How to Save and Plant Milkweed Seeds From Pods :- There is a lot of difficulty involved in cultivating milkweed seeds. You should learn how to properly preserve the seeds that are contained within the milkweed pods, as well as when it is suitable to plant milkweed seeds outside and when it is more suited to start them indoors.
How to Save and Plant Milkweed Seeds From Pods
In order to successfully cultivate milkweed seeds, one must overcome a great deal of hardship. It is important that you acquire the knowledge necessary to properly store the seeds that are contained within the milkweed pods. Additionally, you should learn when it is appropriate to plant milkweed seeds outside and when it is more appropriate to start them indoors.
Collect Milkweed Seeds From Pods
During the previous year, I gathered several dried pods from the common milkweed plant. In what manner and at what time should the seeds that are extracted from the milkweed pods be planted? a reader of Birds & Blooms named Judy Roberts inquires. According to Melinda Myers, an expert in horticulture, it is difficult to think that a plant that can easily grow from a seed in nature can be difficult for humans to grow with the same characteristics.
You should be aware, prior to planting milkweed, that common milkweed quickly creates colonies and has the potential to completely take over a garden. Although they are less aggressive, some plants, such as swamp milkweed and butterfly weed, continue to provide food and shelter for monarch butterflies. You should pick the seeds right before or as the pods break apart after the blooms have finished flowering.
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This is because the seeds need to be ripe in order to grow. According to Melinda, “To begin, remove any seeds that are still present in the pods, and save only the vibrant brown seeds that have reached maturity and are still viable.” It is recommended that the seeds be separated from the white fluff, which is referred to as coma, prior to drying and storing.
You can accomplish this by rubbing the seeds between the palms of your hands, holding the seeds while they are still in the pod and removing the fluff, or placing the seeds in a paper bag and violently shaking it. Additionally, you might want to think about tying little bags over the milkweed pods while they are maturing. This is because many milkweeds, particularly common milkweed, disperse their seeds in a large area.
This is what the reader Patrick Hogan has to say about the process: “When the pods on my milkweed plants open, I take the seeds and shake them into envelopes that I’ve labelled with the year that the seeds were collected.” Are monarch butterflies harmed by tropical milkweed? Is honeyvine milkweed considered to be an invasive species? What you need to know is explained here.
Milkweed Seed Cold Stratification
It will be necessary for you to keep the seeds in a cold location for a period of several months, either in the refrigerator or in an airtight container. To break the dormancy of the seeds and improve their chances of sprouting, this cold treatment is required. After that, Melinda suggests that you put the dried seeds in a container that is airtight and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to do the processing necessary to plant them.
Immediately prior to sowing, provide seeds with a stratification that is chilly and damp in order to break their dormancy. Wrap the seeds in a damp paper towel and place it inside a plastic bag. Alternatively, you can place them in a container with sand or vermiculite. For a period of at least thirty days, place in the refrigerator. There are many more varieties of milkweed that are considered to be the finest for supporting monarch butterflies.
When to Plant Milkweed Seeds
According to Melinda, once the seeds have been stratified, you may either start them indoors or plant them immediately in the garden after the last spring frost has expired. Alternately, you might let nature do the work by planting seeds throughout the winter. Learn how to transform a plastic milk jug into a container that may be used for beginning these and other seeds outside by searching for instructions on the internet.
If you want to be more like nature in the future, you should think about planting the seeds directly in the garden during the autumn. Starting your seeds inside under artificial lights in a high-quality potting or seed-starting mix is something you should do if it is possible to do so. Once the seedlings have reached a height of three to six inches and the risk of the last spring frost has gone, they will be ready to be transplanted into the garden.
Approximately four to eight weeks of growing time should be planned for indoors. There is also the option of planting seedlings directly outside. Direct sowing the seeds is most effective for gardeners who live in colder climates during the autumn season. There are many different types of milkweed, and many of them have tough coverings that should be broken down before the seeds may germinate.
The same thing will happen if you are subjected to a winter’s worth of snow and weather that is cold and rainy. Those interested in learning more about the process of collecting seeds from milkweed pods might consult the Monarch Joint Venture. Contact the Live Monarch foundation in order to place an order for seeds. Find out how to get rid of aphids on milkweed plants, which is the next step.
