I have 14 plants right now I started that have 2 sets of leaves, but we are still going through dogwood & blackberry winters here,so it’s too cold yet to put them out. I’m hoping the water pump inside the cloning bucket solves that issue. Hi Sheri, I’m not sure if the fertilizer potting mix would have caused that to happen, but I would try an unfertilized all-purpose potting mix next time. I used a florescent shop light right above them, and they only took about a week to start germinating. There are links for more info and to buy milkweed seeds/plants. You can save your seeds till next year and start them early inside, then transplant outside when the weather warms up. Along with some a curassavica so far the process looks promising. Plant cold-treated seeds in a moist seed-starting potting mix. Other varieties can be grown annually if you’re willing to put in some extra work. Why would they do that? We do know that A. curassavica carries a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). If you ever put seeds in plastic bags, let them completely dry before storing them. My podcast Wonder Outside debuts on 4/22 in a few days...can I mention you as a resource for planting milkweed? I’m trying the paper towel method for starting my tropical milkweed seeds & my family jewels milkweed seeds and so far the family jewels seeds have started their “tails” in 2 and 3 days! I look forward to hearing how your procera plants do in year 1 after starting a cloning bucket…please keep us posted! How much water does the milkweed need to survive? Here are some resources you should find helpful. Because it stays green so long, and sometimes never dies back, the parasite load stays very high and is infecting monarchs at a very high rate. tropical milkweed grows back quickly. Hi Nancy, you could bring them in or in the garage…you might also try leaf mulching the plants before the ground freezes to see if they’ll come back. 3 of the 5 proceeds have sprouted. You grass is dead and trees are distress. What are your thoughts on swamp mllkweed? My common mw is about 8″ tall and doing good in pots inside, just waiting to get in the flower bed. Wish I could post a picture, but not sure how to do it. At this point, you’ve still got plenty of time before the season. What variety of milkweed is best for the monarchs? Hi Becky, I leave ours under until I bring them outside or in our porch that receives natural sunlight. Place 1-3 Milkweed seeds in each hole. Also, what annual plant sales do you have in your area? I have heard conflicting reports about whether they need cold treatment, or you can just soak the seeds in water. Add this performance enhancing trick for best results When it’s time to transplant the seedling into the garden, the peat can be easily peeled away from the root ball to make transferring to the ground easier on the plant (and you). I’m very new to all this, but I decided I would try to grow some milkweed my east facing balcony. There is a lot of concern that it might be causing monarchs to break diapause and prolong their fall breeding, and we don’t know what the long-term consequences of that are or will be. March 2020 Starting Seeds in … They have numerous seeds and a stringy, silky floss inside of the pod. Place 1-2 cold stratified seeds in each pot. Thanks! I know better now. They’re presently in the refrigerator in cold stratification as I prepare peat pots and lights. I have 25 already listed on my resource page and will be adding more as time allows. It depends what area you live in. hen the last frost date is for your region. Five years ago, I ordered lots of milk weed seed packets and did a school-wide project with them. yes, Mexican sunflowers grow quickly…the same thing happened to me a few years ago. Thank you! Predicting if and when milkweed seeds will grow is a loosing game. So planting your milkweed seed in fall not only mimics how … I had some old seeds (2011) and threw them in a couple winter sowing containers. I think the GA 3 really helped, but as I didn’t use a “controll” group of seeds, I can’t be sure. Most seeds need temperatures between 60 to 70°F in order to properly germinate. Not knowing how to germinate them, my attempts to grow from seed were failures. Also, which milkweed do you recommend for southern Florida (near West Palm Beach)? Milkweed seed pods are starting to mature to the point where they can be harvested. They are ready-to-plant seeds which have already been cold stratified. Cold-treating your seeds causes better germination results in plants that are native to temperate climates, such as most types of milkweed. I keep them … Why would they not? hate watching