Inside milkweed’s rough seed pods is another wonderful surprise: The fluffy white floss, attached to milkweed’s flat brown seeds, could be used to stuff pillows, mattresses, and quilts, and was carried as tinder to start fires.
What can I do with my milkweed seeds?
Fall is a great time to collect your Milkweed seeds and there are many things you can do with your harvested seeds. You can save them for next year, give them to friends and family, share with your community or donate them to your favorite Monarch conservation organization!
How do I collect milkweed pods?
You can collect Milkweed pods from your own garden, on private lands (with permission), public right-of-ways and road sides. What if I'm not sure how if it's a Milkweed plant? All milkweed species develop a seed pod and they look very similar. Refer to the Milkweed Identification blog if you're not sure how to identify Milkweed.
How to store milkweed seeds to avoid mold?
If you store them in plastic bags, make sure they are completely dry before putting them in to avoid mold. I do this by leaving the seeds out in a bowl overnight. I have never had moldy milkweed seeds.
Where can I give or trade milkweed seeds?
Otherwise, facebook groups are the best place to give or trade milkweed seeds. Here’s one to consider: Monarchs and Milkweed Arianasays: July 28 at 7:07 pm
Can you grow milkweed from the seed pods?
Large seed pods open up and self seed readily, spreading this native wildflower's seeds each season. So planting your milkweed seed in fall not only mimics how milkweed is planted in nature, but it eliminates the need for cold stratification as the cold winter months will do that for you.
Are milkweed pods good for anything?
Although potentially poisonous, the plant has been used for medicinal purposes as well. Many indigenous tribes applied milkweed sap for wart removal and chewed its roots to treat dysentery. It was also used in salves and infusions to treat swelling, rashes, coughs, fevers and asthma.
Should you remove seed pods from milkweed?
While they do no harm to the plant, if a pod is covered in these insects it's likely the seed inside is no longer viable and those pods should be avoided. Milkweed plants produce distinct seed pods in late summer. Typically, these pods are horn shaped, or otherwise long, narrow and tubular.
What can I do with dry milkweed pods?
Save some milkweed pods to craft into beautiful dahlias, birds, butterflies, fairies and more. Just start experimenting with paint, hot glue, florist wire and other natural materials. Then next fall, consider harvesting the pods before they open.
What can I do with milkweed fluff?
In World War II, the buoyancy of milkweed fluff was put to the test when it was used in military life jackets instead of kapok. In addition, the fluff has excellent oil absorbing properties and can be used to soak up spilt crude oil while repelling water.
How do you dry milkweed pods for hunting?
3:236:09DIY - Scent control useing milkweed - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipRight down the side and then we're just gonna sit out here in the Sun for a day and/or a couple daysMoreRight down the side and then we're just gonna sit out here in the Sun for a day and/or a couple days a little dry. They dry well on your dashboard of your truck too.
How do you harvest milkweed seeds from pods?
Pick pods as they turn brown, dry and mature. The brown dried pod in the upper left is just beginning to split open — perfect to harvest the seed. Once the floss fluffs out like the one in the lower left, it is harder to remove from the seed. Leave this pod alone to scatter seed in the wind.
How do you plant milkweed pods?
Milkweed seed can be planted directly in soil, or started indoors. You can sow milkweed seeds by scattering them on the soil surface 1/4-1/2 inch apart, and then cover them with about 1/4 inch of additional soil. Water the area frequently after planting until plants become established.
How do you prepare milkweed seeds?
Step 1: Wet a paper towel and lay on a flat surface. ... Step 2: Sprinkle 10-20 milkweed seeds on the paper towel. ... Step 3: Fold the paper towel into quarters.Step 5: Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 days. ... Step 1: Place seeds in trays. ... Step 2: Water seeds gently. ... Step 4: Your seeds need light! ... Step 5: Plant outdoors.
How do you fry milkweed pods?
Dip each milkweed pod into the batter to fully coat the pod. Set the battered pods aside and test the oil to see if it's hot enough. When a bit of batter starts to bubble and fry immediately on contact with the oil, you're good to go. Add 4-5 pods to the oil and let them cook until golden brown.
Do monarch butterflies eat milkweed pods?
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants so the larvae have a food source once they hatch. The Ohio Department of Transportation is helping to collect milkweed seed pods, with the idea of creating more wildlife habitat in a bid to help agriculture.
Can I freeze milkweed pods?
Frozen common milkweed leaves work adequately for older Monarch caterpillars. Fresh is always better but frozen can mean the difference between life and death. Frozen milkweed provides the nutrients that they need.
