milkweed seeds

[early]

I ordered seeds for three types of Milkweed in an attempt to grow them here in mid NM's Rio River Valley.

I remember several members say in post here, grow Milkweed to save the Monarchs.
Anc in my typical horse before the care to do something. Should be easy I thought before ordering.
Today I started researching how to grow them from seed. I should have checked with the local nursery, Trees that Please, to see if they have any seedlings.
Any advice re growing from seed??
The info on google and other sites here is suggesting soaking in water, other say spread on paper towel, put in baggie, on wet paper and refrigerate for 30 days.

With my arid and short season, am I better planning on having seedlings from them by next spring?

[Dimples]

If your location has suitable winter weather you can always plant them outside this fall, keep the area sufficiently watered, and hope for the best come spring. That’s what I’ve usually done with plants that require a cold stratification period that I either wasn’t aware of or decided I didn’t want to bother with it after buying the seeds. Success has been ok considering I essentially abandoned them. Haha

[estación seca]

I found this:
how to grow and germinate milkweed

I would get them moist and put into your refrigerator now. In six weeks take them out and sprout them.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Dimples

If your location has suitable winter weather you can always plant them outside this fall, keep the area sufficiently watered, and hope for the best come spring. That’s what I’ve usually done with plants that require a cold stratification period that I either wasn’t aware of or decided I didn’t want to bother with it after buying the seeds. Success has been ok considering I essentially abandoned them. Haha

This is what I do. I actually planted a bunch of Asclepias oenotheroides in August a few years back with the intention of abandoning them so they could grow naturally. We had some wet weather in September and all the seeds popped up, so I realized that cold stratification might not be required for all species. Milkweed don't transplant well, so it might actually make more sense for you to get them straight into the ground.

[Fuerte Rav]

Hi Early
Nice to see you on here again!
I grow Asclepias curassavica (I think!).
Mainly I grow from cuttings because they root so easily in water but now and again I sow from seed if the caterpillars leave me a seedpod!
Each of my seedpods has around 60 seeds and each seed is attached to a big fluffy clock, similar to a dandelion. I sow the seeds pretty fresh. I brought a seedpod indoors a couple of weeks ago to separate the seed from the clocks, out of the breeze! It's difficult to contain the clocks - they float everywhere, even indoors, so I was 'dropping' them in a bucket. Finished that part, went outside to get the seed trays ready to sow the seed, breeze came in door, clocks everywhere, and I mean everywhere - I'm still finding them in strange places in the house.
I sowed about 24 seed in individual cells and about 20 have germinated so far. I use seed compost, covering the seeds very lightly and keep very moist at about 20-22C. My seeds never get any chilling!
I would agree that the seeds that germinate in the garden directly in the ground often form stronger, healthier plants, my problem is that they don't tend to be where I want them - they are the seeds that have escaped me and the caterpillars!
Good luck - glad to see another forum member starting on what will be become another addiction!
(I estimate that I had about 500 Monarch butterflies take to the skies last year - that takes a LOT of milkweed! I now cull EVERY egg that I see - there are so many hidden ones that hatch and never enough plant for all the caterpillars to grow to full size!)

[Louis_W]

In my real life am very involved in the native plants in New Mexico (in albuquerque). I dont know a whole lot about germinating the seed but I do know the native species of the area and where to buy the plants locally (pre-germinated)

Here are the locally available species

A. Subverticillata (favorite of the local monarchs)
A. Specieosa
A. Latifolia
A. Tuberosa

All four can be found (sometimes) at Plants of the Southwest here in ABQ.

Subverticillata is a vigorous spreader. It also is not very showy, having threadlike leaves and small creamy flowers but it is a great habitat plant. The three others are more on the showy side. I have all four in my yard and if I find other native species I always try them out (there are many more than four). There are also some garden variety hybrids but just like with orchids I'm a bit of a species snob.

I hope that helps!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Fuerte Rav

Hi Early
Nice to see you on here again!
I grow Asclepias curassavica (I think!).
Mainly I grow from cuttings because they root so easily in water but now and again I sow from seed if the caterpillars leave me a seedpod!
Each of my seedpods has around 60 seeds and each seed is attached to a big fluffy clock, similar to a dandelion. I sow the seeds pretty fresh. I brought a seedpod indoors a couple of weeks ago to separate the seed from the clocks, out of the breeze! It's difficult to contain the clocks - they float everywhere, even indoors, so I was 'dropping' them in a bucket. Finished that part, went outside to get the seed trays ready to sow the seed, breeze came in door, clocks everywhere, and I mean everywhere - I'm still finding them in strange places in the house.
I sowed about 24 seed in individual cells and about 20 have germinated so far. I use seed compost, covering the seeds very lightly and keep very moist at about 20-22C. My seeds never get any chilling!
I would agree that the seeds that germinate in the garden directly in the ground often form stronger, healthier plants, my problem is that they don't tend to be where I want them - they are the seeds that have escaped me and the caterpillars!
Good luck - glad to see another forum member starting on what will be become another addiction!
(I estimate that I had about 500 Monarch butterflies take to the skies last year - that takes a LOT of milkweed! I now cull EVERY egg that I see - there are so many hidden ones that hatch and never enough plant for all the caterpillars to grow to full size!)

Wow! How big is your patch of milkweed??

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Wow! How big is your patch of milkweed??

I have about 50 plants at any one time, spread all over the garden. When small I keep them under mesh covers so they can get a bit of substance before being attacked by caterpillars! Actually, IKEA wire mesh waste paper bins, upside down, do the job very well!

Early: these are some of the seeds I sowed 2 weeks ago

[isurus79]

Wow, that’s cool!!

[Leafmite]

I planted the common milkweed of this area not long after we bought our home (gathered the seeds in the fall and dumped the contents of an entire pod in a hole...somehow got milkweed growing from that). It returns every year for the butterflies. The flowers usually attract all sorts of pollinators.

Good luck and hope you soon have butterflies!