Asclepias seedlings11/16/2023 ![]() Prior to flowering, dogbane ( Apocynum cannabinum) and smartweed ( Polygonum genus) may fool you. Get familiar with milkweed: there are some imposters out there. This is particularly helpful if you intend to forage for seeds. These tips will help you collect milkweed seeds to sow your own plants. If you already have seeds you can j ump to the next step. I’ve provided more tips and details on all of these points below. This has a complete tutorial on stratifying seeds.Įither way, the first step is to know what you’re growing and from there, gather seeds and get sowing. When growing your own from seed, you can naturalize the process and let winter handle it with outdoor sowing in fall or mimic these conditions in your home for indoor seed starting. This is a process that occurs naturally in cold climates, where the seed is exposed to period of cool, damp conditions near freezing over winter which in turn readies it for germination in spring. There is no sense in attracting living things just to harm them.Īnd finally, milkweed-if non-tropical-is a seed that requires stratification. Growing for wildlife also means avoiding pesticides and herbicides. Protecting monarchs ( Danaus plexippus) alone will do nothing if we do not have suitable food and habitat for the entire inter-connected food web-all the plants, animals, insects, and more that rely on one another to exist. Before adding any milkweed plants to your garden, check with your local conservation office or university extension office to ensure they are not on the naughty list.Īnother consideration is the eco-system as a whole. Some species play nice, others may be deemed aggressive or harmful in your area and should not be planted. While many milkweeds ( Asclepias spp.) are native to parts of Canada and the United States, it’s not one-plant-suits-all. These tips are generalized for hardiness zones 4 to 8. No matter what, it is important to know what you’re growing. You can collect seed from existing plants, purchase seeds, or perhaps receive some as a gift. Investigate for any “buddies” that could be coming indoors with them.There are a few options for collecting milkweed seeds for propagating new plants. Collect seeds from summer annuals to dry and store indoors until next spring.Cut basil to freeze in oil in ice cube trays to use this winter in soups and stews.Late month: get row cover or plan other protection in case of early frost in November. ![]()
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