If you are an avid cannabis seed collector, it is important to ensure that the valuable genetics preserved within each of your prized beans are maintained for the future: Doing this is (thankfully) very easy – all you need to do is follow these three simple steps…
Step 1: Keep those beans cool!
If you want to keep cannabis seeds in tip-top condition for any significant length of time, refrigeration is essential: But before you chuck them into cold storage, you need to bear a few things in mind…
- A cool, dry environment is the best place to keep your seeds. A cupboard or drawer which meets these criteria would be good, but an efficient fridge or freezer would be preferable for longer periods of time.
- Cannabis seeds are sensitive to temperature change, so avoid transferring them too often between your fridge/freezer and a room temperature environment and vice-versa. If you do have to take them out of storage, make sure to keep their container sealed and allow it to reach room temperature before opening it.
- Moisture content should be controlled by keeping your seeds in a sealed, air-tight container and by making sure that the environment that you are placing the seeds in is relatively dry.
- If you are using a fridge or freezer, make sure that it is in good working condition (free of frost/ice build-up, with clear drainage and with adequately sealed gaskets). Also, make sure that the seeds are dry before you freeze them, as any moisture which freezes can cause damage to occur.
Step 2: Keep your seeds in the dark, out of harm’s way
Light can trigger seeds to germinate – and degrade in quality, so if you want to store them legally – and avoid problems in the future, it is a smart move to keep them stored in a dark place.
But before you decide to stick them in the darkest, deepest corner you can find, you need to take a few further precautions: Namely, to protect your tasty seeds from pesky creatures like rats, mice and insects, who love such environments.
Bigger, furrier critters can be kept at bay by using solid, strong containers made from glass or metal, whilst insects can be discouraged by coating all of your dried seeds in a liberal sprinkling of a substance known as ‘Diatomaceous Earth’, which you can pick up at any good gardening centre.
Step 3: Keep those seeds nice and dry!
Moisture is your seeds’ worst enemy if you want to keep them in storage for any significant length of time: Even a small amount of moisture build-up can cause them to move out of their dormant state and use up some of their stored food source. Similarly, if they are allowed to dry out too much (for example, if you are too generous with water-absorbing products / desiccants), this can be harmful too.
If you happen to see any condensation build up on the inside of your jar after a couple of hours of storage, it is important to keep this controlled, as it could promote the growth of mould. This is where a desiccant, like silica gel (those little sachets marked ‘do not eat’ that you typically find in boxes of electronic gizmos) can help…
If this all sounds a bit complicated, don’t worry too much: Just stick your seeds into zip-lock bags and put them inside air-tight seed jars. To control the moisture level successfully, toss in some silica gel sachets: (an equal 1:1 ratio of silica gel weight to the weight of your seeds is ideal), before you seal everything up and you’ll be golden!