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    Article - Growing Common Milkweed Plants From Seeds

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    Growing common milkweed from seeds is beneficial for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The document provides instructions for both fall and spring planting. It recommends considering location, ensuring full sun exposure, and using well-draining soil. For fall planting, seeds are scattered and raked into the soil from September until freezing. For spring planting, seeds are placed in a plastic bag with damp towels and refrigerated for 6 weeks to mimic winter freezing before being planted. In both methods, seedlings emerge in spring.

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    Article - Growing Common Milkweed Plants From Seeds

    Uploaded by

    api-637009748
    96 views2 pages
    Growing common milkweed from seeds is beneficial for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The document provides instructions for both fall and spring planting. It recommends considering location, ensuring full sun exposure, and using well-draining soil. For fall planting, seeds are scattered and raked into the soil from September until freezing. For spring planting, seeds are placed in a plastic bag with damp towels and refrigerated for 6 weeks to mimic winter freezing before being planted. In both methods, seedlings emerge in spring.

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    Growing common milkweed from seeds is beneficial for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The document provides instructions for both fall and spring planting. It recommends considering location, ensuring full sun exposure, and using well-draining soil. For fall planting, seeds are scattered and raked into the soil from September until freezing. For spring planting, seeds are placed in a plastic bag with damp towels and refrigerated for 6 weeks to mimic winter freezing before being planted. In both methods, seedlings emerge in spring.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    96 views2 pages

    Article - Growing Common Milkweed Plants From Seeds

    Uploaded by

    api-637009748
    Growing common milkweed from seeds is beneficial for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The document provides instructions for both fall and spring planting. It recommends considering location, ensuring full sun exposure, and using well-draining soil. For fall planting, seeds are scattered and raked into the soil from September until freezing. For spring planting, seeds are placed in a plastic bag with damp towels and refrigerated for 6 weeks to mimic winter freezing before being planted. In both methods, seedlings emerge in spring.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    Education (illinois.

    gov)

    Growing Common Milkweed Plants


    from Seeds

     
    common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
    Photo © Illinois Department of Natural Resources

    Thank you for helping monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and other pollinators by growing
    milkweed plants! Milkweed seeds can be planted in either fall or spring. You will find instructions
    for both methods below.

    Before planting, you should consider where you would like for the plants to grow. Common
    milkweed plants can reach about five feet in height, so if you are planting them in an existing
    garden, you will want to plant them in the back or in the center, if you have a garden that can be
    accessed from all sides. These plants will spread under the soil after they are established, so if
    you don't want them spreading throughout your garden, you can put a barrier around them or
    transplant new plants to another location. Planting them along a fence or in a corner of your yard
    may work well for you. The location should receive full sunlight nearly all day in summer. These
    plants will not bloom for the first couple of years so don't feel that there is something wrong
    when flowers don't appear in that time period. You will still be helping monarchs at this point, as
    the larvae can feast upon the leaves. Common milkweed will grow in nearly any type of soil but
    should not be planted in soil that remains wet for long periods of time.
     
    Fall Planting - Fall is the best time for planting milkweed seeds. The seeds won't germinate
    until spring because they require natural freezing and thawing to soften the seed coat so that the
    embryo plant can grow. This process stops seedlings from emerging in the fall and being killed
    by winter cold. You can plant the seeds from September 1 up until the soil freezes. Prepare your
    soil by removing existing vegetation, if present, and loosen soil with a rake. You may want to
    add some compost, if you have any available. Scatter the seeds and use your rake to gently
    work them into the soil. They will come up in spring when conditions are right for them to grow.
     
    Spring Planting - Spring planting takes a little more work because you will need to mimic the
    natural freezing and thawing cycle. At least six weeks before you are going to plant the seeds in
    spring, obtain two paper towels, wet them and then wring out excess water. Place one of the
    paper towels inside a one-gallon, zip-close plastic bag. Scatter the milkweed seeds over this
    paper towel. Cover the seeds with the second damp paper towel. Zip the plastic bag closed and
    place it flat in your refrigerator. Leave it undisturbed for at least six weeks. When you are ready
    to plant, prepare the soil by removing existing vegetation, if present, and loosen soil with a rake.
    You may want to add some compost, if you have any available. Scatter the seeds and use your
    rake to gently work them into the soil. When they come up, keep the soil moist until the plants
    are well established.

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