smizak
Well-Known Member
I've got some Goldings from Freshops that has a bunch of seeds in it. Are these viable, or are they destroyed from the drying process?
Hop seeds....
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Umm. Seed is always dried before packing.
And, they are most likely viable but, you never know what you are going to get with seed. Could be a hybrid cross and male.
If you want to try them for ornamental purposes go ahead. But, I have read that one male within a half mile radius can pollenate a female thus causing all of her flowers to be seedy too.
And, they are most likely viable but, you never know what you are going to get with seed. Could be a hybrid cross and male.
If you want to try them for ornamental purposes go ahead. But, I have read that one male within a half mile radius can pollenate a female thus causing all of her flowers to be seedy too.
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smizak
Well-Known Member
I know they're dried, but hop oast houses can be around 150F. I may give it a shot, well see what pops up.
i've been growing a volunteer for about 14 years that came up in my compost pile. the seed apparently remained viable even after the boil. i figure it had to be a seed from a late hop addition. this tells me that 150F will not kill them.
If you do decide to plant some this might be useful. There are places that tell you to soak the seeds for 24 hours then let them sit in the fridge for 4-5 weeks (to simulate winter I suppose) to help in germination.
So I decided to do a little experiment this year. I planted 100 seeds in 5 stages, all of them had a 24 hour soak in water in the fridge. I planted 20 with no more time in the fridge, 20 with 1 week, 20 with 2 weeks and so on. It has been a month since the last ones were put in soil. Surprisingly I've found that my germination rate has been worse with the seeds that were in the fridge longer. My first planted seeds are ~75% germinated while I have 1 fourth week seed that is just starting to poke through. Perhaps it's taking the other seeds longer to wake from their cold snap but I don't think that was the point. "Disclaimer: Your results may vary."
Anyway, I plan on getting about 30 plants that I'll let live, then kill the half that turn out to be male. The best producing females will get a permanent home in the ground even if they are mutts.
So I decided to do a little experiment this year. I planted 100 seeds in 5 stages, all of them had a 24 hour soak in water in the fridge. I planted 20 with no more time in the fridge, 20 with 1 week, 20 with 2 weeks and so on. It has been a month since the last ones were put in soil. Surprisingly I've found that my germination rate has been worse with the seeds that were in the fridge longer. My first planted seeds are ~75% germinated while I have 1 fourth week seed that is just starting to poke through. Perhaps it's taking the other seeds longer to wake from their cold snap but I don't think that was the point. "Disclaimer: Your results may vary."
Anyway, I plan on getting about 30 plants that I'll let live, then kill the half that turn out to be male. The best producing females will get a permanent home in the ground even if they are mutts.
