Old Bean Seed

[longhorngardens]

I remember reading a post here many moons ago by one of the beaniacs that detailed their trick to get old beans to germinate. I have looked and looked and could not find it...Mainly because I would see all kinds of beans I want to grow and my eyes would start crossing.

I was given some pink eyed butter beans that have bean in my family for as long as anyone can remember and can't get them to germinate. I think they are about ten years old and have been in a zip lock bag in a closet most of that time.

I sure would appreciate it if you know the trick to getting these to sprout and could tell me how to do it.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

Apr 29, 2014 12:47:29 GMT -5 longhorngardens said:

I remember reading a post here many moons ago by one of the beaniacs that detailed their trick to get old beans to germinate.

Germinating old seed

[longhorngardens]

Thank you Mr. Lofthouse.

[raymondo]

I use a method very like Dar's, except I just use filtered water (free of chlorine). I push the bean, hilum down, into clean seed raising mix, but not even half buried. I keep the seed raising mix just damp and lightly mist the exposed seed once a day, if I remember. Old bean seeds can take quite a while to germinate and are very slow. If under the soil the cotyledons almost always rot and even if the seed manages to germinate the plant dies because of the rotting cotyledons. Keeping the cotyledons as much above the soil as possible seems to reduce rotting. I still lose some this way but so far have managed to get at least some plants going, enough anyway to get fresh seed.