contact us

newsletter

Call for a FREE consultation: (541) 301-5374

Although Western Monarch Butterfly populations seem to be rebounding from near-extinction levels, it's more important than ever to help sustain these amazing creatures by growing the only thing their young can eat - milkweed! If you've ever wanted to try starting your own milkweed from seed, you could have scattered seeds in your garden in Fall, hoping that some would emerge in Spring, or you can try starting seeds inside your home to plant when the soil is warmer and the danger of frost has passed.
'''
Here's what you'll need:'''

That's it? Yep. Let's get started. It's all about what milkweed needs to germinate. The seeds need to be damp and cold for a good, long time. (minimum 6-8 weeks) Then, they need light to germinate .
Dampen a paper towel (it should not be dripping wet, just damp) and place the seeds on the towel. Fold the towel over and place the towel with seeds into a baggie. Do not seal the baggie. Place the baggie into your refrigerator! Yes. Remember, you are tricking the seeds into thinking that they are outside lying on the wet ground.

Once you've put them in the fridge, go to your calendar and mark the day that your seeds went into the refrigerator.
Then calculate 6-8 weeks. That means that if you put the seeds in the fridge on the 15th of Feb, you'll be taking them out between April 1st and 15th. Mark that on your calendar so that you don't forget! I will also be sending reminders weekly to get those seeds out and get them into your seed starting mix.

In 6-8 weeks we will remove the seeds and gently press them into prepared Seed Starting Mix in small 6-packs. You can get clean and sterile 6-packs at places like Bi-Mart and the Grange in the garden section right now. Why Seed Starting Mix? Simple. It's sterile. Never use garden soil or even potting soil. You do not want to introduce any pathogens to these tiny seedlings.

Notice that I said Gently press into the soil. That's the second trick. Milkweed seeds need to have light to germinate.

Cover the flats with plastic and the little guys on a heated seed mat and give them 16 hours of light a day. How do you do that when there are only 12 hours of daylight? I use full spectrum LED bulbs suspended over the trays of seeds. My lamps are controlled by a timer so that I don't have to remember to turn them on or off! Remove the plastic cover as soon as the seedlings begin to appear so as to not cause them to "dampen off".

In about another 4 weeks, they will be ready to transplant into larger pots before planting. I will send out another Newsletter when it's time to put them into 4 inch pots.
Remember, milkweed is the only plant that is host to Monarch butterflies. That is, it's the only plant a monarch can lay eggs on and have the right nutrients to feed a hungry monarch caterpillar. One caterpillar can go through 1 plant in a few days, so in order to sustain them long enough to mature, be sure and grow 10-20 plants fairly close together.