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Milkweed Seed Harvesting

A couple of weeks ago, I picked off a basket of milkweed seed pods before they opened and released the fluff. I saw the seeds of showy milkweed, Ascelpias speciosa, each year and share them. It’s a native plant. My plants were grown from seed harvested in Ann Morrison Park.

Each seed is attached to a silky parachute, like a dandelion seed. I found one a few feet away tucked into a planter of geraniums.

Some harvesting tips. It’s easiest to twist the seeds off if you can catch the pods early enough.

They look like a pine cone inside the pod. If it’s too late they are are balls of fluff, here’s one method. Find a bouncy rubber ball. Thank you to TDS Fiber for this one.

Place the ball and fluff in a plastic zippered bag and start shaking. The seeds disconnect from the fluff and gather at the bottom. Easy to pour out.

Two ways to plant them. Outdoors next month, or start them indoors in early spring just like you would tomatoes. The seeds germinate best if they are chilled for a couple of weeks before planting, but most still pop up if you skip that step.

When you see plants the first year, they are spindly little things that do not flower. It takes a couple of years before they bloom. Be patient. The plants spread by seed and also by rhizomes, once established.

Monarch butterflies use milkweed exclusively for their eggs/caterpillars.

Need a packet of seeds? Let me know and I will mail to you until they are all gone. deb@riverboise.com

~Debbie

 

 

 

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