Prolonging moldy seeds?
 

I saved some of these squash seeds but apparently didn't dry them long enough, there are bits of mold on the outside. Is it too late to save them or is there anything like a solution I can spray on them to maybe increase the germination chance? It's not a big lost, but would be nice to not have to order the seeds again.

My method of saving tomato seeds involves soaking them in a solution of Oxy Clean laundry detergent (1 tablespoon to a cup of water) for 45 minutes, then gently scrubbing & rinsing. My guess would be that such a treatment wouldn't be harmful for your seeds. Spread them to dry for 2 weeks or more, after.

I was thinking peroxide, but oxy is very similar. If it were me, and the seeds are already fully dry at the moment, I would make the mold killing treatment your pre soak right before you plant the seeds next season.

i would take them out of the plastic, and store them in a paper envelope after leaving them in a dry room maybe awhile longer. they don't look too bad in the picture.
any moisture whatsoever can cause mold to form on seeds when stored in plastic.
i usually don't pack my seeds up until the dead of winter when the wood stove is cranking, driving down the humidity in the house.



keith

Are you sure it is actually mold? Do you store your seeds with a desiccant packet to drive down moisture? Have you considered UV light if available and appropriate to your situation? Bleach or Oxy is probably adequate. And based on your picture, I really think this is a fairly low-level issue.

Take them out of the bag to dry more so the mold is stopped.Test the worst-looking seed in the bag. If it germinates, don't worry about it. Put them in a new bag - maybe a paper envelope?