Never throw away expired seeds and put them in the freezer: useful advice from gardeners

Good seeds will definitely sprout within the expiration date, but if the expiration date has passed, the result will be disastrous.

However, such seeds can also be planted. After all, surprises are possible even before the expiration date of the seeds, when they are still fresh.

Many gardeners do not know what to do with expired seeds and throw away the packets, although they can be revived.

What to do with old seeds

Stale seeds can be germinated by taking special measures.

The shelf life of seeds varies. For example, radish, cabbage or tomato seeds can lie for up to 5 years and sprout, while salads will lose their quality after 4 years, sweet peppers are only good for 3 years. Parsley, dill and sorrel seeds have the same shelf life.

How to make seeds sprout

You can increase the germination of old seeds using time-tested methods.

If the seeds have been lying around for a while, you can keep them in a glass of vodka for up to 10 minutes, and then rinse them thoroughly in running water.

The seeds must first be checked for germination. To do this, they are placed in a saline solution: 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 liter of water and left for 2-3 hours.

The seeds that float to the surface are of low quality and their germination rate is very low. Those that end up on the bottom can be safely planted.
Old seeds are sent to the freezer. Freezing will give strength to even the weakest seeds. After this procedure, the seeds can be immediately sown in the ground.

• Related news:
• seeds
• plants
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• salt
• 21 February 2023

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