them starve , keep planting more , what do I do? The milkweeds in pots are for our garden club spring plant sale and replacing my older plants that don’t come back. Plant your Milkweed Seeds. Just putting them in an unheated warehouse in Mn should do just fine. April 2018 I planted 3 different kinds but my tags have fallen out and I can’t tell which is which. Should you soak the seeds before putting them in the soil? Ripe pods will tend to be dry, gray or even brown. Hi Jeff, my milkweed page has 25 milkweed species listed and many of those listing have links that go to pages with even more info. Not all milkweed pods will produce viable seeds for a bountiful harvest in spring so you need to be careful which to pick. When start milkweed plant for inside? most of these require a 60 day and that would make them too late to start inside. Hi Larry, swamp milkweed is consistently one of our top performing milkweed species in our northern butterfly garden. Best, PS keep looking for eggs! Good luck, Tony. I’m going to soak, and will report on that in the next couple weeks. Now I don’t know if I need to do a cold germination or just plant it early, but how early. See Which milkweed seeds sprouted like weeds, and which are dead to me! Congrats and I hope you are able to keep up with the milkweed demand. Hi Henry, I start seeds indoors about 2 months before our final frost date. (some for nectar, some for host plants, some for both!). At that point, post a photo on our facebook page and I should be able to ID for you: My a. Incarnata seeds are beginning to germinate! I just read your article about starting annual milkweed seeds. [1] X Research source If you have picked pods that aren't fully developed, attempt the harvest, but your overall result may be less due to a lower rate of success in your seeds growing. I have 3 different species to try. Do you have information on the season in the mountains (5,500 ft.) of California? Hi! Hi Bill, I’m glad to hear you are seeing lots of monarchs, but I hope you guys finally see some relief from that relentless drought! I believe it’s best, although more labor intensive, to start non-native tropical species of milkweed from seed each year. Thank you for your question. Do I just leave those to reseed themselves or should I pick the seeds and replant them? good luck! grew with no signs of illness. If the seed has a hard shell or coating gently sand one side of the seeds with a fingernail file or fine sandpaper. Most of the areas in which milkweed is found are frost freeze zones. Every year I have at least a dozen of the wild milkweed in my yard, I never seem to get Monarchs. (I’m in Nebraska.) In the last Week I’ve transplanted 7 different Hills Of Common milk weed tubers into my proposed screened in area most had leaves emerging at 4 inches in length. We have had a struggle growing the calotropis species in our northern region, but have one repotted procera that looks promising. If both sprout, thin to one after a few days by choosing the strongest of the two. My suggestion to you would be to try at least two varieties of milkweed to see if one performs better than the other. Joel Durant. The seed cells are generally just an inch or two wide which allows you to start many seeds in one tray. I had a bad experience with them in the past and am reluctant to do business with them. There you can start seeds of Milkweed inside so they will be ready to plant when the soil has warmed. The plants take a long time to form their wonderful seed capsules and I usually harvest from August on as they form. If you do use a cloning bucket, make sure that you use a good rooting medium like Clonex. Hi, Tony I started my MW in side just after Dec. 26 My tropical mw is now 17″ tall and starting to flower. Last year’s massive statewide seed collection effort was spearheaded by the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI), which is working to get the word out … I just bought a small fan, because I remember reading something about running a fan on the seedlings to help them grow stronger, but I can’t remember at what stage I should start this. Hi Joy Price! Cover the seeds lightly -- ¼-inch or less -- with potting mix. Very last minute but would love to link to this site and mention you. I live in South Florida. Tony, after using Tropical m w for cuttings, I’m left with lots of leaves. There are so many different species to choose from including natives and non-natives that can be grown annually. I obviously have no annual milkweed seeds. Fill the cups with seed starter soil inside of … When growing annual butterfly plants, I follow some basic rules: If Father Winter wipes out