Storage of Cannabis Seeds

Cannabis seeds can be stored for years if treated correctly, allowing a cultivator to build up a store of their favorite strains ready for propagation at any point. Many a seasoned cultivator will have abundant stores of safe and viable seeds just waiting to be germinated, it can take a cultivator one step closer to self-sufficiency and makes sure that they never lose their favorite strain. In order to achieve this, strict and thorough measures must be followed to ensure the integrity of your seeds is not compromised.

Firstly, it is important to make sure that the seeds themselves are in a good, healthy condition. There is no point storing the seeds if they are in a bad state as they are likely to fail when you come to germinate them down the line. Make sure that the seeds are dry and have no fractures in them – seeds that are not properly dried prior to storage will tend to deteriorate in quality over their time in storage and are at serious risk of mold. A good way to test whether they have dried enough is to place some of them in a sealed jar for a few hours. If the seeds are not sufficiently dry then you will see condensation beginning to form in the jar.

Place your seeds in an air tight container and label it with the strain, date of storage and any other relative information about the strain. This is a very important step, as the years go by it is very easy to forget which seeds are which when storing multiple varieties. Seeds also begin to lose their potency after 5 or so years of storage, so it is important to know how long you have had them for.

When you are happy with the condition of your seeds place their containers in a cool, dark and dry location. It is important that the temperature remains consistent as fluctuations can be damaging to your seeds. Most people store them in a fridge, or a freezer for long term storage.

This is all very important because the combination of light, moisture and warmth will encourage the seeds to germinate. When placed in storage they continue to live, but at a slowed down pace. They will still try to create food and grow if given the chance – which will diminish the seeds' viability to germinate when you actually want them to.

When you remove your seeds from storage it is important to make sure that they remain in their sealed container until they are back at room temperature, this prevents condensation forming on the seeds. You should also try to refrain from taking the seeds out of storage before you plan to use them, the change in temperature caused by being removed from a fridge/freezer and then being placed back in can damage the seeds health.

As long as you follow these steps then you should have no problems storing your seeds for years to come! Just remember, keep them in an air tight and dry environment that is consistently cool and dark.