![]() Label your seeds, and be sure to choose a low-traffic place inside your fridge where they won’t get damaged. In warm zones without winter frost, or if you are starting your seeds in spring, you can cold-stratify seeds in your refridgerator!įollow our step by step guide: How To Cold-Stratify Seeds For Spring PlantingĪt-Home Cold Straification Summary: Put your Milkweed seed in a damp paper towel or some damp sand inside a zipper bag, and place in your fridge for 3 – 6 weeks (30 days). Once the sun comes out and the ground is warm in the spring, the seeds will germinate on their own. Most species need to go through a cold stratification. This will give your Milkweed seed a long winter of dormancy. How to Plant Milkweed Milkweed are perennial plants and may take multiple seasons to germinate and grow. Each spring Monarchs move across the United States, laying eggs on native. In most areas, when you plant seeds outside in fall, seeds can go through the cold stratification process naturally. If you are planting seed outside, we suggest seeding in late fall so that Milkweed seeds can lay on the ground through winter. The milkweed plant (Asclepias spp.) plays a critical role in the monarch life cycle. Without prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, your milkweed seed is unlikely to sprout. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Oxypetalum, Delphinium, Cyclamen plant, and Vinca minor plants.Cold stratification is very important for the germination and growth of Milkweed. I hope that you enjoyed this guide on Asclepias. If you require more Asclepias plants, then you should (very) carefully take root cuttings in the spring. Grow milkweed plants in your garden for colorful, fragrant and. This will enable auxin hormones to make more heads (instead of having a single flower). Milkweed is a lovely wildflower and the sole host plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Milkweed is very easy to look after, pinch back the heads when about 12 cm (5 inches) high. Asclepias plants prefer to grow in a sandy soil, but will grow in most non-heavy soils. Locate in partly shaded to fully sunny parts of your garden. Outdoors, the seedlings should be planted with a spacing of about 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 inches). Germination should be performed at a temperature between ten and twenty degrees Celsius (50 and 68☏). Germination of milkweed seeds normally takes about one to three months. Ideally you should do this 10 weeks before you plan to transplant them outdoors, normally in the late spring (or at the beginning of Autumn). If you plan to start the growing of milkweed and other Asclepias genus plants indoors, then you first should imbibe the seeds in the fridge for three weeks in soil, then sow them into peat pots. ![]() Once sown, lightly cover the seeds with soil. When planting Asclepias plants outdoors, it is best to sow out the seeds in either early spring or autumn. Divide tubers in Spring this is a risky process as roots are delicate. Pinch back when 5 or 6 inches (12 to 15cm) tall to encourage bushy growth. ![]() Requirements: Full Sunlight or light shade. Asclepias syriacaĪsclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed / Butterfly Flower / Silkweed), picture by Peganum CC.Īlso see Asclepias syriaca growing guide. Since germination rates are often higher inside and it is easier to establish your milkweeds with transplanted seedlings that are well-rooted and consequently more resistant to weather extremes and pests, we prefer the latter technique. Asclepias curassavicaĪsclepias curassavica (Tropical Milkweed / Bloodflower / Cotton Bush), photograph by jimduggan24 CC.Īlso see my Asclepias curassavica plant growing guide guide. There are two ways to start milkweed seeds indoors: in a flat or in a prepared bed outside. Commonly Grown Asclepias Species Photographs and Plant Identification Asclepias tuberosaĪsclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed), photograph by Frank Mayfield CC.Īlso see my How to grow Asclepias tuberosa guide. They make an ideal plant to grow when trying to plant a natural looking or butterfly garden. Milkweed family members have clusters of blooms in red, orange, or other hot colour's.Īsclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed). They are often grown in wildlife gardens as they are plants that are very attractive to butterflies (especially the monarch). ![]() Description of Milkweed and other AsclepiasĪsclepias are often subshrub like in nature, and the they range in size from 30 cm to 2 metres (1 to 7 feet). ![]()
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