Old seeds are old seeds imo viable is viable. If a seed no longer posesses the energy to emerge through soil , starting them in paper towels won’t change that. IMO the most common reasons people fail to germinate in soil are sowing too deep, water /soil temp issues and unviable seeds in any order
Another germination thread with 6 different methods.........
The last time I was in a forest there were shot glasses, plastic baggies, heat mats, and paper towels laying all over the place.
Another germination thread with 6 different methods.........
The last time I was in a forest there were shot glasses, plastic baggies, heat mats, and paper towels laying all over the place.
I used to have consistent success placing a few seeds in a pill vial filled about 1/3 with potting soil moistened with a few drops of water. Cap it and put in a warm place till I saw tap roots. They will germinate but soil may obscure the tap roots and possibly lead to excessively long roots. Now I soak in a glass of water 24 hrs or so. The ones that sink go into a wet paper towel. The ones that refuse to sink even with prodding may be problematic and may still germinate but I'd go ahead with the sinkers first. The wetted towel is folded over the seeds and fit into a zip lock baggie. I like to give it a breath of life before sealing the baggie so it's a little puffed up. Then it goes on a heating pad and covered for darkness. After a bit should see the baggie fogged with the moisture.About 48 hrs later time to check for roots. This has worked great for me.