Asclepias species like tropical milkweed, giant milkweed, swan milkweed, balloon plant, etc…, sowing seeds outdoors each spring is not your best milkweed propagation option. My question: when soaking the seeds overnight, do you try to maintain the warmth of the water the seeds are soaking in or do you just begin with warm water? Melodee, if you planted native milkweed last season they will come back this season…..They should be bigger plants with more flowers too. Will the seeds that haven’t started yet be ok uncovered as long as they are on heat mats and under the grow lights? with leaves coming off of it. Hi Roy, congrats! July 2018 Gently add water until soil is damp. Start seeds indoors approximately six weeks before your region's last frost date. However I am concerned that you are using so many non-native Asclepia seeds. Chill in a refrigerator at least 30 days. Hi Emily, Hi Bill, thanks for your comments. Hi Christiane, most milkweed is supposed to be drought tolerant to an extent, but the California drought is an extreme circumstance so your best bet is to check with other gardeners in your region to see what is working best for them. Make 3 drainage holes in the bottom of each cup. All the seed mat does is speed up germination. yes John, you are definitely off to a good start. Will gopher purge bother the monarchs? Cover with 1/4 inch of soil on top of the seed. Might be a silly question but can I save the leaves by freezing? Not using a heat pad or light, other than natural sunlight. Tony, thanks for the support specifically directed to me. How does it differ from growing gigantea in your opinion? The monarchs use them all at various points in the season. As you can see in this photo the common milkweed seeds are in a coffee filter. Is the process the same for perennial milkweed seeds? If you’ve ever seen milkweed in action in the fall, it’s easy to understand. Thanks so much for what you are doing to help educate people. In a field this works well, but that’s not what many are look for in their butterfly gardens. Spaced about 18-24in apart. May 2018 Each species has native and perennial regions listed: 25+ Milkweed species for Butterfly Gardens. Or was I supposed to prune it along the way to encourage it to get bushy? When I buy milkweed seed packets, I plant the seeds directly from the package. Keep it intact to act as a hinge. Never heard of it and google search comes up only with references to SeedNeeds. Fill the flats with a soil mix suitable for seedlings (most potting mixes are), thoroughly soak the soil, and let the excess water … I look forward to hearing more about your garden over the season. The original fan info was posted here: 7 Spring Planting secrets for Growing Great Milkweed. Start Seeds In Peat Pots - It’s time to plant the cold-stratified Milkweed seeds. I live in Kentucky Tony which two would you recommend me plant . We now have fifteen varieties of milkweed and the monarchs use them all at various points in the season. Thanks for your newsletters. And giant milkweed does flower the first year. I also have butterfly weed, which Monarchs haven’t utilized this milkweed much but sure did last year! Large seed pods open up and self seed readily, spreading this native wildflower’s seeds each season. Hi Louise, if you check out the bottom of my resource page, there are specific ebay stores and links to other nurseries you can purchase from, including one in your region. (The duration for boiling is 10 minutes and then a shock in ice water followed by another 2 minutes in boiling water and a final shock in ice water.) This one is thriving here. I am actually just about to plant my first cynanchum seeds this week. In fact, most people wait until after their area's last frost but some like to get a headstart by planting them indoors. Native milkweed seeds have a high germination rate with cold moist stratification. How to Plant Milkweed Seeds Indoors Step 1: Place seeds in trays After 30-60 days, it’s time to plant your Milkweed seeds. I planted several different types of seeds in growing containers and now find that some seeds like Mexican sunflower have grown big enough that the dome doesn’t fit anymore but the Joe Pye Weed and milkweed hasn’t even started yet. This is having some very long term consequences for the populations as a whole. I ordered Swamp Milkweed and Common Milkweed from American Meadows. Fill the peat pots three-quarters to the top with potting soil. If they start to look leggy, you know that they need more light. Hi Jean, I don’t think there’s any reason to cold stratify for more than a month so hopefully that still puts you way ahead of schedule. I’m off