Date Stamp Seed Packs ...(Y) or (N)

[sonar]

ok, so they date stamp the back, now what?
you buy a pack of beans that have an older date, this means dog shit as to whether or not that they'll germ or not.. sometimes, ime, the hardest beans to germ, are the ones that are super fresh, not the ones that are a bit older..
also, what happens when you get a pack and you don't like the date on them? do you really think that a seeed bank is going to say, oh yeah, sure, you don't like the date? just send them back to us, yeah, ok, no problem at all with that..

i just don't see any benefit from date stamps is all..

I see your point, but what could it hurt? To be honest, the age of the seeds isn't all that important to me. I keep my beans in an airtight container in a drawer that stays fairly constant temperature. I often crack seeds that I've had for 2-3 years, plus however long they sat at the bank without any issues. It would be nice to know though. Personally, I don't think I'd ever ask for a refund or replacements because they were a year or two old. On the other hand, I might think twice about using a bank if I was consistently getting packs that were sitting around for 4 years.

 

[tip top toker]

I see your point, but what could it hurt? To be honest, the age of the seeds isn't all that important to me. I keep my beans in an airtight container in a drawer that stays fairly constant temperature. I often crack seeds that I've had for 2-3 years, plus however long they sat at the bank without any issues. It would be nice to know though. Personally, I don't think I'd ever ask for a refund or replacements because they were a year or two old. On the other hand, I might think twice about using a bank if I was consistently getting packs that were sitting around for 4 years.

What if they're 4 years old because of the breeder, not the seedbank? would you boycott a breeder just because the seeds were old, not because they were unviable?

 

[kindnug]

I like the idea, but there is still no guarantee they will germinate just because their fresh.
I'm sure SOME seedbanks will give away old stock as freebies.

I'd like to know the beans I'm buying aren't 3+ years old, germination rates decrease over time.

Breeder's would probably charge more for their gear, which we all know is high enough now.

 

[kindnug]

I'd boycott a breeder that releases seeds that are old + un-viable.
I could care less how old the beans are as long as there is a decent germination rate.
Date stamps/batch # would provide helpful information for both breeder+consumer.

If the packs are date stamped like veggies/etc, then you would know if your bad germ. rates were from old seeds.
It would also give us more insight on how many years before the germ. rate decreases + by how much.

 

[SnapsProvolone]

Probably pointless since the unscrupulous breeder could repack two year old beans as last months beans.

 

[tip top toker]

Probably pointless since the unscrupulous breeder could repack two year old beans as last months beans.

Not to mention a hell of a lot of seeds are sold via the pick n mix format as opposed to just buying a 5 or 10 breeders pack.

 

[kindnug]

How would a breeder repackage something that is out of his/her hands?
Seedbanks would be the ones responsible for that mess.

Pick a trustworthy breeder if you want good results...
There are breeder's that have tamper-proof packaging for entire packs.(not pick'n'mix)

I think the OP is talking about entire packs of beans, not just 1 bean.

 

[tip top toker]

How would a breeder repackage something that is out of his/her hands?
Seedbanks would be the ones responsible for that mess.

Pick a trustworthy breeder if you want good results...
There are breeder's that have tamper-proof packaging for entire packs.(not pick'n'mix)

I think the OP is talking about entire packs of beans, not just 1 bean.

He doesn't, he repackages the stuff that he hasn't yet sold. If he has 10000 seeds and 3 years later has only sold 5000, then he simply changes tyhe date on the 5000 not sold to make them appear more recently harvested. Or they simply do not date anything until it' sold, so that every package bought by a seedbank is seemingly fresh stock.

And again, seedbanks would find it very easy to sell old stock without anyone knowing. Take attitude, half of their stealth shipping options require the seeds to be removed from breeders packs. So every order that picks such an option get's flagged and they get given the old beans.

It would be next to impossible to enforce and implement such a date system.

So how would people go about enforcing this in a manner which did not drive up prices, and resulted in accurate dates upon the buyers receipt of the product?

 

[kindnug]

I'm not talking about "enforcing" anything, just the fact that it's valuable information.(for both parties)
A breeder could identify problems with specific batches of seed, and remove that specific batch from their distributors.
There would be valuable information for a trustworthy breeder, but it wouldn't make them sell any faster...

If you can't trust a breeder on something that simple, how can you trust the genetics your growing?
So your saying there is no informational value of date stamp packs (from trusted breeders)?

 

[kindnug]

If a breeder can't sell their product fast enough for customers to get viable seeds, then they should stop producing so many at one time.

+ why haven't they produced more of the same strain in so many years?

It only takes 3 months

 

[jessica d]

a loaf of bread has it for $1 but a $200 pack of seeds doesnt lol maybe it will drive the prices down when they are old.

 

[kindnug]

If they are a few years old, then I don't think that's a bad thing for consumers.
Mass production Breeders/ALL Seedbanks wouldn't hate it, but I would purchase more often from a breeder who did it voluntary.

Only in America is the consumer always right...That was never really true

 

[sonar]

What if they're 4 years old because of the breeder, not the seedbank? would you boycott a breeder just because the seeds were old, not because they were unviable?

I didn't say I would boycott a breeder or bank. I said it was something to think about. Merely something to consider. If my last five packs from bank A were all 5 years old and my last five packs from bank B were 1 year old, I might consider using bank B more often.

I'm not sure why a couple of you guys seem like you are getting so angry over this. Nobody is talking about mandating breeders do it or getting together with torches and pitchforks in hand to drive the guys who don't out of town. The only downside I can see from the breeders standpoint is getting emails all the time from dumbasses who want refunds/replacements because their seeds are *gasp* 8 months old. Those kind of people are probably going to find something to bitch about anyway regardless.

 

[tip top toker]

I'm not getting angry, nor am i against it per say. I just do not see it as feasible in an unregulated, quasi-legal market. I just don't see how it can happen and offer any form of confidence. some of the biggest breeders out there already lie to your face about the genetics, yield, flowering time, so as to make sales, why wouldn't they do a similar thing over a date?

 

[redzi]

I wish I saw this thread earlier. Sweet seeds dates their packs...or at least the last time I bought their gear a few years ago. I like a certain few strains that are hard to get in regular so I grow my own now and then. Thing is that if I were to let the seeds cure with the buds it would take just under 100 days to reach 100% germ rate. At 30 days it something like 40% germ rate. No excuse not to date packs. Also the breeder needs a site the buyer can go to. I get free seed and a pack of NL that cost over $12 a seed and the free bean and paid for beans are in same looking sealed bag with same logo on it. Freebie is a Spanish breeder and NL is from Canada. Be nice if I could go to BCSC (not the one with a yeti and salmon on home page) to see if what I paid for is real deal.

 

[THCbreeder]

I think it's a viable idea if they'd like to charge more . I'd pay more for fresher seeds and would like to pay less for older packs . Maybe we should start a Seedbank that is nothing but dated packs from the breeder .

 

[kaneboy]

Yeah sounds good idea for sure maybe the price drops when they are older it probably would move more seeds and make the breeders pump out more stock , I will spend a fair bit on seeds if I really want something but when a very low germ rate occurs it sure does disappoint and give bad rep to that strain anyhow just my take