Do old dead pea seeds float?

livinonfaith · March 29, 2014

Ok, I know this may be a dumb question. As always, I'm late getting my peas out. I stupidly soaked a bunch last weekend and didn't get them in the ground, so they ended up being rotten when I went to put them out today.

So, here I am with not quite enough fresh pea Super Sugar Snap seeds, (love these!) but with a couple varieties of other sugar and snow peas seeds that are 3 - 5 years old. I could get new Super Sugar Snap seeds today, but it would be fun to try these two varieties that I never got around to planting.

So before I waste time on dead seed, is there any way to quickly tell if they are bad? Will they float in water if they are dead? I threw a bunch in some water and only one floated, but does that mean anything?

Any help would be appreciated! (and a couple of jokes at my expense would be tolerated. I really have no shame.)

Doug9345 · March 29, 2014

Short answer no. They can be dead and still sink. I think that you still have a chance with 3-5 yo pea seed for some to germinate. If I'm going to soak pea or bean seed I don't do it for much more that 8 or 10 hours and then drain them. In other words you treat them just like you where doing mung bean sprouts. I've both presoaked the seed and just planted it. I'm not sure that it makes a difference. If you are two days into pre-germinating the pea seed I think they don't do as well as just planting them. I think the handling of the seeds after they start to germinate damages them somehow. This is just my impression I haven't done any controlled experiments.

livinonfaith · March 29, 2014

Thanks Doug! I'll just go ahead and try them, sowing them a little heavier than normal.

Yep, I usually just soak them for sveral hours, drain off most of the water before I go to sleep and then plant them the next day. They seem to do a little better for me that way than if I put them in dry. (I can also sometimes tell if they are damaged once they are hydrated.)

Last weekend I soaked them and then realized that it was going to be freezing that night and made the (dumb) decision to hold off. Oh well, I've planted them this late before and gotten enough to make it worthwhile.

My son and I will eat sugar snaps right off the vine! So Good!

March 29, 2014	#1
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	Do old dead pea seeds float? Ok, I know this may be a dumb question. As always, I'm late getting my peas out. I stupidly soaked a bunch last weekend and didn't get them in the ground, so they ended up being rotten when I went to put them out today. So, here I am with not quite enough fresh pea Super Sugar Snap seeds, (love these!) but with a couple varieties of other sugar and snow peas seeds that are 3 - 5 years old. I could get new Super Sugar Snap seeds today, but it would be fun to try these two varieties that I never got around to planting. So before I waste time on dead seed, is there any way to quickly tell if they are bad? Will they float in water if they are dead? I threw a bunch in some water and only one floated, but does that mean anything? Any help would be appreciated! (and a couple of jokes at my expense would be tolerated. I really have no shame.) Last edited by livinonfaith; March 29, 2014 at 05:12 PM.

March 29, 2014	#2
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	Short answer no. They can be dead and still sink. I think that you still have a chance with 3-5 yo pea seed for some to germinate. If I'm going to soak pea or bean seed I don't do it for much more that 8 or 10 hours and then drain them. In other words you treat them just like you where doing mung bean sprouts. I've both presoaked the seed and just planted it. I'm not sure that it makes a difference. If you are two days into pre-germinating the pea seed I think they don't do as well as just planting them. I think the handling of the seeds after they start to germinate damages them somehow. This is just my impression I haven't done any controlled experiments.