Does the age of the seed make a difference to how much fruit will be produced by the plant.?

Question

Will a one year old seed produce more fruit than a two year old seed?

Is this the reason they print expiry dates on seed packages?

Answer 1

No.   The age of the seed may affect the germination rate if the seed has not been stored properly.   I have personally planted seed that were around 10 years old with good results.  I have recently heard of a date palm that was growing from a seed close to 2,000 years old  so under ideal conditions the age of the seed is meaningless.

Answer 2

Older seeds may not germinate as well, but if they do grow into a plant it will be just as good as the plant from a new seed.

Answer 3

I dont know,but I have always wondered about that.THanks for asking this question though!

Answer 4

The reason for the expiry date on the seed package is the seeds die and/or get weak. If the seeds sprout and the plants look healthy they will produce just as much fruit as fresh seeds.

Some kinds of seeds are longer lived than others. Some only live one year and some will still grow after thirty or more years. Weed seeds are longer-lived, wouldn't you know.

Some seeds in a single package will live longer than others so that an old package of seeds may produce only a small percentage of the plants that a fresh package will produce.

So, plant your old seeds and see if any come up. Or buy fresh seeds if you don't want to experiment.

Answer 5

The older the seed the less chance of germination. If it grows the age will have no effect on the amount of fruit it bears