Post Punk Kitchen Forum

So i have some old corn seeds, planted them and nuthin'.
Followed some online instructions about how to germinate them using paper towels- i did and after 24 hours i have mold growing on the paper towel. Can i rinse and restart, new towel, or am i basically forked now?
thanks garden masters!

Well I had moldy petri dishes for my grad school thing and we used diluted bleach. I think though that peroxide is actually better?

have they sprouted yet? if not, bleach should be fine. (the sproutman has a suggestion of the ratio. but it's really dilute) if they have, then they're probably toast.

actually, i would start over with brand new seeds. swish them around a little bleach solution. let them soak in clean water and then go about your sprouty ways. (maybe even bleach/rinse the paper towel a little bit. in case that was the culprit)

they only soaked, they haven't sprouted.
so a bleach solution won't kill them? awesome. i think i may end up trying again with new seeds anyway as i timed this experiment really stupidly- tomorrow i have to go away for 3 days, and i can only imagine what sort of spore-o-rama i'm going to return to!!

so, i did it, and they got moldy again and didnt sprout.
note to self- next time use seeds within 4 years of purchase. d'oh!

Its probably not the seeds that get all moldy but the sprouting soil having stuffs. I mean it could be both. Maybe peroxide before it gets going is the way to go about it?

sadly, they've never seen soil- seeds in a packet, and sprouted on towels. i have a few seeds left to try again, and i will do some sort of pre-soaking rinse next time.

Unless you've kept the seeds in a cool place (like a frig) in an air-tight container, I agree that it is the seeds are too old. And even under ideal conditions, 4 years would probably be stretching the limit for corn. I just planted 6 year old turnip seed, and they're less vigorous than they were last year, and that's about the longest I've kept any seeds in production. Except for maybe lettuce - they seem to last a long, long time!

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS!!!

a few years ago i went on a seed buying spree in the US (end of season 95% off at Christmas tree shops). they have definitely not been refrigerated.
i have been hoarding the things i know i can't get here (kale, chard, sweet corn, spinach). Lo and behold, all of these, according to Dr Google, do not keep well. Live and learn, I suppose. D'oh!

Don't give up hope! The oldest seed known to have germinated was 2000 years old!

Otherwise make sure your towel isn't too wet, get some airflow going, and maybe some hydrogen peroxide. Good luck.

Home-stored seeds do best at fairly low, constant temps and with low humidity. Adding some dessicant packs to storage containers helps too.