What is milkweed seed pod?
A milkweed seed pod that is mature and starting to release it's seeds. Timing is key when collecting milkweed seeds. Here are a couple of tricks to ensure that your seeds are mature and viable.
When do I sow milkweed seeds?
I sow mine in the fall in my garden and scatter the rest of the seeds in parks, etc. I had only 6 last year, and this summer, have 27 milkweed plants which flowered and all have huge seed pods!
How long are milkweed seeds good for?
Currently, there are not a lot of studies done on the long-term viability of species-specific Milkweeds. There was a study done on Showy Milkweed (Comes et. al. 1978) that concluded a seed viability of over 5 years stored at room temperature in a dry environment. Also, according to the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew (2014), milkweeds will remain viable for over a year. The two main factors and temperature and moisture content. If your seeds have been stored in the freezer with little to no moisture content then the answer is yes, we will accept them and they should be viable. If you do send them in, please date them as well. Thank you!
What happens if milkweed doesn't flower?
If they did not flower, then the flower would not have gotten pollinated so they could produce a viable seed. Some milkweed plants have very small pods and could almost be missed. Do you know type of milkweed plant you have? Thank you!
How many different types of milkweed are there?
It depends on the species of the milkweed plant that you would like to transport. There are over 70 different species of milkweed. Here is a map so that you can see what types of milkweed are appropriate to each region. You will want to choose one that will grow in MN and also FL without transporting an invasive such as Tropical Milkweed.
When is the best time to collect milkweed seeds?
Fall is a great time to collect your Milkweed seeds and there are many things you can do with your harvested seeds. You can save them for next year, give them to friends and family, share with your community or donate them to your favorite Monarch conservation organization!
How to keep MW bugs off my sock?
I use sections of lady’s stockings. I also use a twist tie to hold the on the stem. This allows the pod to breathe and keeps the MW bugs off. I just give them a gentle squeeze to determine when they’ve split.
How to get milkweed floss out of pillow?
Move your thumb and forefinger down the mass of floss as you go, working your way down the seed mass. You should end up with a pile of seeds and a ribbon of milkweed floss that can then be discarded (or tucked inside a pillow).
How to separate milkweed seeds?
If instead the pod opens, and seed is dark brown in color, you may easily remove the central rib of seeds and floss in one mass, and should find it easy to separate. From here, pinch the seed mass towards the top of the cluster, and remove the seed with your other hand (the seeds should fall away easily). Move your thumb and forefinger down the mass of floss as you go, working your way down the seed mass. You should end up with a pile of seeds and a ribbon of milkweed floss that can then be discarded (or tucked inside a pillow).
How to tell if milkweed is mature?
You can test an unopened pod for maturity by applying gentle pressure to the seam. If it does not open readily, the seed inside is immature.
Why does my floss burst?
When the seed is ready to disperse, the floss will expand, causing the pod to burst. For those wishing to collect seed, this floss can be problematic, creating a messy barrier to gathering large amounts of viable seed. There are several options for separating the floss, but the best option is to plan your timing so that you are able to easily remove the seed as soon as it is mature, but before the silky floss has expanded.
How many gals of floss cans are there in a Monarch Watch?
Get craft-y: Monarch Watch has designed a seed and floss separator utilizing a 32-gallon trash can and other materials easily acquired from a hardware store. Large amounts of seed (pods and all) can be loaded into the machine where, with the twist of a handle, barbed paddles inside beat the contents until the seeds are left at the bottom. A shop-vac is then employed to collect floss and pod material. This approach is likely much speedier than using the shop-vac option alone, especially when working with large quantities of seed.
How to get rid of floss?
Shake it off: Fill a paper bag with your collected seed and floss and toss in a few coins. Shake vigorously. The coins should help separate the seed. When finished, snip a small hole in the bottom of the bag to recover the seeds (and your pocket change). This method allows the floss to be easily disposed of, as it’s already bagged up!
What bugs eat milkweed?
Look for milkweed bugs – red and black insects that eat milkweed seed. While they do no harm to the plant, if a pod is covered in these insects it’s likely the seed inside is no longer viable and those pods should be avoided.
How long should a milkweed pod be to eat?
If you read a guide that actually talks about eating milkweed (most don’t except for Sam) there’s likely to be a sentence to the tune of: “young pods need to be 1-2″ long to eat”. This isn’t a casual request, it’s the difference between enjoying eating something, and ingesting something. Eating should be fun, ingesting is just like it sounds.
How to pick okra seeds?
