SOS for squash seeds

[tricia]

All 3 butternut type seeds have sprouted but not one of the 2 crown prince, 5 sugar loaf delicata, 3 table queen bush, 2 festival or 1 bon bon that I put to chit at the same time are showing any sign of life. I'm thinking the seeds are too old (most of them from Jeannine some time ago). Can anyone help please? just one or two seeds would be great otherwise I'll only have butternuts come harvest time!

PM me and I'll send an sae for any offers of course.

Many thanks

Tricia

[tricia]

[Robert_Brenchley]

How long have they been chitting, and are they indoors or in a greenhouse? If nobody offers, I could check what I have, but the seeds are in the allotment shed so I can't do much right now.

[Digeroo]

I would use a knife and gently scrape a little off the side of the shell at the rounded end and see if that get it into action.   

[tricia]

They have all been chitting since 10 April. The Hunter, Butterbush and Red Kuri are already over 5cm  and it looks like the second Butterbush is sprouting, but the others have done nothing as yet. I'll have a go at scraping the sides of a couple to see if that helps. The seeds that have germinated are all new seeds - the others, as I mentioned - may be too old.

Tricia

[Squashman]

I have the following if it is of any help:
Kabocha, Uchiki Kuri, Golden Hubbard, Onion, Harlequin, Queensland Blue, Sweet Dumpling, Festival, Turks Turban, Crown Prince and Rolet. They all grow well in my part of Devon.

[tricia]

Thank you, Squashman - have pm'd you.

Tricia

[Jeannine]

Tricia, I sowed some of my very old seeds a couple of weeks ago and about 50 %  have germinated OK..if they are really  old I generally soak them for half an hour or so in a very dilute mixture of Miracle Grow .

I have 2004 seeds of several varieties growing now including cucuumbers.

XX Jeannine

[Robert_Brenchley]

You could try putting them somewhere warm. I put seeds under the hot water tank; if they won't germinate there, I sometimes put them on top where it's even warmer.

[Digeroo]

Courgettes and pumpkin seeds can last quite a long time.  I had a packet of romanesco courgettes on the go for seven years.  It produced huge plants so one was enough each year.  My other method is putting them on a sunny window sill with just damp kitchen roll in plastic bag to keep them moist, light can help them into action. 

Once the seed goes soft and the centre oozes out then it will not germinate. 

[tricia]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I'm giving them another couple of days. The seeds are all on damp kitchen tissue in plastic bags on warm window sill in warm living room! None of them have, as yet, gone 'squishy'.

Tricia