can I reuse seed starting medium?

I have several cell packs of seeds that did not germinate, it was a gamble, they were old seeds. My question is can I plant other seeds in those cells with the same seed starter mix, or do I need to bake it to sterilize it first?
Thank you, Kathy

If you reuse it, sterilize it by all means. I pitch it myself. You never know why the seeds didn't germinate. Chances are, you're right, but why take the chance?

thank you, I will do that. Do you have a link to a list of how long seeds take to germinate? I have been looking and looking but I cant find one. I want to be able to tell if my seeds have been taking too long and aren't going to germinate.
Kathy

Guspuppy, what type of seed was in the potting media? You may be able to find germination information on a plant by plant basis, but I wish I knew of a site that had a comprehensive list! I strongly second the advice of discarding or sterilizing potting media with seeds that did not germinate.

lol, one of he seeds that I am trying to find the lenght it takes to germinate is from you, the Jasmine. Do you know how long I wait before I give up on it and plant again?
{hug}

I like this site. I use it mostly for perennials.
http://tomclothier.hort.net/

thank you, that will help!!
Kathy

Oh, a while. I didn't keep notes on how long it took for mine to germinate, but with tropicals you can be looking at weeks to months on some things. The environment a lot of tropicals are coming from is such that a lot of seed coats wait for heavy rains and some partial breakdown of the seed coat- wet, tropical conditions basically, before they germinate. The brunfelsia I sent will also take a long time. There are exceptions, of course, like the delonix I recently planted, so it can vary based on the individual species. I'll try to find more specific information if I can for the Stephanotis.

thank you!

I usually put the mix back into the container with new potting soil & mix it in.

I dont' know how it is for annuals and such, but especially with tropicals that have not had the seedcoat removed (does not apply to what I sent you gus- unless I sent you cycads) botrytis, fusarium, and penicillin are common molds. I reuse potting mix for mature plants that are not too rare or valuable because a healthy root system is less susceptible, but mostly I dump old potting media in the yard somewhere. Maybe the experience in other areas is different.

Jazz,
Some of the seeds you sent to me are;
Stephanotis and lakeview jasmine
I'm Kathy the Red Cross volunteer, now does it ring a bell? lol
Kathy

Kathy, I just noticed the {hug} thingy you put in an earlier posting. Very thoughtful. I remember YOU, yes (and gus puppy.) I'm starting to forget what I traded with whom, however. You were my very first trade! It was so kind of you to reach out to me and you are so pleasant to deal with. And everyone since then has had the same energy. This is an awesome community and I can't say enough how great everyone is. Don't mind me, I've been told I can 'prognosticate', so my focus technical horticultural subject matter can be narrow..........Tah tah for now- F4F

I love the germination link the dahlianut sent...I will refer to this site often...
RatherB

Yes. Thank you very much.

Here's another link with some germination info that you may find useful:
http://www.backyardgardener.com/tm.html