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Besides buying premium quality seeds from a reputable seed bank and following prescribed germination procedures, cannabis seeds storage practices also influence the seeds’ viability significantly. Cannabis enthusiasts may store cannabis seeds to avoid wastage, stockpile their favorite cannabis strains, or ensure crop consistency each planting season.
Image Source: SeedMasters.com
Ideally, cannabis seeds can retain their viability and genetic integrity for years. However, compromising storage situations lower the seeds’ viability significantly and may even cause the seeds to die before germination. Moreover, cannabis seeds are pretty pricey; therefore, when you buy cannabis seeds, follow these practices to preserve their integrity:
Although light is essential for cannabis seeds to germinate, it is counterproductive and prevents them from sprouting under a non-conducive environment. Therefore, keeping your cannabis seeds away from natural or artificial light prevents premature seed germination.
The most important thing to note about cannabis seeds is that they are alive. Generally, seeds are fertilized embryos waiting to produce life and grow into plants under the ideal conditions. However, before germination, they remain in a dormant state akin to animal hibernation during winter.
Although cellular functions within the seed continue even during the dormant state, it is minimal hence why no visible changes like growth occur. The limited cell activity ensures that the seeds do not deplete the nutrient reserves that sustain them. However, exposure to light triggers cellular activity in cannabis seeds several notches, causing depletion of nutritional reserves, yet there is no way for the seeds to take more nutrients.
Dormant cannabis seeds contain high concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone that induces and promotes seed dormancy. However, exposure to light causes the seed to synthesize an antagonistic hormone to ABA called gibberellic acid (GA). Unlike ABA, GA counters seed dormancy and instead promotes seed germination and plant growth.
Once out of the dormant state, the seed depletes its nutrient reserve, germinates prematurely, and dies, having never become a mature, flavorful, and potent cannabis plant. Therefore, always store your cannabis seeds away from light. Consider storing them in opaque or light-proof containers.
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Different seeds have varying temperature tolerance levels; however, cannabis seeds are pretty sensitive to temperature. Although seeds lose their viability with time, poor temperature control may expedite the situation, causing them to lose their viability or germination rate, which plummet below 50%.
Besides viability, temperature fluctuations may also affect the phenotypic composition in the seeds and turn prime cannabis seeds into crops with underwhelming cannabinoid and terpene profiles. Therefore, storing cannabis seeds at a consistent temperature helps preserve them for longer.
Keep your seeds away from rooms like kitchens where the ambient temperature constantly changes. Moreover, if you live in a climate where atmospheric temperatures vary significantly during different times of the day, you may consider storing your seeds in a temperature-controlled room.
Second, note the impact that temperature has on cannabis seeds varies with the intended storage duration. Consequently, temperature considerations while storing your cannabis seeds for a few weeks or a month or two differ from long-term storage demands. For short-term storage, a dark drawer or opaque container in a room with constant temperature may suffice, while months or years of storage require lower temperatures.
Therefore, it is okay, perhaps even prudent, to refrigerate or freeze your seeds before germination. The consensus among cannabis enthusiasts is maintaining cannabis seeds’ storage temperatures between 43◦F and 47◦F (6◦C-8◦C). However, if you put them in a refrigerator, put them in a corner whereby constantly opening and closing the fridge door will not affect their temperature. Second, if you decide to freeze the seeds, do not allow them to thaw before planting them.
Humidity and condensation are also detrimental to the preservation of cannabis seeds. Note that cannabis seeds contain just enough water content to keep the seed alive during storage. The high abscisic acid levels in the dormant seed inhibit any further moisture intake because water, being the source of life, will trigger germination.
Therefore, when cannabis seeds become exposed to high humidity during storage, ABA levels increase exponentially to prevent germination. However, if the moisture content is high enough, the water will win, and the seeds may either germinate or die within 12 hours. Another negative consequence of moisture on store-away cannabis seeds is the formation of harmful mold, mildew, and harmful fungi. Mold forms a fuzzy barrier over the seeds impeding germination while lowering the seeds’ projected crop yield significantly.
Moreover, fungi can reduce the germination rate in seeds by up to 80% leading to stupendous losses, as cannabis seeds are pretty pricey. Humidity levels below 40% are ideal for storing seeds to protect them from premature germination. Therefore, to prevent moisture damage, keep your seeds in watertight and moisture-proof storage containers.
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Besides mold and mildew, other organisms that may destroy cannabis seeds include insects and other pests. Insects often lay their eggs on seeds’ surfaces, and once the eggs hatch, the insect larvae burrow into the seeds and eat them for sustenance.
Besides insect eggs being too tiny for the naked eye to see, the seed-burrowing insects lay hundreds of eggs that hatch in less than a week. Unfortunately, you might only notice the damage to your seeds way after the insects rummage through and damage a significant portion of your seeds.
Fortunately, there are a few tips you can employ to keep insects at bay. First, adhere to the precautions on temperature and moisture above as the two components may facilitate insect breeding. Second, fix all the crevices where insects may gain access to your stored-away seeds.
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Cannabis seeds are pretty fragile, so you cannot store them in any random bag or container from your pantry. Appropriate storage containers and storage bags are essential in meeting all the above precautions.
Recommended storage containers include Ziploc bags, Mylar bags, Eppendorf tubes, and mason jars. Second, with mason jars, ensure both the jar and its lid feature the same material for a uniform response to temperature. Finally, ensure you maintain optimum hygiene in your storage area to eliminate and inhibit insects and pests.
Although cannabis seeds are quite sensitive to external stimuli, there is a simple formula to preserve their viability and phenotype until germination. Therefore, please keep them in darkness, at frigid temperatures, and dry to prevent financial loss and ultimately germinate high-quality cannabis crops.
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