to a good start. Dec 27, 2017 - Get a Jump on spring, and the monarchs, by starting seeds inside. One season, our Gomphocarpus physcocarpus (balloon plant milkweed) plants grew 8 feet tall and were our last milkweed plants to succumb to a harsh Minnesota winter….not too shabby for a milkweed variety that’s only cold hardy to USDA zone 8! sounds like quite a busy start to your season Bill. They are also called seed trays. Now the are tall & green, full of leaves. There is no reason not to at least attempt to get them to germinate. Hope this helps: I’m wanting to plant as many milkweeds as I can this year. I didn’t put the topical milkweed seeds out on the patio around Super Bowl Sunday though. This would help me as I have 200 plants and they are getting old and it’s hard to buy plants now Thank you. Hi Linda, Why just one? Hi Liz, definitely not the same monarch…the migration generations live up to 9 months (probably less for the west coast population) and the non-migratory generations live just a few weeks. So frustrated! If you order milkweed seed in February you would think that it already has been cold stratified, NOT! They grew to chrysalis size-some even started to shed; but they ALL died-some 25 cats. Step 1, Prepare a soil mix to cold-treat seeds indoors. March 2019 I filled the dirt daily. Plastic flats can be used to start the seeds. For the past two years, I’ve had a single Monarch huge female (I’m pretty sure) come into my native habitat in July and August and flutter around daily for 3-4 hours. Planting two helps to ensure all seed cells are filled with seedlings. good luck! Know your local laws. Hi Jeff, that sounds like a nice patch of milkweed. They get this when planted outside, but to speed up the growing process, treat the seeds through stratification. Iran out of my home grown milkweed; so I bought some from Lowes. The plants bloomed beautifully and now I’m left with the dead plants. These issues are specific to those growing in the deep south and Southern California. We would be honored if you listed us as a resource for your podcast! As a place people can visit for how to plant? My question is: I have 46 Tropical milkweed seedlings. Does common milkweed need heat to germinate indoors? Interested to see if any germinate. I’ve never done this, and overnight soaking has always given me a very high germination rate when starting seeds inside. I planted, Swamp, Pink and Butterfly. I live in southern PA. Hi Tony, I started some tropical milkweed from seeds in September 2016. . Place it in the fridge for around 30 days. If there’s a cool spring, your plants won’t have time to reach their full glory, or support monarchs, or produce seeds for future seasons! It's still a great time to plant milkweed. I live in northern IL where winter temps are frequently below freezing and I keep my seeds inside a brown paper bag in my garage. If it is difficult to keep these temperatures, use a seed starter heat mat to maintain proper temperatures. use grow lightsStarting annual milkweed doesn’t require a lengthy cold stratification…or even a short one! Can you please post a link on how we can listen? Hi Sheri, thanks for your comment. Purchase a large bag each of peat and potting soil, as many plastic seeding trays as you'd like, and milkweed seeds at a gardening store. It will give you a jump start on the season. I am hoping that you do have other native Asclepia in your garden. Spring seed planting. The a. tuberosa plants were almost completely denuded, and I was able to save seeds. Have a cloning bucket for peppers but milkweed grows so fast it would be a waste of time. common, showy, autumn blaze, and butterfly weed will need cold stratification before planting: ‘Mexican’ is tropical milkweed and that is an annual or tender perennial for most regions: What is “autumn blaze”. Apr 19, 2016 - Starting seeds indoors each winter is a great way to get a huge head start on growing annual milkweed. I am very familiar with Milkweed. I wanted a specific milkweed, Balloon Milkweed, but I couldn’t find it from the company that I ordered seeds from, so I bought what they had, Asclepias incarnate (Carmine Rose). July 2020 May 2020 Thanks in advance. You’ll find almost every type of milkweed you can imagine: Glad to see that a lot of folks are now using heat mats. They are now almost 12″ tall, but only have a single trunk (stem? Rebecca. How you plant the seed? I’m seeing it’s s but late in the season but still okay? Starting From Seed. Reply. The results will be updated as they become available. I know many people will find it helpful. Aren’t these seeds designed by nature to propagate the species without human