dug up and the seeds planted to see how many would germinate. The experiment is still ongoing and will conclude in 2100. So Karyn, I guess it all depends on the seed. Here's wishing you 100%