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Jul 26, 2015 11:02 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Joy Wooldridge
Kalama, Wa. (Zone 8b)
Sunset Zone 6, Heat zone 4,
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Photo Contest Winner 2021 Lilies Daylilies Organic Gardener Cat Lover
Birds Region: Pacific Northwest Garden Photography Bulbs Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Container Gardener
I have seeds that I bought and seeds from my own garden that I haven't planted yet. I keep them in the fridge, but some have been in there for four years now. Anyone have any experience growing from old seeds?

If only I had planted them, I'd be enjoying their blooms by now. Some take that long to bloom here. Crying
No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson
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Jul 27, 2015 2:24 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
There are a number of possible variables. I would do a germination test on a selected few (leave them in a solution of household strength hydrogen peroxide and water, somewhere around 1:5 to 1:9, at room temp but out of the sun for a week or two, maybe change to a fresh solution every few days). If you get enough starting to germinate that it's worthwhile starting the rest then you can switch to your normal method.
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Jul 27, 2015 5:13 AM CST
Name: Fred Manning
Lillian Alabama

Charter ATP Member Region: Gulf Coast I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Amaryllis Region: United States of America Garden Ideas: Level 2
Ponds Hummingbirder Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Butterflies
I planted some a month ago that had been in the fridge a year and all are growing great, most had already germinated in the fridge.
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Jul 27, 2015 6:20 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Fred - Did you store them in the refrigerator in water or how?
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 27, 2015 2:22 PM CST
Name: Fred Manning
Lillian Alabama

Charter ATP Member Region: Gulf Coast I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Amaryllis Region: United States of America Garden Ideas: Level 2
Ponds Hummingbirder Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Butterflies
Just in a zip lock bag after drying them, I never add anything or put them in any solution before planting.
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Jul 27, 2015 2:48 PM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Hmmm ... that's interesting. I've never had any germinate in the fridge before unless there was water added. I will have to look closer at some of my seed baggies! Cool!
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 27, 2015 5:54 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Joy Wooldridge
Kalama, Wa. (Zone 8b)
Sunset Zone 6, Heat zone 4,
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Photo Contest Winner 2021 Lilies Daylilies Organic Gardener Cat Lover
Birds Region: Pacific Northwest Garden Photography Bulbs Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Container Gardener
Well I guess I'll just have to try a few. And I better check my seeds and make sure they didn't try to grow in the fridge.There'd be no way to know how long ago they tried. Thanks everyone.
No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson
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Jul 28, 2015 5:20 AM CST
Name: Fred Manning
Lillian Alabama

Charter ATP Member Region: Gulf Coast I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Amaryllis Region: United States of America Garden Ideas: Level 2
Ponds Hummingbirder Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Butterflies
Years ago I sold seed on the auction, some of the seed I shipped had germinated in the fridge, there also were a few people selling germinated seed. They will live a long time in the fridge after germination.
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Jul 28, 2015 5:23 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Fred - THAT is really interesting.

So was the question answered here? Daylily seeds last a year in the refrigerator? Or do they last longer?

I would really like to know as well as I have seeds that are 2+ years old in my refrigerator.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 28, 2015 5:27 AM CST
Name: Teresa Felty Barrow
South central KY (Zone 6b)
SONGBIRD GARDENS
Birds Hummingbirder Hybridizer Irises Lilies Peonies
Sempervivums Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: United States of America Vegetable Grower Hostas Heucheras
What causes low germination. I had several seeds from the LA that didn't or had a low percentage of germiantion.
Bee Kind, make the world a better place.
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Jul 28, 2015 5:35 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
It could be a number of things. If it was the fault of the seed just not germinating ... it could have been a seed that just wasn't viable. I do the squeeze test. If you squeeze a seed between your fingers (AFTER it has dried) and it's smushy, that seed is no good. It should remain hard. Sometimes the seeds do germinate, but soil gnats larvae get to them and kill them. Fungus is also another cause of early seedling death ... like root rot. (Which is why I add a few drops of H2O2 in the water when watering all my seedlings and water only when soil is dry.) And some seeds might actually appear not viable because they may take several months (not weeks as most do) to germinate.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 28, 2015 5:42 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Teresa - If your seeds from the LA did not germinate at all, you need to contact the seller THROUGH the LA by sending them a message. You should get a refund or replacement seeds. I got money back from a situation like that. If the seller fails to contact you, then fill out a "Support Form":
http://www.daylily.com/cgi-bin...

Support got involved in my dispute with a seller which almost immediately got my money refunded.