intervention? As a northern gardener who has had tropical milkweed the past 6 seasons, the monarchs have never layed eggs too late for migration, which indicates tropical milkweed is not their primary migration cue. We have both the regular variety and ice ballet. Really looking forward to planting these out in the garden this summer! You can plant them in seed trays, peat pots, small pots or any other container that allows for water drainage. Is there any way to tell the varieties apart as seedlings? So far we have seen hardly any El Niño rain we are still almost 5″ less than normal for this time of the rain season. I also have swamp milkweed so the perennials are the easy milkweed to grow. Here’s more info: My gardener brought several asclepias tuberosa plants, along with another plant that had long narrow leaves. Yes…an early spring sounds good to me! I want to give two away to friends but I’m stingy with so few. It’s the end of February here in southern California, and already there are caterpillars on the tuberosas. I hope to have this problem. Hi Tony, I was wondering if you could suggest another site to purchase milkweed seeds other than eBay. Maybe try spring sowing containers outside if you have extra seeds. stalk?) I planted some of those seeds today and before planting, I gently, but not too carefully, rubbed them across an emery board. Is this normal? Perhaps it’s her great granddaughter coming back to say hello…enjoy! Place in a sunny, warm location and you should start to see germination anywhere between 1-2 months. I will keep you up to date on their progress. Hi Vicki, there are plenty of nectar plants that add color and beauty to the garden, but always happy to see the milkweed eaten down…I hope they find your milkweed patch this season! Blue not red. Can't wait to get started! thanks for allowing your beautiful garden to get eaten to the ground. I am goong to plant the seeds outside tomorrow. I’m not sure what you’re planting, but I would probably stick with 2 species. Scoop the ...Step 2, Place the seeds 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) deep in … I’ve done that before using coffee filters. When we bring in our tropical milkweed to overwinter we cut it back and spray it down with hydrogen peroxide to kill pathogens…besides cutting back to discard potential disease spores, it’s also a good idea for keeping out uninvited pests! I’m interested to see how much faster this process works compared to just setting the cuttings in a glass of water…last year some of my cuttings rotted using this simpler method. Ordered calotropis procera seeds and are growing them in an aeroponic clone bucket. Bayer Company of Germany is trying to purchase Monsanto for 62 Billion. I have a thermometer that with a power strip controls 4 mats of 72 cells each. Do you think this m-weed is safe now? Thank you. Hi Stormie, you can check out my milkweed resource page that has 25 different varieties. January 2020 As for not discussing natives, this article is about ‘annual milkweeds’ so it was not my intent to discuss native milkweed here. I am an avid Gardner and last year I lost all of my Tomato Plants to this stuff. To do this, place your Milkweed seeds inside a moist paper towel, inside a zip-lock bag. December 2019 August 2018 Sometimes it seems an impossible mission however I’m going to try anyway. In cleaning out some book bags, I found a bunch of the seed packets that had never been opened. Hi Steve, that’s fantastic! I did a moist (coffee filter) stratification in the fridge for 3 weeks, then gave them a six hour soak in 500 ppm giberellic acid solution. If you are direct sowing then you do not need a seed starter. Do you think that will solve my problem? Next year I am going to try using a seed starting mixture that doesn’t have any fertilizer in it. I’ve heard that it is better to not have them on a heating mat. Can egg cartons (plastic or paper) be used instead of seed cells? I’m very excited, because last spring I tried germinating same, with terrible results. I plan to plant some white swamp milkweed this year. They are so helpful. They need full sunlight and room to grow. Even though it was still cold here in PA I had a bumper crop of tropical milkweed using that method and they were mature plants by August. translucent cups (as opposed to planting in seed tray inserts) so I don’t have to transplant before spring planting. Okay, it appears I crapped up on this one. If you want to talk to gardeners with first-hand growing experience in your region, I would suggest a facebook group: Hello Tony This article may be of interest to other people in my area, this is what we have to