Seed Vault Protocol: Matty Ridge's Ultimate T/RH Storage Guide

Q: Should I ever use a freezer bag?

No. The plastic is too thin and permeable. It's a humidity disaster waiting to happen. Use an airtight glass jar or an aluminum/Mylar bag designed for long-term food storage. You need a robust seal.

Q: Is the bottom shelf of the fridge okay?

The crisper drawer is better. Fridge doors are thermal chaos. The bottom shelf is usually fine, but the vegetable drawer is engineered for stability. Use the bunker, not the war zone.

Q: What’s the worst thing I can do?

Store them in a humid environment (like a basement) or near a heat source (like a high shelf in the kitchen). You're asking for mold, fungus, and a metabolic meltdown. Don't be a dill.

By Matty Ridge (Ridgey-Didge Lab Notes) | Exclusive to Aussie Hemp Seed

The Investment Tax: Stop Quietly Killing Your Future Harvest

You don’t store seeds—you store future harvests. And if you think dropping those premium genetics into a plastic baggie in a dark cupboard cuts it, you’re not storing; you’re gambling with a time bomb.

The Brutal Truth: Cannabis seeds are dormant embryos. Seeds aren’t marbles. They’re tiny fuel tanks with a finite energy supply. Their viability—the likelihood they’ll pop and become a monster plant—is determined by two factors you must control: Temperature (T) and Relative Humidity (RH). Get these two wrong, and you’ve already paid the Investment Tax on your entire future yield. If you want those seeds to be just as explosive in three years as they are today, you need a Vault Protocol.

Matty’s Anecdote: The Cremation Setup

“I once opened a customer’s ‘storage setup’ and found seeds in a Woolies ziplock sitting above the microwave. That’s not storage; that’s cremation. We’re dealing with premium genetics, not a packet of tea bags, mate.”

1. The Survival Law: Matty’s T/RH Formula and The Death Sentence

In the lab, we don’t guess; we follow the numbers. The goal of seed storage is to bring the seed’s metabolism to a near-halt, preventing the premature use of its stored energy reserve. Think of seed storage like storing batteries. Heat drains them. Moisture corrodes them. Cold, dry, sealed—that’s your power bank for future grows. (If you’re battling environmental heat right now, also read The Foreman’s 60-Day Summer SOP.)

The Foreman’s Seed Survival Law

Temperature (T): Must be 5°C (41°F) or lower.
Relative Humidity (RH): Must be tightly controlled between 15% and 30%.

The Shelf-Life Collision Formula

Seed science proves this out, and every grower needs to burn this into their brain. This is your death sentence for long-term storage:

The T-Factor Death Sentence:

Every 5°C you stuff up in storage temperature chops the lifespan of your seed in half. You think you lost six months of shelf-life? Nah. You just lost years off your genetics.

Bright, high-clarity photograph of a cannabis seed stored in a sealed glass vial next to a digital thermometer-hygrometer showing 5°C and 20% RH, demonstrating correct long-term seed storage conditions for the Genetics Vault Protocol.

The Physiology Flex: Breathing Down the Energy Bank

A seed at rest isn’t sleeping—it’s breathing. In perfect conditions, it breathes at about one breath per hour. That’s its stored energy reserve slowly ticking down. Raise the humidity and temperature, and it starts panting like it’s running a marathon with a backpack full of bricks. Every wasted breath is a day of viability permanently lost.

Professional Insight: Professional seed banks don’t guess—they all run T under 5°C and RH under 30%. If you want breeder-level longevity, follow breeder-level procedure.

2. The RH Lock-Down: Desiccants and The Safe Zone

Moisture is the single greatest enemy of viability. You need to actively manage the humidity inside your sealed environment. If you want max future yield, you need to master moisture. (For more yield mastery, check out The Foreman’s Guide to The pH Protocol.)

Phase 1: The Initial Desiccation

Do not trust the air in your house or the breeder’s packaging. The seed needs to be in a low-moisture environment immediately.

Actionable Hack: Introduce a desiccant. The best choice is food-grade silica gel (0.25g packets per small vial).
Alternative: Plain, uncooked rice can be a basic sorbent, but it’s a sloppy solution. If you use it, you must change it out every six months—otherwise, it becomes a damp risk itself.

Matty’s Quick Answer: Does Light Matter?

