hey mom????

mine rather common ones.. grow to flower.. from seed.. OUTDOORS .. in one season ...

they are freakin weeds ... ITS IN THE NAME!!!! ... lol ...

and that is what 'i think' ..... since you really didnt ask any other question .. lol

ken

ps: do you have a question???.. other than what i think????

pps: i would have thought about sowing half your seed outdoors.. straight in mother earth ....

Sorry my question wasn't clear. I was wondering how long it should take for me to see signs of germination. I had planned to sow these outdoors after risk of frost. But, some one mentioned that the tropical milkweed can be slow to get going, so I decided to try to get them started inside. I still have seed left that I can sow outdoors, if it ever stops snowing. If I'm not getting germination when others say I should expect it, then I'll add bottom heat. Again, these are the tropical variety, Asclepias currasavica . Hope that helps clear things up.

Martha

link says:

Seeds germinate in about a week or two (faster than when planted in soil).

so i think you have at least another week. before you start worrying...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks, Ken.

Martha

Hi Martha, I use a heated seedling mat/ plastic cover with tropical and they typically take about a week.

Also works well with physocarpa and incarnata seeds.

Hope yours sprout soon, Tony

I started tropical milkweed indoors under light earlier this month. I sowed three seeds each in three yogurt cups of potting mix/starter mix, slightly under the surface. I also put plastic wrap over the cups to keep them moist. So far two of the cups have one seedling growing. The other seven seeds are no-shows so far. It does get cool down in the basement when the light is off at night(60 degrees?), so maybe more consistent warmth would help. This is the first time I've ever grown milkweed. I plan on sowing the rest of my seeds directly outside in a nearby nature area if it ever warms up.

Hawk eye,
It might not be a good idea to plant the tropical milkweed in a "nature area." Even though it is an annual here, it's better if we don't actively introduce foreign species of plants where we can't keep a close eye on them. I'll be deadheading my tropical milkweed, or bagging the seed pods to keep seeds from escaping. If you want to plant native species, you could check with whomever manages the area and ask if they want A. Incarnata or tuberosa or any of the other species native to Iowa.

Keep up the great work everyone!

Martha

Tropical milkweed is a heat lover, like A. physocarpa, Calotropis gigantea, C. procera, and other heat loving milkweed. It can be direct sown, but the seed won't germinate until soil is at least 70ðF. Cooler soil could result in seeds rotting, seeds being eaten by birds, etc. before they have the opportunity to germinate. Having milkweed available for migrating Monarchs is usually why most gardeners start seeds early indoors. It can take much longer for seed to germinate when soil is warm enough, and for plants to grow large enough to support egg laying Monarchs.

Your seeds will most likely germinate in 7-10 days. But don't give up on them if the cotyledons have not made an appearance by then. It's kinda like having a baby. They rarely are ever born exactly on the due date! LOL. Keep them covered until you see their seedling leaves and then remove the covers. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out (bottom watering is preferred). Once they have their first set of true leaves, you can feed them a dilute fertilizer solution, 1/4 strength. Keep your lights about 3" above the top of the foliage.

Check the roots and when they reach the bottom of the cups pot them up to larger cups or pots into regular potting mix. You'll be ready for those Mama Monarchs.

Susan

Thanks Susanlynn. I checked on the seedlings yesterday and they are starting to grow. So far just the root is showing, but they are definitely making progress. I sowed several seeds in each cup to save room under the lights. If I'm too successful I'll have to start pricking them out and potting them up early. I'd better go out and get some more cups!

Way to go! Yeah, more food for the Monarchs!

Susan