All pods should have a soft, pure white interior, the seed/silk inside shouldn’t show any signs of color.#N#3. The pods should not be noticeably soft, they should be firm, a bit like okra.#N#4. Older pods may have pronounced “spines”.#N#5. Find pods of different sizes and ages, then bite them. You’ll quickly learn about which are tender and which are stringy.#N#6. Don’t be afraid to pick very small pods, they’re excellent.
What happens when you put a pod in water?
When the pods hit a hot pan or water, they’ll turn a beautiful green for you.
When does milkweed pod form?
Milkweed is one of the anomalies, over a season it has 3 different parts than more or less resemble unique little vegetables. After the young shoots and buds form in the Spring and early Summer the pods are the last of the milkweed vegetables to enjoy in late summer, they’re not to be missed. There was a big learning curve for me in between ...
Is milkweed the same as okra?
Okra and milkweed share a lot of similarities, the only one they really don’t share compositionally is the mucilagenous thickening quality that okra has. Besides the mucilage, they’re pretty much interchangeable, bread and fry them, saute, braise, bake in a juicy casserole, or better yet pickle them, just like okra.
Does milkweed silk melt?
Unlike cheese, the milkweed silk will not completely melt, and depending on the stage of development of the seeds, it may be a little more chewy or textural depending on how far along the development of the seeds is. For more, see my post on Milkweed Silk.
Is milkweed silk edible?
That’s milkweed silk, or immature seeds, and it begs the question: “what constitutes a vegetable”, it’s edible, and has a fine flavor, but should be be mixed other ingredients to form a dish. My friend Sam likes to call it milkweed “white”. The useful part about it from my perspective is that milkweed silk is often at an edible stage when the outer green shell has become too stringy to enjoy, so even if you’re a little late to the party at the milkweed patch, it doesn’t mean you have to go home empty handed, just crack open the pods to make sure the seeds don’t have any color to them yet, they should be perfectly white. I have gone out just to collect the silk sometimes.
How to collect seeds from a pod?
Sometimes the fluff may have already started coming out of a pod you want to collect. Simply empty seeds and fluff into a paper bag with a few coins and shake. The coins help to separate the seeds. Then, cut a small hole in a bottom corner of the bag and shake out the seeds.
How to pick pods after rain?
All the fluff (coma) was matted down and the seeds were easy to separate. Leave the seeds in a bowl until they are thoroughly dry. This technique works well when you are picking a couple pods at once. If you have a massive amount of pods and seeds, it’s better to let the pods/seeds dry before separation.
What to do if milkweed pods won't pop open?
If a milkweed pod won’t pop open easily, leave it for another time.
How to separate seeds from a seed pod?
Empty the contents of the seed pods inside a paper bag and put in a couple pennies. Close the bag and shake. The pennies will help separate the seeds.
What happens if you plant with fluff attached?
Because if you plant with the fluff attached, all it takes is a light breeze and your efforts are literally gone with the wind.
How to store seeds for spring?
If you’re planting seeds next spring (or starting seeds indoors), it’s best to store them in your refrigerator. This gives them the cold stratification they need to come out of dormancy and sprout, when you finally plant them.
Can you plant milkweed seeds after they burst open?
If you pick pods and open them to discover light brown (or white!) seeds, you won’t have viable seeds for planting. However, it’s no fun to separate seeds after the pods have burst open because of the fluffy mess! So what’s a milkweed gardener to do?
How Do You Know When Milkweed Seeds Are Ready To Harvest?
Harvest milkweed in the fall, when the pods are mature and the seeds are viable.
When Do Milkweed Pods Form?
Milkweed pods will begin to form after the milkweed flowers have been fertilized.
Can You Grow Milkweed From The Seed Pods?
You can grow milkweed from the mature seeds that have grown in the milkweed seed pods. It’s important not to harvest the seed pods too early, and that they are left in place to ripen and mature on the plant.
Should I Remove Milkweed Pods?
If you are growing milkweed and you don’t want it to spread, you can harvest the pods at any time.
What Do Mature Milkweed Seeds Look Like?
Mature milkweed seeds are brown in colour and have a thin brown material along the outer edges of the seed. The material has a flat edge which encircles the seed.
How Long Do Milkweed Seeds Last?
If you do not intend to plant your seeds this season, they can be safely stored in the longterm in an airtight container in a cool location. The fridge is suitable for this storage.
How many seeds are in a swamp milkweed pod?
I counted fifty seeds in one of the swamp milkweed pods that I opened. It was a grand harvest.
