Good for you, Brad!! I've got three ripe pods saved for you that split open so the seeds are definitely ripe. I don't pick them until they split because I don't know the answer to your question of whether they're ripe before then. I'm guessing not but hope someone who knows for certain will post an answer.

It ought to be interesting trying to get the fluffy things into a bubble mailer (assuming you still want them) but no more than seeing what they look like when you take them out at your end!!

Thank you gardenweed!

The pods that split open were hard to get into the brown paper lunch bag because the seeds stuck to my gloves and the bag LOL. Oh I definitely want the ones you saved for me :). I'm going to share the sprouts this spring with friends and family :).

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Hi Brad, nix the moist paper towels. The seeds need to DRY, anything moist is a bad idea. When I harvest seed, I either put them in a little 5 oz dixie cup, or a paper lunch bag. Let dry for about 2-3 weeks in a dry well-ventilated place. Then I clean the seed and store in fridge.

In my experience, Asclepias syriaca - common milkweed - is very slow to establish from seed. All of the tap-rooted perennial milkweeds that I've started from seed grow slowly and take at least 3 years to bloom, if the critters, insects, or fungus don't get it first.

Wait a minute, Asclepias tuberosa was an exception - it blooms much faster than 3 years!

But still, A. tuberosa does take 3 tears to become glorious! It's so worth the wait.

I think it's a mistake to harvest pods that aren't ripe. I know asclepias can be elusive, but I think it's best to just be patient and watchful.

I take all my cues from ma nature. When the plant is ready to release the seeds - the seeds are ready. BTW, I don't always seperate the fuzzies for seeds I'm keeping for me. If you harvest the whole pod, you can strip out the seeds more easily.

Have fun!

I must have my asclepia tuberosa planted in a bad spot because it was planted this year and probably is not no taller than about 8 or 10 inches. Maybe with all the rain we've had this week, it grew even more. Same way with my lupine plants.

Did you WS your A. tuberosa this year Pippi? If so, 8-10 inches sounds right for a 1st year plant. They also can be transplanted, but even larger plants will be slow to establish. My Lupine seedlings are small the first year too, not sure how large they will be next year.