Need Immediate Answer to Sprouting Question.....anybody on who can help? .

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Need to know if oxygen absorbers in stored pails of grain take away ability to sprout? Have 15 minutes to come up with answer. Thanks. Blessings...Mercy

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999

Answers

I've never had a problem with grain stored in nitrogen. It sprouts just like fresh grain. I'd be very surprised if you had a problem.

-- linda (smitmom@hotmail.com), March 11, 1999.

Linda-

Am ordering alfalfa and wheat in 45 lb buckets...they put an oxygen absorber in before they send. Think this will be ok for sprouting, then? just clarifying...am ordering for large group and don't want to be resonsible for failures!

Thanks again. Blessings...Mercy

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.


I don't know about grain, but when drying seeds you are only supposed to reduce the moisture content to about 5% (about 5 days in a glass jar filled 50% with oxygen absorber & 50% with seeds in an envelope). If you leave it much beyond that, you impair the viability of the seeds. per Seed Saver book and Geri Giudetti, as I recall, although I'm not certain about sources and am not at home to look them up.

-- argh (argh@12milesaway.com), March 11, 1999.

Mercy; You are taking a super step towards sustaining good health. All best wishes,

-- Watchful (seethesea@msn.com), March 11, 1999.

Mercy, All I know for sure is that when I can my grain I replace the oxygen with nitrogen and seal the can. I have since opened several and they have sprouted when I accidently get them moist. So I tried some in a sprouter and I got a nice blanket of wheat grass. I don't know if your oxygen absorbers will take moisture totally out of the seeds, which may well prevent sprouting (you know - H2O - oxygen/moisture). Can you ask the company you are ordering from?

-- linda (smitmom@hotmail.com), March 11, 1999.


Argh and Watchful-

Thanks very much for help and input!

Linda-

Thanks for the help. Just spoke to woman who is combining her order with my (very large) order. We are thinking that as delivery would be in about a week, that we could take them (absorbers) out if the consensus is that it would be harmful. I don't know how much of the other's orders are for sprouting, so couldn't request some with and some without, but calling is a good idea and I will do that tomorrow morn. Will also look in sprouting book and do a little web surfing.

BTW, the company is Wheat Montana

http://www.wheatmt.com/products.html

sorry, can't do links...and the shipping + price per pound is absolutely THE best I have seen anywhere.

Y'all are SUPER!! Thanks so much.

Blessings...Mercy

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.


NOT A PROBLEM Remember O2 absorbers absorb O2. DESSICANTS ) MOISTURE ABSORBERS) absorb water.

Chuck

And sprouting from an oxygen depleated storage device should be equal to or better than in open container.

-- Chuck, a night driver (reinzoo@en.com), March 11, 1999.


Chuck-

"Duh!" (smacking forehead). You are absolutely right!! You are the man!! Thanks much.

Blessings...Mercy

PS....how are the eyes? Good vision, by now, I hope?

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.


Not that it matters, but won't reducing the free oxygen in a closed system reduce the partial pressure of gaseous h2O and have some dessicant effect? It seems like I remember a geography professor talking about stuff like that when covering wet adiabatic lapse rates.

Don't ask me how that's going to affect germination rates.

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), March 11, 1999.


Puddin'

NOOOOOOO!

It's a good thing I don't understand a word (hardly) of your post or I'd have to get worried all over again ;)

I am done worrying for the night. If you think there will be a detrimental effect, Puddin', please post :)

Thanks. Blessings...Mercy

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.



Chuck! yes, of course. I had a large mental lapse (been at work for 12 hours with 2 more to go). dessicant goes in with the seeds; oxy absorbers with the grain. Thanks for catching my error. argh

-- argh (argh@12milesaway.com), March 11, 1999.

Mercy, My post was just for fun. If someone were asking me to guess about oxygen absorbers, I would guess that they would not hurt germination rates. Oxygen is a very corrosive element. I don't see how a dormant seed needs any oxygen. But I really do not have any knowledge about the specific question you asked. I'm going to put oxygen absorbers in all my grain.

I'm also going to buy a significant amount of grain next fall, primarily for neighbors and currently cocky DGI's who snicker at my risk management. That grain I'll store casually in its own bags and in trash cans and stuff. If y2k is significant, I'll use that first. It'll also have a high germination rate.

Germination rates decrease constantly with age in all kinds of crop seeds which I am familiar with. I've never dealt with wheat as a crop. You're normally not going to see a whole lot of decrease in germination rates in one year if the seed is very carefully stored and temp. controlled to keep cool.

There are some extremely experienced gardener/farmers who read this forum and post occasionally. I'm not one of them. One guy posted a couple or three weeks ago about open-pollinated seeds vs. hybrids. You might want to find that thread and chekc it out and see what people may have said about germination rates. You might also be able to get some good e-mail addresses for further inquiry.

Good luck.

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), March 11, 1999.


Puddin'

No fair teasing at this late hour (vbg) !

Thanks for the tips. Yes, I have done research on open pollinated and hybrid seeds. Don't recall if I saw the thread you mentioned....so many threads now and so little time :) Will look back.

Blessings and going to put the kids to bed. Will check back in the morning.

Again, y'all are the BEST!!

Blessings...Mary, MI

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.


OOPS! Blew my cover...that would be...

Blessings...MERCY ;)

-- Mercy (prepare@now.com), March 11, 1999.


Everything I have heard indicates you should NOT put absorbers in with seed you want to sprout, only dissecants. Ask anybody that packs garden seed professionally, thats what I did, sophia

-- sophia compton (scompton@athenians.com), March 12, 1999.


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