When the seed pods of butterfly weed begin to split, harvest them. In the late fall, seeds can be sown immediately outdoors or begun indoors.
In early to mid-November, build up the soil in a protected spot before spreading seeds outside.
Cover the seeds with about 1/4 inch of dirt after scattering them over the prepared seed bed.
Seed germination is aided by the cold, damp conditions of winter.
In the spring, seedlings should sprout.
When the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, carefully move them to their permanent places.
Fill a flat with commercial germination material to start seeds inside (such as Jiffy Mix).
The medium should be moistened.
Scatter the seeds on the germination medium’s surface and lightly push them into the substance.
Add another 1/4 inch of germination mix on top of the seeds.
Moisten the additional material with care.
Place the bundled flat in the refrigerator after sliding it into a plastic bag.
Refrigerate the flat for a period of 4 to 6 weeks.
Remove the flat from the refrigerator after 4 to 6 weeks and set it in a room with a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
In 3 to 4 weeks, the seeds should start to germinate.
(If no seedlings appear after four weeks, refrigerate the flat for another four to six weeks and continue the process.)
As soon as seedlings appear, remove the flat from the plastic bag and place it under fluorescent lights in a 60 to 65 degree Fahrenheit environment.
When the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall, transplant them into individual pots.
Continue to develop the seedlings indoors for a few more weeks under fluorescent lights.
Place the seedlings in a dark, protected spot outside before planting, then gradually expose the seedlings to greater periods of direct sun.
After the seedlings have been hardened off for 10 to 14 days outside, plant them in their permanent positions.
How do you direct sow butterfly weed seeds?
Sowing: Direct sow butterfly milkweed seeds slightly below the surface in late autumn. After the last frost in the spring, the seeds will germinate. When the seedlings appear, thin to the strongest plant; seedlings rarely survive transplanting because they dislike having their roots disturbed. Before direct sowing in the spring, combine the seeds with damp sand and chill for 30 days.
Growing: Young plants should be irrigated until they establish themselves; adult plants can endure drought, and too wet soil will injure the roots. This plant develops slowly, and flowering can take up to two years. Though not invasive, if left to self-seed, this plant will eventually spread. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are drawn to the flowers. This plant is avoided by deer. If aphids become a problem, use a forceful stream of water to dislodge them from the plant.
Harvesting: This blossom is attractive as a cut flower. These flowers have a longer vase life than most milkweed kinds since the stems do not contain milky sap. Choose flowers that have just opened and cut the stems long.
Seed saving: After the plant has finished flowering, it will produce 3-4″ slender pods. Butterfly milkweed pods should be harvested before they break and the silky fluff sweeps the seeds away on the breeze. Remove the pods and spread them out to dry as soon as the seeds within have matured to a mature brown color. Remove the silky seed material from the pods by splitting them open. Using your fingers, remove the fluff off the seeds. Keep the seeds in a cool, dry location.
Understanding Milkweed (Asclepias) Seed & Germinating
Milkweed seeds need to be cold stratified before they can germinate. Milkweed germination and growth require a lot of cold stratification. It aids the seeds in breaking their normal dormancy cycle. Milkweed seed should be placed in a damp paper towel or damp sand in a zip lock bag and kept in the fridge for 36 weeks (30 days). Place in a fridge compartment where it won’t be destroyed. Ours was taped to the bottom of a fridge shelf.
Growing Indoors
In the spring, sow the cold stratified Milkweed (asclepias) seeds after the 30-day period has passed. Planting in 2-4″ peat pots is recommended. Fill peat pots 3/4 full with seed starting potting soil, then water gently. The peat pots should be able to drain the water. Place 1-2 cold stratified seeds in each container after the soil is damp. Finish by covering the seed with 1/4 inch of dirt.
If you’re sowing Milkweed seed in the fall, let nature take care of the cold stratification. There is no need to chill your seeds before planting; when a few frosts have passed in your location, you can put seeds directly into the soil. This enables the seeds to remain dormant throughout the winter and emerge in the early spring. Remove any current growth and measure 1.5″ holes for each Milkweed seed with your index finger. Seeds should be spaced about 4-6″ apart. Fill each hole with a seed and cover. Thoroughly wet the area.
Watering: Provide additional hydration to the planted seed by gently watering it. The best way to water is to start at the bottom and work your way up. Under the peat pots, place a flat pan with a half inch of water in the bottom. Overwatering might lead to fungal growth. The best technique to test the soil wetness is to touch it every day or every other day as needed. If the soil appears dry, apply water; if the soil appears wet, wait for it to dry before watering.