Yes, light degrades viability, but it’s a distant third place behind T and RH. If you’ve got your seeds sealed in an opaque Layer 1 Vessel and stored in a dark fridge, you’ve solved the light problem. Focus your energy on controlling the Thermodynamic Twins (T/RH).

The RH Collision Table

Internal RH %	Matty’s Brutal Assessment	Outcome
> 45%	Code Red: Germination clock is running, you risk mold.	High risk of mold, premature sprouting.
30% to 40%	Monitor: Safe for 12 months, but energy is bleeding out.	Lower long-term viability.
15% to 30%	The Vault: Metabolic activity is near-zero. Mission accomplished.	Stable for 5+ years.

3. Building The Genetics Vault: Container Doctrine

We need 3 layers of protection to guarantee the T/RH formula, just like building an airlock.

Layer 1: The Seed Vessel (Primary Seal)

This is the first line of defense. The seeds must be individually sealed, preferably in the dark vial or Mylar bag they arrived in, along with the desiccant.

Layer 2: The Outer Container (The Fridge Airlock)

The sealed Layer 1 Vessels go into a large, sturdy container before entering the fridge.

Purpose: The fridge door is opened frequently, causing massive thermal and humidity swings. The Outer Container acts as an airlock and thermal buffer.
Best Options: High-quality mason jar with a rubber seal (the jar itself is opaque or you cover it) or a vacuum-sealed plastic container.
Placement: The crisper drawer is preferred. It’s the most thermally stable and furthest from the door’s temperature fluctuations—a proper bunker.

Layer 3: The Environment (Temperature Control)

The fridge (T under 5°C) is mandatory for long-term storage (> 12 months).

Warning: Never use the freezer for short-term storage. The moment you remove a cold seed, condensation (moisture!) forms, flash-wetting the seed and potentially killing the embryo. Only use the freezer if vacuum-sealing is guaranteed and you plan to store for 5 years+.

4. The 3-Tiered Storage System: Know Your Timeline and Viability

Don’t overkill it, but don’t be lazy. Adjust your storage system based on your operational timeline.

Storage Timeline	Location	Container Requirement	T/RH Condition Target
Short-Term (< 12 months)	Coolest, darkest cabinet/drawer.	Airtight Vessel (Layer 1).	T under 18 C.
Medium-Term (1 to 3 years)	Fridge Crisper Drawer.	Outer Container (Layer 2) + Desiccant.	T < 5 C, RH 20% – 30%.
Long-Term (> 3 years)	Freezer (-18 C)	MANDATORY Vacuum-Seal Primary Vessel + Layer 2 Container.	T < -10 C, RH 15% – 20%.

Infographic illustrating the 3-tiered seed storage system: Short-term (<12 months) in a cool, dark cabinet; Medium-term (1-3 years) in a fridge with desiccant; and Long-term (>3 years) in a freezer with a warning for a 24-hour thaw.

Seed Longevity: Expected Viability by Condition

Storage Condition	Expected Viability	Matty’s Note
Ambient Room (Above 20 C)	Under 12 months	High risk of energy bleed out.
Cool Drawer (18 C)	12–18 months	OK for fast rotations.
Fridge (5 C)	3–5 years	Standard Vault Protocol.
Freezer (-18 C) + Vacuum Seal	5–10+ years	Breeder-level conservation.

Matty’s Lock-Down Warning: Reversing the Freeze

If you use the freezer, you must allow the sealed container to return fully to room temperature (24 hours minimum) before opening the seal. Opening the seal while the seeds are cold will cause immediate flash-wetting, which is instant death to viability. Patience is a weapon.

Conclusion: The Matty Ridge Door Slam

Right, let’s wrap this up. Your seeds are embryos with a ticking energy bank. The countdown begins the moment they’re harvested, and you either stop that clock or you accelerate it.

If you fail the Genetics Vault Protocol—if you don’t control temperature and humidity—your genetics will die quietly on a shelf. And when they don’t pop, you’ll swear it was the breeder’s fault.

Take responsibility, lock down your T and RH, and stop paying the Investment Tax. Your future harvest is secure now.

Matty Ridge’s Vault FAQ (Quick Hits)

Should I ever use a freezer bag?

No. The plastic is too thin and permeable. It’s a humidity disaster waiting to happen. Use an airtight glass jar or an aluminum/Mylar bag designed for long-term food storage. You need a robust seal.

Is the bottom shelf of the fridge okay?