Do cannabis seeds go bad? Sadly, the answer is yes. As with any organic material, seeds become less viable with age. When kept at ambient temperature, they can last for several months, up to ten years in cool, dark places, and even longer when refrigerated.
If you’re considering growing marijuana plants indoors, you’ll need a medical marijuana card, which gives you the legal authority to cultivate marijuana plants indoors to a limited degree. You can apply for the cheapest medical marijuana card online from a number of telemedicine platforms, all while relaxing in the comfort of your own home.
Is it worth it to try germination with an old, random batch that you have in your cupboard? How can the freshness of seeds be maintained once a new package is purchased?
Come learn about the shelf life of marijuana seeds with us. We talk about how they age, what causes their decline to happen more quickly, and how to prolong their lives.
What is the Shelf Life of Marijuana Seeds?
Living things, such as weed seeds, are dormant until they are in contact with moisture and warmth. They can sprout and grow into plants for a very long time if stored properly.
You must be aware of seed morphology in order to comprehend how long seeds last.
Regular, feminized, and autoflowering seeds have hard shells that encase the live genetic material within. The embryo, which contains the genetic material for a new plant, is at the core. It is sustained until germination by the nutritional reserve that surrounds it.
An essential part of seed preservation is the shell. Unfavorable conditions damage the defense systems, putting the embryo in jeopardy. Whether or not you’re ready for germination, hormones kick in when the environment becomes too favorable for life.
Therefore, the environment has an impact on the seed’s shelf life. After six months, they decompose if exposed to sunshine and temperature changes. They endure a year at room temperature in an opaque substance. In a dry, cold, and dark environment, the number increases to two to three years.
If you store seeds in the refrigerator in an opaque jar, you can extend their shelf life even further. They can last five to ten years if the environment is kept below thirty degrees Fahrenheit and is not frequently disturbed.
The longer cannabis seeds remain viable, the better you take care of them. When age finally catches up with them, we’ll see what happens.
You will need a medical card that gives you the legal right to possess and grow marijuana in your state in order to keep marijuana seeds in your home. If you don’t have one, you can contact an online marijuana doctor from the comfort of your home. He will issue you a medical card so you won’t face any legal repercussions.
How to Identify Bad Marijuana Seeds
To determine if your marijuana seeds are bad, it is best to let them germinate. Age is irrelevant once they pop, and even elderly ones can do so.
While there are other germination techniques, none yield greater results than the method used to sprout paper towels. For one to five days, you keep the seeds moistened between paper towels in a warm, dark place. They produce thin, white taproots in response to heat and moisture.
If the seeds sprout, move them into pots to begin the seedling stage. If not, you can still attempt to sow them, though the likelihood of success will be reduced.
What happens if you’re not ready to sow yet or don’t want to waste time on a sprout that might not succeed? This is how to determine if the marijuana seeds you have will still work.
1. Smell Test
When seeds are healthy, they smell slightly earthy and woodsy. If they have a moldy smell, the high humidity has probably caused them to go bad.
2. The Soak Test
After placing the seeds in a clear glass of water, give them fifteen minutes to sit. Dense, sinking viable specimens are found at the bottom. Those that float at the top have either lost their embryos or their nutritional reserves.
3. The Touch Test
In general, healthy seeds are fairly soft to the touch. The shell becomes harder and loses its spring as it ages. In severe circumstances, it may even split when lightly compressed.
4. Visual Cues
Even seeds from the same strain vary in size and shape, so their appearance isn’t very consistent. Nevertheless, they show outward indications of aging and degradation.
- Color shifts: Mature and healthy seeds are dark brown, black, and gray. Pale brown hues are too old; white and green are too young. Additionally, the shell should have a spotted or striped pattern surrounding it.
- Sheen loss: The waxy coatings that survive on marijuana seeds’ shells make them shimmer a little in the sunlight. This shiny, greasy appearance suggests they hold moisture. Those who seem lifeless and dull have lost that ability.
- Flat shape: Well-grown seeds are plump, round, and have a high chance of sprouting. They are already less able to hold onto moisture if they look small and deflated.
- Holes and cracks: The delicate cannabis embryo is shielded from infections and bad weather by its outer layer. Bacteria and other dangerous organisms may penetrate the seed when it cracks. The living cells may dry out and perish due to the air.