Lamp Requirements: Keep the Milkweed in a sunny window, a green house, or under a grow light for the next two weeks. Milkweed need a lot of sunlight and warmth to thrive. If you’re using a grow light, keep the bulb closer to the pots, or your seedlings will develop lanky as they try to reach the light. This happened to us during our experiment. A thicker stem is preferable. Once sown, cold stratified seeds should germinate and sprout within 10-15 days. Milkweed can take up to 40 days to grow from the time it is cold stratified, so be patient!
Other seed-germination options include sowing dry seed (not stratified) in seed starting soil in peat pots under a grow light or in a greenhouse.
This has a low success rate and is more difficult to achieve.
It may take months for the seeds to germinate if you chose this option.
If you’re going to plant seed outside, we recommend doing it in the late fall and letting the Milkweed seed fall to the ground throughout the winter. Milkweed seed has been dormant for a long time, so when the light shines and the ground warms up in the spring, the seeds will grow on their own.
Transplanting Milkweed (Asclepias) Seedling Outdoors
Milkweed thrives in open spaces with full sun exposure, such as fields, parks, cultivated gardens, roadsides, highway medians, and road sides. Milkweed should be transplanted when it is no more than 3 inches tall. In most transplanting situations, the Milkweed plant will experience considerable shock and may lose all of its leaves. Don’t be alarmed if this happens. The plant is attempting to build roots and will eventually produce new leaves. Milkweed roots are extremely sensitive, which is why we recommend putting seeds in peat pots. Peat Pots decompose in the ground over time, allowing milkweed roots to grow without being disturbed. This proved to be the most effective method of transplantation. If you prefer to plant in plastic containers, ensure sure they are deep enough to allow for root growth. If you receive a plant that has already been grown in plastic, be careful not to harm the roots when removing the plant.
When to plant: When growing Milkweed, soil moisture and temperature are critical. After the risk of frost has passed, the best time to grow Milkweed is early spring. Because of the germination time and temperature of Common Milkweed Field Grown, seeds planted late in the spring may not germinate. Over 85 degrees, common milkweed seed does not germinate.
Caring For Milkweed (Asclepias) Plants
After you’ve planted your seedling, water it for a few days to help it establish itself, but after that, the plant doesn’t require much additional water. Only use water if you’re experiencing an unusually dry time. Although peat pots are attractive, you must ensure that the top edge of the pot does not protrude above the soil line after transplantation. This will wick away important soil moisture in dry situations. A tiny pot with a diameter of 2 1/2 inches and a depth of 3 inches is good. Asclepias are a difficult natural plant to grow. As a result, the best technique is to cultivate them in a container for as little time as possible before transplanting them as young plants.
How do you plant butterfly milkweed seeds?
Milkweed seed can be directly planted in the ground or started indoors. Milkweed seeds can be sown by sprinkling them 1/4-1/2 inch apart on the soil surface, then covering them with another 1/4 inch of earth. After planting, water the area often until the plants have established themselves. Before planting, several species must be vernalized (cold treated). After the threat of frost has gone, vernalized seeds can be planted in the spring. Non-vernalized seeds can be planted in the fall, and the cold treatment will be provided by nature. Further advice, information on vernalization, and directions for beginning milkweed seeds indoors can be found in Monarch Watch’s milkweed propagation guide. Watch Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch discuss milkweed growing techniques and best practices in our Monarch Conservation Webinar: Growing Milkweed for Monarch Conservation (scroll down to May 2016). Visit the Xerces Society’s Milkweed Practicitoner Guide for more information on milkweed growing and conservation use. It’s a comprehensive guide on milkweeds, including biology/ecology, propagation, wildlife benefits, and use in restoration projects.
How do you start a butterfly flower from seed?
Seeds of the butterfly flower are grown. Directly sow Butterfly flower seeds in your flower garden. They should be planted 1/8″ to 1/4″ deep. Alternatively, start the seeds six to eight weeks before the last frost date.
How do you collect butterfly bush seeds?
The importance of timing cannot be overstated. Before the seed pods entirely dry out but before they crack open, collect the wasted blossoms. To check that the seeds are mature and viable, make sure the entire bloom has turned brown. After collecting the spent blossoms, bring them inside and set them on a paper plate in a draft-free area to dry entirely. When the seed pods are completely dry, they will be spread open to resemble small brown flowers (pictured above). At this stage, all you have to do is gently tap the dried bloom over the paper plate. The seeds will fall out readily.
