Found some old seeds... worth trying to germinate???

[Rocketcaver]

Cleaning out the closet in my plant room recently, I discovered a paper bag containing smaller paper bags full of sarracenia seed that I collected in fall of 2012. These have just been sitting in the closet in general house conditions.
Are they likely to still be viable?

 

[NemJones]

Im not an expert on sarrs, but most cp seeds viability goes down after a few years of storage.
However, you have the seeds, why not try them to see if any come up?

 

[Dragoness]

Give it a shot, lol.

 

[Bio]

Probably not. Sarracenia seeds can last months to years when stored in the refrigerator, but not as long when store at room temperature. Won't hurt to try, though.

 

[NemJones]

When/if you do sow them, dont throw them out if they dont come up on time.

I once had seeds take 2years to germinate when they should have popped up in a week

 

[Rocketcaver]

Since most of the parent plants perished last winter in that horrible crazy weather we had, I think I will give these a shot. The plants weren't anything special, but still. There might be a few interesting hybrids I suppose.
Thanks for the encouragement. I realize it's a longshot though. If I get any germination I'll post a followup this fall/winter.

 

[Iwest]

When/if you do sow them, dont throw them out if they dont come up on time.

I once had seeds take 2years to germinate when they should have popped up in a week

2 years for sarr seeds? I don't believe it. Maybe nep seeds, but not sarrs. I've sown a LOT of sarr seeds in the past few years and I've never had them take more than 6-8 weeks at most to sprout.

 

[NemJones]

2 years for sarr seeds? I don't believe it. Maybe nep seeds, but not sarrs. I've sown a LOT of sarr seeds in the past few years and I've never had them take more than 6-8 weeks at most to sprout.

lolwat. No way man, Nep seeds dont even last beyond 4 months at the most.
They werent sarr seeds, I was just saying seeds sometimes take way beyond what they SHOULD.

For the reference they were mimosa pudica

 

[Cthulhu138]

lolwat. No way man, Nep seeds dont even last beyond 4 months at the most.

I've had several different species of Nepenthes seeds germinate well over a year after sowing. Not sure where you're getting your data on this but it is incorrect. Nepenthes seeds can germinate in as little as 2 weeks but some seeds can take much, much longer.

Rocketcaver, your Sarracenia seeds are likely no longer any good. If they had been stored in a refrigerator (or even frozen with some species), they would likely still be viable. At room temps however the seeds are probably long dessicated. As others have said though......it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.

 

[NemJones]

I've had several different species of Nepenthes seeds germinate well over a year after sowing. Not sure where you're getting your data on this but it is incorrect. Nepenthes seeds can germinate in as little as 2 weeks but some seeds can take much, much longer.

Ive been told from many members that nepenthes seed will not sprout after being stored for 6-12 months.. Buut im wrong anyways. My bad

 

[Not a Number]

Length viability depends on many factors and can vary from genus to genus or species to species. It depends on how the seeds were stored etc. One study on Dionaea seed germination and viability found that seeds of this species lost all viability if dry stored at room temperature after 45 days. Where as fresh seeds (just ripened) sown on moist media would begin germinating after 45 days. Seeds dry stored and refrigerated can remain viable for many years, perhaps even indefinitely. Bob Ziemer will relate to you how he germinated 20 year old seed. And then there are those wheat and other grains that have been germinated from Ancient Egyptian tombs.

Most CP seeds have reputations for short viability (several months at best, a few weeks for Dionaea and some Drosera) periods if not stored properly.

 

[Rocketcaver]

We'll, I guess all it will cost me is some rack space and a little time, so I'll give it a shot. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
I appreciate the comments.

 

[hcarlton]

Ive been told from many members that nepenthes seed will not sprout after being stored for 6-12 months.. Buut im wrong anyways. My bad

Yes, if the seeds were stored and never sown, they would be dead after that long. However, if they have been sown on soil, there have been numerous reports of seeds then sprouting up to a year or more later.
This applies to Nepenthes seeds only, Sarracenia seeds will last longer but do also lose viability after a few months. However, as everyone's already said, no harm in trying them!

 

[Steve Booth]

i have seeds that have been sown in spring one year after stratification come up the following year, so they can take over a year to germinate, germination rates were not good though. Also I have had 'old' seed stored in much the same way as yours have been stored, grow when planted, again with poor germination rates, but hey give it a go they're free and nothing ventured nothing gained.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Whimgrinder]

Ive been told from many members that nepenthes seed will not sprout after being stored for 6-12 months.. Buut im wrong anyways. My bad

You're misinterpreting what Johnny has stated; he is talking about the length of time some Nepenthes seed can take after sowing - that much was stated clearly in the above quote - you aren't paying attention. He's not talking about germinating seed that has been kept in dry storage for a year and then sown.