How Long can you Store Grass Seed in a Bag? Step by Step Guide

How Long can you Store Grass seed in a Bag?: Storing grass seed in the bag is a common and popular method of grass seed preservation. The method is worthy enough to keep your seeds good and fit for germination. But do you know how long does grass seeds last in a bag?

Sometimes it happens that grass seed stored in a bag is not performing well later. The seed germination rate may be so poor. People also face grass seed going bad in the bag. Here comes the question of the viability of grass seeds in the bag.

In this article, we will provide you with the reasons why grass seed expires in the bag. We also researched how long to keep grass seed in a bag, and the visible outcomes are mentioned below.

How Long can you Store Grass Seed in a Bag?

 

 

The viability of grass seed in the bag depends upon how it was managed. If seeds are stored in a proper dry condition and placed in a cool place, your seed will be viable for up to 5 years!

However, it is so tough to preserve seed with 100% accuracy. As a result, it will not be a wise decision to keep seeds stored in a bag for a long time. Rather, you should try to plant your seed within 2-3 years. Do you have any idea about what may happen if you wait longer? Let’s have a quick look at the seed germination rate.

The Seed Germination Rate

Seed germination rate means the proportion of successfully growing seeds. It helps to calculate the proportions correctly. So, have you ever seen all of your grass seed grow on your lawn?

It is a common matter that few grass seeds will not show the result you want.  They will not germinate or grow properly. Seed germination rate takes your attention to inform you how many seeds are germinating properly and timely. If the germination rate is poor, you will not get your desired result on your lawn. Now, how seed germination rate is connected with how long does grass seed last in a bag?

The seed germination rate falls with time. That means the higher you will preserve your seeds; the lower your seeds will germinate. If you store your grass seed too much time, your seed will lose its power of germination. It’s not desired at all, right?

Therefore, if you want to get a good germination rate from your stored seed, we will recommend you to use fresh seed. Or you may not get the same result despite doing all the hard work.

How can you know whether the Seeds are Good or Bad?

 

 

You might be thinking, does unopened grass seed expire? We have found this question is frequently asked. It is already discussed how long does grass seed lasts in a bag. Does it mean that you will just preserve your grass seeds in a bag and wait until the time of sowing?

Perhaps, it is not a good idea to keep your seed in storage for a long time, like more than one year, of course, without checking it. You may have stored your seed so carefully, but there are hundreds of reasons to exploit your storage. So how can you assume that your seeds are still good or useable?

Though, it is not so easy to identify valid seeds with open eyes. Invalid seeds very often seem to be the same as valid seeds. You might get confused between the invalid and the good once. But don’t worry! Two easy tests will help you to check your seeds. These are:

• Germination Test

While in the process, two questions may come across in your mind: can grass seed in the bag go bad? or can grass seed die in the bad? So, to be sure about the validity of your seeds, you can have a germination test. By this, test you will get to know your seeds are useable or not. You can also get an idea about how long does grass seed last in a bag.

Procedure:

Necessary elements for the germination test are-

• Seeds
• Paper towel
• Zip-lock plastic bags
• Water

Step 1: Take seeds

Take up to 10 grass seeds from your storage for a germination test. Try to take seeds of different types and shapes.

Step 2: Place seeds on a paper towel

Wet a paper towel with water. Then carefully place your grass seeds in the towel. Be careful about mixing up your seeds.

Step 3: Put seeds in a zip-lock bag

Seal your paper towel containing grass seeds in a zip-lock plastic bag. Your job is almost done. Now put this bag in a high place with a good temperature. Ensure it to be protected carefully. 

Step 4: Check the seeds well

After all this, it is time to wait for the final result. You have to check out your seeds regularly. Note down the times of your seed sprouts. You can simply unroll the bag and check your seeds. After checking it, roll back the bag as previously.

Final Result

You should wait up to 10 days for this test for your seeds to be sprouted. If you get more than 5 sprouts, your result will be counted as positive. That means your preserved seeds are okay.

But if there are fewer sprouts among 10 seeds, you need to break your storage and sow your seeds as quickly as possible.

• Water test

If you don’t have enough time to do the germination test, a water test may help you to know how long does grass seed last in a bag. It is an ancient way to test the viability of seeds.

Procedure

• Take 10-20 of your grass seeds from storage.
• Sink your seeds in a container of water.
• Wait for 10-12 minutes. (Max 15 min.)

Final Result

There are likely two incidents that may occur in the water test.

• If the seeds sink in the water, the seeds are fine and valid for germination.
• If the seeds just float in the container of water, it means that your seeds are dead. These seeds will not deliver you any sprouts.

Read more about How to Grow Curry Leaves Faster?

If you are thinking of preserving your grass seed in a bag for the next season, that’s a very good way you choose. You Just need to be very cautious about how long does grass seed lasts in a bag. To accomplish this purpose, you need plenty of good knowledge about seed germination rates and their requirements.

Some points to have a look at the Germination

Before planting your seeds, you can check out the viability of your seeds by germination test. This test will make you aware of how much production you are going to get on your lawn. But if you don’t have enough time to do a germination test, then you can prefer the other one by a quick water test within 10-15 minutes.

Final Thought: How Long can you Store grass seed in a Bag?

In this article, we have tried to cover all the necessary information about How long does grass seed last in a bag. Overall, a proper preservation strategy can help you to grow good grass on your garden or lawn. Try to make sure that you are planting fresh seeds. We are hoping we could gather all the details that will be needed in this process. Happy Gardening!