You can collect seeds without removing the wasted bloom if the seed pods have already split apart. Attempting to remove the flowers after the pods have already opened will almost certainly result in the loss of all the seeds. Simply place a container or paper plate underneath the dried flower and tap it. Do this on a windless day if possible.
Can you plant butterfly weed seeds in spring?
Monarch butterfly caterpillars can be supported by harvesting and planting butterfly weed and milkweed seed pods. Butterfly weed seeds must be harvested in late summer and either sowed right away in the garden or begun in the spring after a long chilling period. The seeds are viable and will germinate with little effort, but they must be sown at the correct depth to sprout successfully.
Does butterfly weed bloom the first year?
Milkweed, also known as asclepias, is native to North America, and one of them, Asclepias tuberosa, has been named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association this year. This plant, sometimes known as butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed, has bright orange flowers that attract a variety of butterflies and bees with nectar and pollen. Butterfly weed’s leaf isn’t a favorite meal of monarch caterpillars, but it can help them survive. This drought-tolerant plant prefers a dry, sunny environment and is hardy in Zones 3 to 9.
Upright stems with clusters of bright orange flowers contrast attractively with the shiny green leaves of butterfly weed. Unlike other members of the genus, the stem sap is not milky. This milkweed is not invasive since it does not spread by runners like common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Although deer are not attracted to butterfly weed, aphids can be an issue in gardens and greenhouses.
This plant is expected to be in great demand in the next years. Butterfly weed blooms readily the first year after seeding, but there are a few crucial elements to remember if you want to grow it professionally.
This species displays some of the most extreme photoperiod reactions we’ve ever seen. It’s an obligatory long-day plant, which means it has to flower during long days. When grown at an average of 68° F, plants develop quickly under photoperiods of 14 hours or more, and begin flowering about eight to nine weeks after transplant. Plants that are exposed to photoperiods of 12 hours or less, on the other hand, die dormant after a few days (Figure 1, pictured above). Leaves droop, shoot growth appears to stop, and existing flower buds may suffocate (Figure 2). Unfortunately, simply reverting to longer days will not return the plants to active growth. A nine-week or longer cold treatment is required to break this dormancy; in our testing, all dormant plants treated to 41° F for 15 weeks bloomed.
It is critical to provide long days to plants in order to keep them actively growing. We propose at least 16 hours of daylight or four hours of night disruption illumination. A minimum intensity of 2 molm2s1 should be delivered by photoperiodic illumination. Use incandescent lights or LED bulbs intended to control blooming that emit both red and far-red radiation. Maintain these extended photoperiods for plants until natural daylengths reach at least 14 hours.
Butterfly weed has a huge tap root, making transplanting or dividing established plants difficult. It’s critical to utilize a well-drained medium in container production, so consider adding more perlite to a standard peat+perlite mix. During production and cold treatments, be careful not to over-water. The taproot attracts fungus gnat larvae, so keep an eye on the roots if your plants aren’t doing well.
Butterfly weed can grow up to 3 feet tall in the wild, but in container production, our plants were only 12 to 18 inches tall when they first bloomed. Sprays of daminozide (e.g., B-Nine, Dazide), paclobutrazol (e.g., Piccolo, Bonzi), and uniconazole (e.g., Piccolo, Bonzi) are apparently helpful for height management (e.g., Sumagic, Concise). To help fill out containers, use many plugs per pot or squeeze seedlings soon after transplant.
Should I soak milkweed seeds before planting?
- Soak milkweed seeds for several hours or overnight in water; tap water will suffice.
- After the seeds have soaked, place them in a sealed plastic bag with moist stratification mix (we mean “wet” as in a damp sponge with no surplus water).
- For at least two weeks, keep the bag of damp seeds in their mix refrigerated. 30 days of cool wet stratification gives 85% germination or better for several Asclepias species.
- Check your seeds once or twice a day; some seeds, such as A. incarnata and A. tuberosa, may germinate in the bag.
Is milkweed easy to grow from seed?
Unfortunately, TPF is unable to provide California native milkweed plants at this time of year. But, because I despise unhappy customers, I’ve documented how we cultivate milkweed seed below, in the hopes that you’ll be able to start your own this year.
As a grower, I have to say that milkweed is by far one of the easiest plants to cultivate. Its consistent and predictable germination makes it a great choice for first-time seed sowers. The first and most important step is to wait for warmer weather. You can sow the seed as early as March, however germination can take place as late as July (sowing any later than July is risky, as the plant needs to be robust when going into dormancy).