Storing Cannabis Seeds Guide: How To Store Weed Seeds?
All great cannabis plants begin with quality seeds. Unfortunately, many growers overlook the simple fact that weed seeds are living organisms that need preserving to remain in tip-top condition. Store your cannabis seeds in haphazard ways, and you run the risk of affecting both quality and germination. Luckily, proper seed storage is far from a Herculean task.
Cannabis seeds are naturally pretty resilient because of their tough outer shell, but they aren’t invincible. Changes in temperature, humidity level, and light can all have very damaging effects. More drastic environmental issues, like dampness, can even destroy your seeds completely.
If you’ve sown your seeds and still have some leftovers, this guide will ensure that those extras never go to waste. With these top tips, you’ll never run afoul of the seed-storing gods and can enjoy your favorite seeds in the many months to come.
Quick jump to: How to store marijuana seeds
Why should you pay attention to storing weed seeds
Let's say you've received a package of your ten favorite high-quality seeds. You've planted five of them for this season and are waiting to plant the next five. What do you do? Store them. After all, proper storage is an essential part of being a good grower. Here’s why:
Proper (long term) storage helps you preserve cannabis seeds and will ensure the health and success of your cannabis crops to come. Cannabis seeds can be stored in cool, dark, and dry places for at least a year. Some cannabis seeds even last up to five years when stored in prime conditions.
The fresher your seeds, the better the plant. This is particularly important if you’re buying more than a few seeds from our weed seeds discount deals or to ensure a consistent crop of your favorite strains. As long as you store cannabis seeds well, you’ll ensure their freshness for quick, problem-free planting every time.
Store seeds incorrectly, however, and you run the risk of spoiling your entire growing season. A badly stored seed can die, be damaged, or simply lose its efficacy if stored poorly.
How to store marijuana seeds?
- Gather materials
- Label containers
- Place seeds in containers
- Place containers in a dry, cool environment
1. Gather materials
The first thing you’ll need to store your seeds is a good container. You can take your pick depending on how long you’re planning on storing your seeds. Short-term storage, say the next day or week, is fine kept in simple containers away from the light.
For longer-term stockpiling, glass sealable containers like a laboratory Eppendorf tube or an opaque, airtight container are great. Sealable Mylar bags are also effective as you can effectively vacuum the air out.
If you’re utilizing transparent bottles, boxes, or bags, be sure to also store these within opaque containers of some kind to keep light out as well. Glass is generally more favorable over a plastic container as it tends to be more air-tight.
2. Label containers
Labeling your seeds is crucial. This will stop you from opening your containers to check them and will provide details on both strain type and date of purchase. You can write all this simply on a small paper label and place it on the container’s exterior. Dates will ensure you can plant based on how fresh the cannabis seeds are.
3. Place seeds in containers
It’s often best to store your seeds in the same packaging they arrived in. If not, simply re-seal your marijuana seeds into their new sealed container with a desiccant/silica gel pack to absorb moisture.
This will help control the humidity levels to prevent mold from forming, and it will absorb any natural ethylene that’s produced as your seeds age. If you don’t have any silica gel packs at hand, use a natural desiccant like rice.
4. Place containers in a dry, cool environment
Lastly, place your container in a cool, dry environment for storage in the short to medium term. Ideal places include dark cupboards and drawers. Choose an area that isn’t affected by day-to-day changes in temperature.
Cannabis seeds stored for a longer time will need to be placed in the fridge. In this case, remember to cover whatever container you are using in opaque material so that it’s shielded from light. Ideally, a second or less-used fridge is best.
Tips for storing marijuana seeds
- Keep seeds away from light
- Keep seeds free of moisture
- Keep temperatures constant
- Keep the environment clean
1. Keep seeds away from light
Light is one of the biggest factors that contribute to seed germination. Overexposing your seeds with too much light will force them to leave their dormant stage and begin to mutate. This is particularly true of constant fluctuations in light, which will affect the germinating power.
You may end up with germinated cannabis seeds that either grow poorly, take far longer to grow than normal, or simply won’t grow at all. That’s why an opaque container is so important for cannabis seed storage.
2. Keep seeds free of moisture
If you’re storing your seeds in a humid, improperly sealed environment with access to moisture, your seeds may rot, mold or prematurely germinate. Once water comes into contact with a seed, it produces ethylene and begins to germinate.
Even just a little droplet can cause harmful mildew that can kill your cannabis seeds. Humidity is best kept at around 10 to 20% in your storage location, and it is advised to use a desiccant to keep this humidity level stable. Seeds can begin to germinate at just 40% humidity.
3. Keep the temperature constant
Seeds need to be stored in cold but not freezing conditions. The ideal storage temperature is around 6 to 8° C (43 to 46° F). These lower temperatures prevent the cannabis seeds from germinating and slow their vitality, allowing them to remain useful for much longer. That's why longer-term storage is recommended in fridges where temperatures can be set and controlled.
Whatever environment you are using, it’s important that you provide a stable temperature. Temperature fluctuations can ruin your weed seeds. Avoid moving your stored seeds from location to location, and never leave them baking in the sun or near a radiator.
4. Keep the environment clean
Clean and sterile environments are vital for healthy seeds. One of the biggest issues with storing seeds in unclean areas or close to unclean substances is that it attracts pests. Pests and mold can all quickly destroy seeds. Contaminated seeds are not only less viable, weed grown from these seeds can be unfit for consumption.
Luckily, cannabis seeds stored in a sealed container are largely safe – most mistakes are made when you are getting your cannabis seeds ready for long-term storage. Always ensure your workplace is clean when packing and storing your seeds.
What have we learned?
Proper storage of cannabis seeds is crucial for preserving their quality and ensuring successful germination. The key to properly preserving cannabis seeds is to make sure they are stored in the right conditions, save from temperature and humidity fluctuations.
Light is also an important factor in keeping your seeds viable, and make sure you keep your working environment clean when you store cannabis seeds in an airtight, dark container.
When you are ready to germinate cannabis seeds, you can consult our guide 'How to Germinate Weed Seeds?' where we explain the best germination methods for your next grow. If you are a first-time grower, our grow guide for beginners and choosing a strain from our selection of marijuana seeds are the best combination for a successful first grow.
Especially designed for those new to the hobby, our selection focuses on growing weed for beginners, ensuring you start off on the right foot with easy-to-grow strains and comprehensive support.