Setting up My Own Micro Seed Bank

Hi ICMag!

I will be documenting my storage of the many varieties I have amassed over the years. Variety is really what I have been chasing the past 7 or so years, trying to sample many different strains and explore how diverse this plant has become.

Ask me any questions you may have!

Dozens of hours of reading up on the topic ... Using this post/thread to stash away the most important parts here. I plan to mostly emulate EmpireSeeds: How To Store Seeds for Years...

Fill a small glass vial with silica gel/beads, to a weight ratio equal to that of the seed content, using cotton balls to separate beads from the seed.

You can buy the same silica beads here -> Silica Gel Canister Dehumidifier *Its $18 shipped (with prime)
You can get the amber vials here -> Amber glass vial *12 pack for <$10 shipped


There are basically two types of seeds growing on this planet that you need to be made aware. They are:

1. Orthodox Seeds
2. Recalcitrant Seeds

What we need to know all about is Orthodox seeds, which are cannabis seeds.
They should be stored with reduced moisture in order to maintain viability of the cannabis seed. The process of reducing moisture, or desiccation as it is technically known, can be completed on Orthodox seeds down to relative moisture content of 4 to 7% and even ultra-desiccated (ultra-Dried) down to a moisture content of 1 to 3%.

Advantages of Silica Gel

• It provides a practical method to ultra-dry seed samples.
• It reaches moisture levels of 2-3%, lower than those obtained by other methods.
• It keeps these levels indefinitely when employing air-tight containers.
• It warns over possible anomalies (i.e. moisture intake) in the container - when used in combination with colour indicating silica-gel.
• You can re-use Silica Gel by simply placing the used silica (silica that already was used and has inside of it, trapped humidity) in a standard oven at 220 degrees Celcius. This will dry out your Silica Gel so it can be used again, just like new. A real cost-saver!
• It further delays ageing by absorbing toxic gases such as Ethylene produced during the aging process.

How will you store the seeds?
Seed storage will be in airtight amber glass vials with organic cotton and silica desiccants.
Long term storage will take place in a household refrigerator.

How will you add to the collection?
By purchasing more storage supplies then are primarily necessary, I will be able to increase the breadth of my stock as desired.
I will continue to seek out unique and interesting strains to preserve.

How will you test the seeds?
I plan to come back to this thread after 1,5,10,20 years to post updates on this storage technique.

How will you regrow or replace the seeds?
The plan is to start by growing out the oldest seeds in my collection to do a seed run with and create more seeds of that strain for preservation.

Will you produce/provide larger quantities?
Time will dictate how frequently I am able to grow from this collection.

SOTF420 said:

If you are going to freeze seeds fridge first for a day or two then into deep freeze you will lose less viability because there is less chance of ice crystals forming in embryos. I use the fridge only and currently have beans close to 9 years old that mostly still all germinate. It really depends on where they came from to begin with, genetics, health of mother plant, ect. ... only substitute I would make is white cotton q-tip ends .. because it is inert and no chance of mold or bacteria that could occur .. if it did become moist.

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SGS said:

I have seeds that have been in my frige and freezer for over 10 yrs and i still get +/- 80% germ rates. This really is one great way to store seeds for any given length of time.
*
Like SOTF420 said, I agree putting them in the coldest part of the frige, usually the top shelf, just above freezing for a few days before putting them in the freezer is a much better idea and results in much less dead loss. * Same goes for thawing them out, do it slowly in the fridge by moving them down a shelf every day or so.
SG

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Beta Test Team said:

Temperature and Moisture Content for Storage Maintenance of Germination Capacity of Seeds of Industrial Hemp, Marijuana, and Ditchweed Forms of Cannabis sativa

Abstract (article attached)

Cannabis sativa seeds of three industrial hemp cultivars, a medicinal strain of marijuana, and a ruderal strain were subjected to combinations of four temperatures (20°C, 5°C, −20°C, and −80°C) and three seed moisture contents (approximately 11%, 6%, and 4%) for 66 months. Storage of seeds with a moisture content of 11% at 20°C reduced the germinability of seeds of all varieties to zero in less than 18 months. Either reducing the temperature to at least 5°C or reducing the seed moisture content to at least 6% had a huge beneficial effect on maintaining seed viability. Additional reduction of temperature, but not additional reduction of moisture content had a small supplementary beneficial effect. No apparent benefit was noticed from oxygen-free seed storage.

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https://www.seedcontainers.net/a_guide_to_long-term_seed_preservation.html
https://www.seeds.ca/int/doc/docpub.php?n=web/sl/doc/Micro-Seedbanking-primer.pdf

More to come...

Cool thread, where do you get the silica beads?

Miraculous Meds said:

Cool thread, where do you get the silica beads?

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Hey Miraculous Meds,

Thanks for posting & the question.

Update 1st post with link

To store seeds, you want a 1:1 ratio when using Silica Beads.
Aprox 50 seeds (weighed once they are dry) should be stored per 1gram of Silica beads

There are two types of indicating silica beads:

• cobalt chloride CoCl2
• methyl violet

Honestly i liked the color change of the Cobalt Chloride, but the risks are pretty bad "It has been classified as a Substance of very high concern by the European Chemicals Agency."

Other Desiccants have different ratios (rice, cotton, zeolite, etc)

My freezer defrosts, not sure if that will thaw the seeds in there or not. I have a ice cream maker bowl in there which is like a block of ice, plus a fair amount of ice. That might offset the thawing?

For now I just have my seeds in the fridge till I figure out the freezer thing. Properly frozen seeds will be good 20 or 30 years and probably longer. In the fridge I think 10 years is easy and maybe a lot longer.

To get the moisture out of the seeds another way is a few hours of 100 F heat. Gotta fill the seed vials with something like rice or the beads to displace air, something I have not done yet.

budelight said:

Hey Miraculous Meds,

Thanks for posting & the question.

You can buy the same silica beads here -> Silica Gel Canister Dehumidifier Its $18 shiped (with prime)

To store seeds, you want a 1:1 ratio when using Silica Beads.
Aprox 50 seeds (weighed once they are dry) should be stored per 1gram of Silica beads


There are two types of indicating silica beads:

• cobalt chloride CoCl2
• methyl violet

Honestly i liked the color change of the Cobalt Chloride, but the risks are pretty bad "cobalt chloride ii indicating silica gel that is usually blue in color which has been linked as being possibly carcinogenic to humans and been labeled as hazardous material in some countries"

Other Desiccants have different ratios (rice, cotton, zeolite, etc)

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

So don't take the blue pill.

Hey guys,

Made an update to the first post

I was able to fill 25 vials today in this order... Base: Cotton - Silica Bead - Cotton - Seeds - Cotton : Cap

Got 12 strains all set and secured for long term preservation, woohoo!

Budelight

Awesome I need to get off my ass and take my fridge stock and do something. I feel like if I don't put them up I will run them sooner tho.

So the silica beads do not touch the seeds?

Miraculous Meds said:

So the silica beads do not touch the seeds?

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That's correct, I've separated them from the seeds with the cotton.

This way it drys the seeds more evenly.
If they were directly against the silica beads, it could over dry where they touch and damage the seed shells. (That was from what I read, and I believe it)

I expect that these will continue to hangout in normal room temps, eventually going into the back of the refrigerator.