Harvesting milkweed seeds is all about timing. Too shortly, and the seeds haven’t matured nevertheless and gained’t germinate. Too late, they usually’ll have every blown away or created a messy internet of white fluff (often known as milkweed floss or milkweed silk) in all places throughout the plant.
In late summer season season, I generally see milkweed pods ripening in a weedy self-discipline or alongside the perimeters of trails the place I’m climbing or biking. This was how I initially collected my preliminary stash of milkweed seeds so I would develop milkweed at residence. (If you happen to occur to need to do the same, please assure it’s allowed first and go away some pods on the crops to allow them to unfold naturally.)
The seed pods between absolutely completely totally different species of milkweeds look significantly absolutely completely totally different, nonetheless have an comparable teardrop form with a pointed finish. Whereas varied species of milkweeds are native to North America, you’ll most ceaselessly uncover these three milkweeds contained in the wild:
- Widespread milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which has fats, spiny seed pods
- Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which each and every have slim, clear seed pods
The technique for choosing and processing all of them are the same, nevertheless, and as rapidly as you understand a pair methods for cleanly separating the seeds from the milkweed fluff, you’ll have the pliability to do it in mere seconds!
So how are you aware when milkweed pods are prepared to select?
Milkweed pods are mature after they begin to dry out in August and September. They don’t need to be utterly dried and brown although—for a lot of who squeeze a barely inexperienced pod and it pops open at a seam, it’s prepared!
The seeds need to be darkish brown and leathery. (Inside the event that they’re cream-colored, very pale, or white, then they aren’t mature and gained’t develop correct proper right into a plant.)
Fast Tip
Usually you’ll uncover milkweed bugs crawling on a seed pod. These purple and black bugs feed on the seeds by piercing the pod and injecting digestive enzymes to liquefy the seeds. If a seed pod is roofed in milkweed bugs, likelihood is excessive that the seeds have been broken.
Methodology #1
The required issue to simple harvesting is choosing the seed pods earlier than the fluff inside has expanded, inflicting the pod to burst.
Resolve an unopened seed pod and gently apply stress to the seam. If it doesn’t open merely, the seeds inside are immature. If the pod opens, it need to be fairly easy to separate the seeds from the fluff.
Pinch the seed mass at one finish of the pod, and pull the seeds off alongside alongside along with your completely totally different hand. (It’s sort of like stripping the leaves off an herb sprig.) The seeds should fall away merely and likewise you’ll be left with a “cob” or cone of milkweed floss which can be discarded.
Methodology #2
If you happen to occur to happen to’ve missed the window of different and likewise you’ve obtained milkweed floss flying in every single place, certainly one of many best strategies to separate the seeds from the fluff is by shaking them off!
Put the milkweed floss and seeds (or your full opened pod) in a jar with just a few cash. Shake vigorously. The cash will do the complete work of separating the fluff and the seeds for you!
The seeds will select the underside of the jar, so you may merely carry the complete fluff out. (Milkweed floss is prone to be recycled into stuffing for a lot of who’re the suave type.) If you happen to occur to happen to don’t have a jar useful, a paper bag works merely as appropriately.
Storing the seeds
After you’ve collected the complete seeds, sandwich them in a moist paper towel and put them in a sealed jar or zip-top bag contained in the fridge for at least six weeks. They’ll maintain contained in the fridge like this till you’re able to sow the seeds in spring. (Merely contemplate to periodically check out on them by winter and spritz the paper towel to maintain it calmly moist, nonetheless not dripping moist.)
Why the fridge? Due to milkweed seeds require publicity to a interval of very chilly native climate (often known as chilly stratification) as a way to germinate. (That’s most likely a number of the typical errors for individuals who marvel why their seeds gained’t sprout.)
If you happen to occur to happen to don’t need to cope with storage, you can too scatter your milkweed seeds in place in fall or winter and let Mom Nature cope with stratifying them for you.