5 Factors That Can Ruin Your Cannabis Seeds
Weed seeds that have gone bad either die from being too dry or from coming too close to sprouting. While none of the options are ideal, you can protect them by being aware of the following risk factors:
- Poor Extraction
Commercial growers are required to store cannabis plant seeds as soon as they are obtained. If not, they wither away pretty quickly, and you are unable to grow the dream weed.
Purchase from reliable seed banks like our partner Homegrown Cannabis Co., and choose your seller carefully. Your products will always be fresh and ready to germinate when you want them to start growing, thanks to their impeccable storage practices.
- Light
Seed storage is not aided by light. Conversely, it may drastically shorten the shelf life. In addition to upsetting seeds, heat from bulbs and the sun can deplete the stores of nutrients. The specimen becomes weaker and more difficult to sprout as a result.
- High Humidity
Seeds rot from the inside out when the humidity is high. Before you’re ready, moderate moisture can also start the sprouting process; once a taproot dries and dies, it cannot be revived.
Seeds rot from the inside out when the humidity is high. Before you’re ready, moderate moisture can also start the sprouting process; once a taproot dries and dies, it cannot be revived.
- Extreme Temperatures
Overheating encourages germination. Storing your seeds in hot conditions can cause them to pop and dry out right away. Even moderate heat can be problematic.
Temperatures above 60°F can start the chemical reactions necessary for sprouting. Without water, the seed will not germinate, but it will run out of nutrients and become unviable.
Being overly cold is also a bad thing. It is possible and occasionally advantageous to freeze seeds, but only in cases where the temperature drops quickly. The embryo may die from slow cooling.
- Air Exposure
The quality of cannabis seeds is decreased by fresh air because it initiates processes related to sprouting. The hibernation period is maintained, and viability is preserved for later use in vacuumed spaces.
Tips for Keeping Your Cannabis Seeds Healthy
Start by purchasing from a trustworthy seed bank. Success is yours thanks to stellar genetics and painstaking extraction procedures. You are responsible for the remainder.
After purchasing premium seeds, store the ones you won’t be planting right away in the right environment. In this manner, even years after your purchase, you can continue to get healthy cannabis plants and maintain a high germination rate.
Your chances of success can rise if you know which seeds to save. Examine your batch under a magnifying glass to check for cracks. It is not advisable to store those with broken outer shells since the volatile genetic material within is already in danger. Store only those that show no symptoms of physical damage.
The ideal seed storage environment consists of these four elements:
1. Airtight Containers
If you’re not going to be growing marijuana right away, wait as long as you can to open the original package. Seed shelf life is reduced by days or months with each disturbance.
As soon as the package is opened, transfer the marijuana seeds into airtight jars. For long-term storage, mason jars with thick rubber seals or snap tops are ideal.
Choose ceramic or glass containers over plastic ones. Plastic containers can cause “sweating,” which would cause the seeds to lose moisture because they retain heat.
Another clever idea is to use zip-lock bags. You deflate them to the point where a vacuum-sealed container is formed. To shield the seeds from light from the refrigerator, make sure you wrap them in dark plastic.
Tip: To prevent spreading bacteria to seeds, wash your hands before handling them.
2. Minimal Light Exposure
Avoiding exposure to light is yet another crucial aspect of seed storage.
Use opaque jars or put transparent ones in brown paper bags to completely block out the light. Choose a small, shady area, such as the back of your refrigerator or a seldom-used cabinet.
3. Stable Temperature
Good seeds can be ruined by temperature swings, so stability should be your top priority. Jars should be kept in a cupboard you don’t often open or in the refrigerator’s secret rear section. To reduce disruptions, you could also include a small camping freezer in your package.
Avoid storing seeds above 70°F when storing them for a short time. The best temperature to preserve them for years is between 30 and 40 °F.
Since seeds deteriorate more slowly at lower temperatures, you could also freeze them. In this instance, leave them in a windy area for several hours to make sure they’re completely dry. If shells have patches of ice, they are difficult to unfreeze.
4. Low Humidity
Seeds sprout in moist air, and they are preserved in dry air. To prevent germination and pest activity in the jar, aim for a relative humidity of 20–30%. It’s interesting to note that levels under 10% reduce the likelihood of sprouting.
Tip: If you reside in a tropical region, put a tiny silica bag inside the mason jar containing the seeds. The humidity levels inside your container are lowered by these beads’ ability to absorb excess moisture.