Thumbs up
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 28, 2015 5:47 AM CST
Name: Teresa Felty Barrow
South central KY (Zone 6b)
SONGBIRD GARDENS
Birds Hummingbirder Hybridizer Irises Lilies Peonies
Sempervivums Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: United States of America Vegetable Grower Hostas Heucheras
Hmm, ok I hadn't thought about doing that. Some were kinda pricey!
Bee Kind, make the world a better place.
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Jul 28, 2015 5:54 AM CST
Name: Sue
Ontario, Canada (Zone 4b)
Annuals Native Plants and Wildflowers Keeps Horses Dog Lover Daylilies Region: Canadian
Butterflies Birds Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Sages Plant Identifier
bluegrassmom said:What causes low germination. I had several seeds from the LA that didn't or had a low percentage of germiantion.


The difficulty with low germination percentages is the time allowed for germination and their pre-starting history to determine if they were not viable or had seed dormancy. For example did 20% germinate within three weeks and then were the rest thrown away? Were they damp chilled first before starting at room temp (in which case if only 20% germinated within three weeks at room temp that would indicate a viability problem). If they were not damp chilled and 20% germinated in three weeks while the rest took three months then it's a seed dormancy issue that can be remedied by damp chilling in the fridge or perhaps soaking in hydrogen peroxide at room temp. Damp is the key for chilling because while dried seeds store better in the fridge, dry chilling does not break seed dormancy.

It's also possible that batches daylily seeds do not have seed dormancy and need no pre-treatment but you can't determine that by looking at them, only by experience. That's one of the reasons why we get so many different recommendations for starting daylily seeds, they don't all have seed dormancy for various reasons but if they do germination will be staggered.
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Jul 28, 2015 5:58 AM CST
Name: Mayo
The Netherlands, Europe (Zone 9a)
Bee Lover Organic Gardener Irises Hellebores Region: Europe Dragonflies
Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Birds
I bought a load of 2014 seeds on LA too Thumbs up

I checked all seeds when they arrived, but none of them had sprouted spontaneously on their 2 week trip to Europe
(have to admit that I was a bit worried about that! Whistling )
I noted all of them in PlantStep (another 3 days!) and after that I put them in the fridge.

From the 135 seeds I took óut the fridge and put in ziplock bags with water and perlite a week later, only 2 haven't germinated yet. Thumbs up
(should have left them to chill for a couple of weeks more, I know but I couldn't wait any longer.. Rolling on the floor laughing )


Mayo
a DL flower a day keeps the doctor away
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Jul 28, 2015 5:59 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Exactly! I have a very good germination rate, so I was positive the failure to germinate had nothing to do with me.

I always hold a couple seeds back in the refrigerator. I plant 3-5 seeds (depending on how many total of that cross I have) and see what happens. If none germinate, I plant the remaining seeds. It is my back-up plan. After the back-up seeds didn't germinate, I complained. Things do happen when germinating seeds. I had an incident where my cat knocked over some of the cups with soil and seeds all over the floor. But even most of those germinated after I scooped them back up into the cups and put them back on my window sill (though I didn't know for sure which seedlings were which because the labels were also mixed up!).
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 28, 2015 6:01 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Mayo - Some seeds just take longer to germinate also. I have had seeds that took TWO MONTHS to germinate. I nearly gave up on them when suddenly I noticed sprouts! So my advice (which was given to me), is to wait and see for at least 3 months.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
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Jul 28, 2015 6:05 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
I forget how long the guarantee on LA is. I know it is at least a year. But I am thinking even longer because some plants and seeds (seedlings) take as long as 3 years to bloom to verify you have the plant you paid for! So the LA guarantee is one of the best around for daylily seeds and plants!
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden
Last edited by beckygardener Jul 28, 2015 6:05 AM Icon for preview
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Jul 28, 2015 6:22 AM CST
Name: Mayo
The Netherlands, Europe (Zone 9a)
Bee Lover Organic Gardener Irises Hellebores Region: Europe Dragonflies
Dog Lover Daylilies Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Birds
oh, now that I've taken them out of the fridge I can be patient Rolling my eyes.

The other 133 germinated within 10-12 days, so I'm véry happy!
The first dozen or so are planted into seedtrays and are now 1 - 2 inches Lovey dubby

Mayo
a DL flower a day keeps the doctor away
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Jul 28, 2015 6:24 AM CST
Name: Becky
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Daylilies Hummingbirder Butterflies Seed Starter Container Gardener
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Birds Ponds
Mayo - Excellent! Congrats on all your new babies! Smiling
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
Garden Rooms and Becky's Budget Garden

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