Collecting Milkweed Seeds 101 - Save Our Monarchs

Collecting Milkweed Seeds 101

9/19/2018

 
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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!

If you missed out on collecting them in the Fall, you might just get lucky and
find some seeds still hanging on in the Spring! This is great because they have
already gone through nature's cold stratification period, also known as winter. 

Where should I collect? 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 much should I collect? The rule of thumb for harvesting wild plants is to
leave at least 2/3rds of the plant to ensure that the wild population will
continue to thrive. 

Step 1: Collecting the Milkweed Pods

The perfect time to harvest the pods is when they are just starting to pop at the sutures and the
seeds are brown.

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.

If the pod is brown and has already popped open releasing their silky fluff, also
called coma, you know that they are ready and you can harvest them and
remove the fluff later.

However, if you want to avoid the fluff and be able to take the seeds off neatly
and easily, here is a little trick.

I look for green seed pods and the first thing I do is squeeze the seed pod. If I
hear a gentle pop and see that the pod has split at the suture, then I look
inside. If the seeds are a nice toffee brown then I know they are mature and I
can collect the pod. However, If the seeds are white or tan, I don’t collect them
and let them continue to mature on the plant.

Milkweed seeds can mold easily so I like to use a breathable paper bag or
cardboard box when I'm out collecting. 

Step 2- Removing the Seeds from the Husk

This is a fun and relaxing activity. I’ve already collected my light green seed
pods that have row after row of beautiful tightly packed seeds. I let them sit
for about 2 weeks so they are dry and easy to remove. I squeeze the pod until
it pops open at the suture and grab the narrow end of the pod. Then, I gently
pull until the seed follicle comes out of the pod. I then rake my finger nail along
the seed follicle, going WITH the grain of the seeds. They should pop right out!
To see a video of this process click here. 

Step 3- Drying

After you remove the seeds, you’ll want to let them dry out for 3 days to a
week. I like to let them dry on cardboard in a well-ventilated area. A porch,
mudroom, barn, or shed works well for this. If you are harvesting in the Spring,
you can most likely skip this part unless it is after a rain. 

Step 4- Storage
Once they have dried out, I store them in small manilla envelopes and date
them. I do not store them in plastic bags because this will often cause them to
mold since it is not a breathable material. 

Step 5: Cold Stratification

After you have dried your seeds, you can place them in a cold, dry place for the winter so
they can go through a cold stratification period. This will increase their germination
rates. Another option is to sow them in the ground in the late fall so they naturally go
through a stratification period. 

You Can Donate Your Seeds To Save Our Monarchs

Foundation
If YOU have seeds to donate from your own plantings, you can: 

1) Donate it to Save our Monarchs via postal mail

        Save Our Monarchs Foundation
        P.O. Box #390135
        Minneapolis, MN  55439

2) Save them for the following year and plant in the spring after a period
of cold stratification. 

3) Sow them in the ground in the fall or winter and they will sprout in the
spring!
4) Distribute to friends and family!