contend with here in Arkansas, I am trying my best ,to help Monarchs and Ozark Swallow Tails. In order to remove the bitterness and the sap, they must be boiled in water and shocked in ice water, and then boiled and shocked again. May 4, 2020. Hopefully you are aware of the scientific conerns about Asclepia curassavic right now. We have 15 varieties of milkweed and the majority of those ARE native. Hi Margaret, you could cut them back now so there are 2-3 sets of leaves and they will put out bushier growth. Happy Gardening! Any knowledge you can pass on to me would be greatly appreciated. If this is your first year with milkweed, I would suggest creating winter sowing containers ASAP. Kim. Starting Milkweed Seeds Indoors. Ps…keep me updated on your blazing star. Milkweed seedlings can be started indoors in a greenhouse or under artificial lighting and then transplanted outdoors after the average date of last frost. Starting seeds indoors in winter I’ve never seen two at a time. There are no nectar plants in bloom yet. February 2020 Thank you. Hi, I was just wandering…..how long should I leave my milkweed sprouts under a grow lamp? I soaked the 216 + seeds overnight but my germination after 10 days is < than 15%. I placed the containers of the tropical milkweed on my patio in mid March. Last year I released about 100 monarchs August-November and had more than I’ve ever had! But I’m sure I’ll have to do a lot of relocating as the cats get bigger. . Vernalized seeds can be planted in the spring … There are many benefits to starting seeds indoors rather than waiting to sow them outdoors (aka “direct-sowing”). January 2019 So, I trimmed the 3 plants down to 4″ sticks. As you know we are in drought and we have to conserve water. Plant the Milkweed and the Monarchs will come! I know it can get pretty crazy is southern California…good luck! Tony, with all due respect and gratitude, in reference to your response to Tricia, I agree that growing non- native milkweed doesn’t harm or disrupt monarch migration. Please click on the links inside the post for more info about planting…. As the seeds are growing, the peat moss helps to retain moisture, which is crucial for starting seeds. If you live in a northern climate and see snow, then request the Syriaca or Speciosia variety of milkweed seed, as it survives the winters cold. Just soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting. The a. tuberosa were wildly popular, supporting many cats, but the other variety was completely ignored. September 2018 Hi Doris, you’d use a clone bucket to start cuttings to produce “clones” of your milkweed plant. However, it will increase your germination rates and chance of survival if you start them inside and transplant them outside after about 2 months of growing indoors. Hi David, just a marketers way to make the cultivar sound more enticing…kind of like when they call tropical milkweed ‘butterfly flower’….autumn blaze is the same as the ‘gay butterflies’ cultivar of Asclepias tuberosa. “The company also has been faulted for the legal tactics used to enforce its patents, accused of being a factor in farmer suicides in India, and blamed for contributing to the decline of the monarch butterfly.”. This year, I’ve watched her land for several minutes on the balloon milkweeds, Manzanita, Butterfly bush and then into the Crepe myrtle. You can raise our tropical Milkweed in pots inside your home or greenhouse, and it should survive the winter. Hi Tony, I started some A. Curassavica plants from seed several weeks ago. I have lots of milkweed seeds of tropical milkweeds ( curassavica) in orange, yellow and red and the white monkey pod milkweeds (physocarpa). Probably, it would be good to consult a plant geneticist to get a definitive answer. However, I’m not sure how viable the seeds were. I have swamp milkweed and Showy and Mexican also. As the blog points out, milkweed won’t germinate until the soil starts to warm in late spring. You can sow milkweed seeds by scattering them on the soil surface 1/4-1/2 inch apart, and then cover them with about 1/4 inch of additional soil. Be patient, older seeds may well take an extended period of time to germinate. Would this be big enough to plant some milkweed seeds in for the butterflies. There are many variables when it comes to seed viability. That’s a good method to use if you aren’t sure of your seed quality. I’ve checked, and no eggs, no caterpillars last year or so far this year. So I’m ordering asclepias tuberosa, incarnata, curassavica, syriaca & speciosa. We typically get more eggs on the regular variety. When they reach about a foot high, it should be easier to tell them apart.