We report a real time investigation into the effect of seed age on the growth of gold nanorods using a microfluidic reaction apparatus. Through small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis) analysis, we observe the seeds aging in accordance with Ostwald ripening. A seed solution is then aged in situ and continuously injected into a microfluidic chip to initiate rod growth. We track nanorod formation in real time using in-line ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared (UV–vis–NIR) monitoring and observe a dramatic decrease in yield with increasing seed age. We then demonstrate that, by diluting the gold seed solution immediately following synthesis, the rate of aging can be reduced and nanorods synthesized continuously, in good yield. These findings suggest ultrasmall, catalytically active seeds, which are rapidly lost due to ripening and are critical for the formation of gold nanorods.