Seed Shock for Difficult Seed
Don sent me two interesting seed varieties. I'm hoping to grow both of them. But I worry that one or both may not easily germinate.
Rabo de Gallo Negro (Pi 118533) is listed by GRIN as a flue-cure variety, but the leaf seems to make excellent (strong) cigar filler. Don's seed for this (in its original GRIN envelope) is, I'm guessing, about a decade old. It has a fairly good chance of germinating by ordinary techniques. Just in case, I'm treating some of the seed as though it is difficult seed.
Sweet Oronoko (725) is in a brown seed packet from Wm. Henry Maule Seedmen (Philadelphia). Although the packet states boldly, "Always Fresh and Genuine", I'll go with the "genuine", and not the "fresh".
In 1947, the Maule Company merged with the W.A. Burpee Company, with whom they had already been collaborating for about a decade.
https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/10/a-multi-use-history-sown-from-maules-seeds/
If wouldn't surprise me if this little packet of seed was discovered in an old desk at an auction. So, we're dealing with seed that is at least 70 years old, and certainly not stored in optimal conditions for most of its existence.
Upon receiving the packets of these two varieties, I placed them into my freezer for a month, then moved them to my seed refrigerator.
Today, cutting a coffee filter into two halves, I sprinkled a small amount of seed onto the filter paper, and saturated it with water. The two varieties will be allowed to soak up water for a day or two (depending on their appearance), and will then be frozen solid in the freezer for a few more days.
At that point, I will allow them to thaw, then place the sealed bags onto a seedling heat mat. My expectation is that the Rabo de Gallo Negro will germinate, and the Sweet Oronoko will not. Any that germinate will be transferred to cells in a 1020 tray for growth.
Bob