I hope they survive until the weather is warm enough to transplant. Don’t cut through the handle. At last season’s end, I collected hundreds of tropical milkweed seeds and placed them in a baggy and into the refrigerator. I had some old seeds (2011) and threw them in a couple winter sowing containers. Cover with 1/4 inch of soil on top of the seed. My podcast Wonder Outside debuts on 4/22 in a few days...can I mention you as a resource for planting milkweed? As you know we are in drought and we have to conserve water. Louise. I want to give two away to friends but I’m stingy with so few. Step 1, Prepare a soil mix to cold-treat seeds indoors. Hi Roy, congrats! 3 Big Advantages of Winter Sown Milkweed + Winter Sowing Container ideas, Every year we get a jump start on spring by, Starting seeds indoors puts your annual milkweed plants on the fast track to, Valentine Gift Ideas for a Butterfly Lover, Start or Improve your Monarch Butterfly Garden, Butterfly Garden Book for Monarchs- Instant Download, Top Tools, Supplies, and Resources for Raising Monarch Butterflies, Research plants to see if they are classified as, Monarch Butterfly Kits to Raise Caterpillars into Butterflies, 25 Milkweed Plant Ideas for North American Butterfly Gardens, Winter Sowing Milkweed Seeds Part 1: Supply Checklist, Learn what growing conditions your plant will need to thrive, Research potential issues and make sure you’re willing, As the plants grow, keep a close eye on them and the surrounding plants for unexpected issues like disease or unwelcome pests, If problems arise, take responsibility for your garden…even if that means pulling and discarding the plants. Planting two helps to ensure all seed cells are filled with seedlings. I’m very excited, because last spring I tried germinating same, with terrible results. My apartment is very small. I planted, Swamp, Pink and Butterfly. I’m seeing it’s s but late in the season but still okay? They’re presently in the refrigerator in cold stratification as I prepare peat pots and lights. I didn’t put the topical milkweed seeds out on the patio around Super Bowl Sunday though. If you are direct sowing then you do not need a seed starter. So I think I should try starting them inside, we may get a frost tonight – our safe to plant date is either May 15/May 31. Just soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting. Hi Jeff, my milkweed page has 25 milkweed species listed and many of those listing have links that go to pages with even more info. Ethel, if you are not having any luck with one milkweed variety, my best advice is to diversify your crop. I have swamp milkweed and Showy and Mexican also. There are links for more info and to buy milkweed seeds/plants. I placed the containers of the tropical milkweed on my patio in mid March. Scoop the ...Step 2, Place the seeds 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) deep in … June 2018 Put the seeds for each species in the appropriate bowl and soak them overnight. ), Part 3: Starting Seeds Inside Results (2019 Results will be posted in late March), Filed Under: Butterfly Garden Ideas, Milkweed Garden Ideas, Milkweed Propagation, Minnesota Garden Ideas, Organic Gardening, Plant Propagation, Starting A Garden Tagged With: asclepias physocarpa, calotropis gigantea, calotropis procera, crown flower, grow lights, heated seed mat, how to gardening, milkweed seeds, rooster tree, starting, starting seeds indoors, swan milkweed, winter gardening. Cold-treating your seeds causes better germination results in plants that are native to temperate climates, such as most types of milkweed. common, showy, autumn blaze, and butterfly weed will need cold stratification before planting: ‘Mexican’ is tropical milkweed and that is an annual or tender perennial for most regions: What is “autumn blaze”. How about outside? Tony since we are having a heat wave here in southern California…I have monarchs laying eggs and caterpillars hatching I have counted over 50 eggs and tiny caterpillars in my garden. Place in a sunny, warm location and you should start to see germination anywhere between 1-2 months. If you look at my my milkweed resources page and click on the links, every milkweed species I have create a page for, has a link telling you where that milkweed is native. Also, which milkweed do you recommend for southern Florida (near West Palm Beach)? PS keep looking for eggs! For those of us who don’t have heat mats, it is not likely we can maintain warm water during the entire soaking. Will the seeds that haven’t started yet be ok uncovered as long as they are on heat mats and under the grow lights? If you wait too long they may get "leggy" from lack of sunlight or become moldy. Probably, it would be good to consult a plant geneticist to get a definitive answer. I plan to plant the seeds outside. Should you soak the seeds before putting them in the soil? There you can start seeds of Milkweed inside so they will be ready to plant when the soil has warmed. And giant milkweed does flower the first year. I am actually just about to plant my first cynanchum seeds this week. However, I’m not sure how viable the seeds were. 2019 Update: We’re not starting any warm weather milkweed species by seed this year, but will be starting some perennial milkweed with cold moist stratification, Part 2: Discover a  little trick I use to speed up seed germination. May 2020 Hi Tony, Last Last February I start a dozen honeyvine milkweeds (Cynanchum laeve) indoors to plant around a tree stump and was surprised when two of the milkweeds actually put out flowers and produced a couple of pods in the Fall. When I mix the germinating medium, I add some mycorrhizal inoculate and a wee bit of rootshield to prevent damping off. When we bring in our tropical milkweed to overwinter we cut it back and spray it down with hydrogen peroxide to kill pathogens…besides cutting back to discard potential disease spores, it’s also a good idea for keeping out uninvited pests! June 2020 Hi Melodee, native milkweed is the cornerstone of a successful butterfly garden, but a mix of native and non-native varieties (like tropical) will give you the best results for attracting monarchs. . Kim. Hi Joy Price! What are your thoughts on swamp mllkweed? Thanks in advance. 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