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Drosera Seed What is too old ?

recently i was digging through my things i found some drosera seed from 2005 -2006, i decided to plant them it has been about 2 weeks now not signs of life yet. the ones i have on moss are d. spatulata, d. capensis and d. burmanii .

that had me wondering what are the oldest sundew seeds any one has ever started ?
 
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This past Spring, I started some Drosera intermedia and burmannii seeds that had been in my refrigerator since 19999. So 17 years is the oldest from my personal experience.

Good growing,
Mike
 
I've wondered the same thing. I've heard that it also depends on how they are stored. Is that true? Do they dry out and have less chance of germinating? Does it take longer for old seeds to sprout?
 
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i know from experience with other seeds, sometimes i can take longer to get old seeds to germ and i see no reason cp seed would be much different. pretty sure refrigeration and dry space for seeds would be part of keeping them longer, my seeds here where not stored in best way possible. but hoping for the best ans some sprouts. if not will have pursue other ways to extend variety of my cp collection.
 
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If the seeds are stored cold (not frozen, mind you), then I've heard reports of batches more than 25 years old germinating successfully. Yes, success might be lower and it could take longer, but under the right conditions they can stick around quite a while.
 
looking like i got life in the first of my pots, looking mostly like tiny cotyledon now , exciting been number years since started some dews from seed. gonna get some bloodworms or daphnia to feed them when i can see the dew.
 
I keep some of my seed out of the fridge, in a cool part of my house in a drawer. I've noticed that sessilifolia, a close relative of burmannii, does not last long in these conditions. For most subtropical species I expect an exponential decline of seed quality over six months to around 10% viability or less if it's not refrigerated. Of course, how you sow your seeds often dictates how quickly they will germinate, and many subtropicals benefit from certain stratification techniques. But some species, possibly even species forms, might be able to survive longer, some indefinitely, if kept even cool and dry and away from light.
 
I have been growing for only 4 years, but my experience with this has been erratic. I've had Drosera burmanii seeds in a normal packet forgotten in a drawer for 2 years germinate in 10 days. I've had allegedly fresh Drosera adelae seeds not germinate at all (with other conditions being right and other seeds in similar conditions sprouting). Both these batches are extremes and both seeds were purchased, so I guess it may depend on freshness of the seed while purchasing? But normally 10 - 14 days sounds right for germination overall. Not seen much variation from age/storage for the most part. Except for drosera indica complex - no matter what, they take 3-4 weeks at least for me. In one case up to 6 weeks.
 
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