Is Your Milkweed Not Germinating? My Insights for Seed Starting, Cold Stratification & Care

Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most people know them as Monarch butterfly plants. They're really popular, so let's dive into everything you need to know to grow them successfully.

0:22 Intro
2:19 Seed Starting
3:56 Cold Stratification
5:34 Mature Milkweed

It's such an amazing plant that has really picked up in popularity lately, and I'm excited it's getting the recognition it deserves! Milkweed is an essential food source for butterflies, especially the Monarch. We carry several varieties, and the two I'm showing here are native so they like the hot, dry climate of the American Southwest.

We have seen a lot of interest in milkweed and have had A TON of questions come in. One of the most common topics is seed starting. The first seedlings that I have in the greenhouse here were started almost TWO MONTHS ago. They're barely an inch or so!

Milkweed takes a while to germinate and is a very slow-growing plant. Don't get too worried! You just need to keep the soil moist. Some of my seeds are just barely germinated after a month.

In the vein of seed starting, a lot of people ask if they have to cold stratify their seeds. This is the process of simulating natural conditions to help the seed wake up from hibernation. There is an ongoing debate about whether you NEED to do it, but we did a test batch. We did notice that we did get more even germination for the cold stratified seeds, but they did not germinate any faster. You still have to be patient, but you should see a better success rate. That said, it helps but isn't essential to do.

With these flats of milkweed and all the others, we're going to be planting them out at our Ramona seed production farm so you can buy these next year! We do have some holdouts from our urban farm, though, so let's see what you can expect when you plant these out.

This tropical milkweed is actually native to the Southwest, but it does really well here. It can actually overwinter, so we cut it back in the fall. The plant will grow back in the spring, but we don't want to tempt monarch butterflies to get stuck at our pit stop and fail to complete their migration pattern or die due to lack of food.

When possible, you want to plant varieties that are native to your area. The caterpillars love it, and the milkiness actually helps protect them. If you're looking for an easy (once you get it started) and perennial native plant, definitely consider adding these to your garden.

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[justinp]

This is my 4th year starting milkweed from saved seed and I 100% agree it is a slow process but well worth the reward seeing the butterflies and caterpillars in the garden.

[CounterFleche]

The other problem with tropical milkweed is that it has led to increased infection with a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, that shortens the butterflies’ lifespan and makes it difficult to fly. When native milkweeds die off, the parasite dies with them, meaning there’s fresh, uncontaminated milkweed each spring. Since tropical milkweed doesn’t die off, the parasites keeps spreading.

[deannaattai]

So excited that you are going to start seed production from native milkweeds! Wonderful news, thank you!!

[aok]

Hey Beauty! I love hearing you on theEpic Garden Podcast. You are the first I have seen that talks about how long germination takes. This is very good info as I was feeling a little beaten

[kayteebaker]

My seeds FINALLY germinated!!! And I thought their growth was stunted because everything else is exploding while these little seedlings just sit there. My three year old potted narrow leaf is huge and almost flowering, and there are a bunch of caterpillars already to their last stage. I have sworn to NOT buy any more milkweed plants so I have to propegate by seed. Was not successful last year so I am stoked these four varieties from you are all germinating!!!

[DonnaLorenzen]

Great news that you're going to do native milkweed seed production.

[muriellockhoff]

I love my milkweed plant I got a lot of caterpillars of monarchs it great

[bloodstriper]

I can attest that cold stratification is NOT required. None of the seeds I subjected to CS germinated. In contrast, the seeds I just planted out of the packet germinated just fine.

[scuttlezebra]

Great video! Thank you for working with the monarch community and getting some awesome info for us. I was always curious about that tropical milkweed debate 😁

[robyndudley]

Great video. Learned something new about milkweed. I’m in 9b NorCal and many flowering plants are perineal here. Never thought to cut it back.

[domesti-city]

Just picked up a narrow-leaf milkweed and could not remember why it was preferred over the tropical milkweed that is spreading rapidly through my neighbor's rose planters. I didn't realize the narrow-leaf would die back in the winter, or that the other should be cut back. We have Monarchs active in the garden now. Thanks for the education!

[Mama_Nells_Garden]

I'm up in the Modesto CA area (zone 9b) and I found several Narrowleaf milkweed plants up in our foothills. I collected so many seeds and have started dozens. It's so exciting to see them pop up! I've even scattered some seeds along our hiking trails. Fingers crossed they take off.

[noraalvarado]

I live in N.Y. I decided to plant milkweed in my garden this year after a monarch enclosed underneath my dad's porch. Was the coolest thing. He has common milkweed that naturally came up next to his house. I have none in my yard . Bought seeds that were from Botanical Interest at a grocery store in my area that carries them. I purchased common, swamp, narrowleaf, showy and butterfly weed. I cold stratified them in a damp paper towel then put them in baggy in my refrigerator in a plastic storage container labeled. After 28 days I planted them in 72 peat plugs and put them in my furnace room ontop of my hot water heater since i don't have a heat mat . They literally germinate in days almost all 72 of them. I put them underneath my grow lights and have been growing them since February. Some right now are huge to the point where two of my butterfly weed plants have bloomed in the house. My last frost date isn't untill around may 15th and were gonna be in the 30s TONIGHT so i can't plant them out yet. Will start seeds again next year the same way but not as early.

[HoosierDaddy_]

Wasn't another huge problem with tropical milkweed a parasite problem which makes deformed Monarch butterflies? I've heard this is the biggest problem with growing tropical. I grow butterfly weed which is also a beautiful orange here in the Midwest, which could be a substitute for tropical if people don't want to use it. They're all really pretty. Swamp milkweed is very showy and safe for cooler climates I've also heard.

[ginam]

This was such a great video and I loved that you highlight each variety of milkweed ❤ I am in the Southeast Louisiana ⚜ and I have started all new native milkweed seeds as well as cut back my other plants here. I am in 9b and I am hoping I can successfully grow purple milkweed also!! ☺

[donaldrobbins]

I grow common and swamp milkweed from seed and it is a slow process. Every time I see it grow in nature I take a minute and think about the odds it took to make it.

[Doktracy]

The Phoenix Botanical gardens has a great butterfly garden and you’re able to see many very drought tolerant, unusual milkweeds planted in their native environment along with amazing salvias, echinaceas and other butterfly attractors.

[ellenkuang]

The one thing about tropical milkweed though is that due to climate change, monarchs are coming out of diapause earlier and earlier well before narrowleaf comes out of its winter dieback period. So because of this mismatch, there's some arguing that it's good to keep tropical milkweed around

[irasemacalvillo]

What a great timing!
I have narrowed leaf milkweed sprouts in several areas of my garden. Now I understand why they took so long🤣
Do I need to cut it back also?
Thank you!

[basically]

Hey I just bought a pack of your narrow leaf milk weed from grangeetos in Escondido. Congratulations it looks like you nailed your production. Two quick questions when would u recommend transplanting or up potting my plugs? Will the narrow leaf perennialize in San Diego county?