Personally, I would just sow them outside. In nature the seeds germinate outdoors and it works just fine. I winter sow lots every year in open containers and do not experience problems with seeds germinating and being frost damaged. If you want to grow them indoors and you have the space and equipment then go ahead. As long as you can deal with their size and fulfill their needs you can keep plants indoor indefinitely. Such a course of action would increase your chances of the plants blooming the first year, just be sure to go through the hardening off process when you transition them.

Thanks David, my goal was to have them bigger for the first year.

As long as you have adequate light, you might be ok. But from my experience it is early. I use start my seeds indoors ~ Mid March - in basement under lights. They then do not go outside til after Mother's Day.

Milkweeds I am familiar with are late to emerge and so I mark where I have planted them or leave the stalks so I know. Late emergers like a warmer soil temp before they send out top growth. Common MW emerges here end of April to mid May but I'm 7b/8a. Common is first up, then Swamp. Same in order of blooming. Of all of the hundreds of 'plugs' I've planted over several years only two Swaps have gotten to blooming size their first year.

If you start them indoors to achieve bigger plants for setting out you would do well to sow them in or transplant them to pots or trays so that max root growth can be accomplished.
I use trays with 21/2" by 5" deep cells with 2 seeds per cell. Some growers start their plugs in the fall and then overwinter them in 'high tunnels' til growth emerges naturally or under 'greenhouse conditions' as a production crop.
To me the best MW candidate for 'greenhouse conditions' (heat and light) would be Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed, as it like drier growing than our wet Springs usually offer. Butterfly Weed can be brought into flowering size first year by starting early eollow the emergence of Milkweed on their journey Northnough and being mindful (up potting to quart size) as it 'resents' transplanting because of tap root.
Tropical MW does not require CMS and will bloom first year just like an annual for us northerners. They also are continuous bloomers til killing frost. I use Tropical to fill in while other species are establishing and as a food crop for Monarch cats whose eggs I collect and hand raise.

30-60 days is the range for CMS. Good luck.

Ordinarily Monarchs follow the emergence of Milkweed on their journey North. You can look up past years here,too.
2017 migration map:
https://www.learner.org/jnorth...
2017 Milkweed emergence
https://www.learner.org/jnorth...

I have extra milkweed seeds that I have already CMS...can I just store them in a paper envelope in the fridge until next year or do I need to sow them?

If you keep the seeds in CMS conditions, that might work...not sure. But not in the paper envelope.

As posted somewhere above, I did a 30 day CMS in the frig... end of Jan I added seeds to containers with potting soil and set them out in a shaded area of the yard. only ONE seed has germinated. I have about 50-100 seedlings of Tropical, (a milk jug full) but I wanted some others. the one that germinated is the "common" syriaca.

I wonder what I am doing wrong.

I thought about dumping the container, finding the seeds and doing them in a moist paper towel until the germinate.

any ideas??

Linda I was afraid if I kept them in the moist coffee filter and baggie they would be moldy by nest year. That's why I thought of the paper envelope...drying them and keeping them cold so they don't sprout

Prairie Moon seeds suggests CMS in damp silica sand in a ziplock baggie kept in the fridge for the period of cold. I'm trying it out this year. My seeds have just finished their 30 day CMS nap and I'll be planting them this coming weekend. I've been checking them weekly to make sure they are still moist. I did a few different milkweeds- A. tuberosa, verticullata, incarnata and exalta. Also some Rudbeckia fulgida (I guess that one needs 60 days). I'm planning to plant them up in little trays under my lights.
I'm trying some Asclepius tuberosa using "standard" winter sowing outside, too, just to see what works best. Last year my winter sowing experiment didn't work out so well:(

tcs - a couple of thoughts -
1. If you have room, stick your pots in the fridge for a couple more weeks, then return outside.
2. My experience is that many natives germinate sporadically, not in one burst of springtime exuberance. Germination can be spread over months. If fact, when I winter sow I keep un- or poorly germinated pots out for a second winter and into a second summer before discarding the contents.

Ronnie. The seeds in the frig will not last til next year. Plant them now. Get more seeds next fall for next year. Had you kept them dry in a cool, dark place they might last for a year or so. Not wet that long.

I use the method that Prairie Moon suggests and usually get 60 - 80 % + germination.

Terese - no clue. But sometimes things like that happen. Perhaps the seeds were not so hot to begin with.

I put ~ 500 MW of 5 types in the frig a couple days ago. Will be starting Tropical, Swan and Giant Swan in a couple weeks. I also have ~ 50 plants of these three in my garage. And cuttings in my basement of Tropical. My Swan & Giant Swan cuttings all rotted. Oh well.

Thanks @DavidLMO Can I dry them and save them for next year?

DavidLMO said:Terese - no clue. But sometimes things like that happen. Perhaps the seeds were not so hot to begin with.

I think half the seeds were commercial, others I had on hand.

And cuttings in my basement of Tropical. My Swan & Giant Swan cuttings all rotted. Oh well.

I've never had luck with cuttings.... mine either die or rot.

Well, at least I have about 100 A. Curassavica seedlings.
I've had 11 monarch cats hatch in the past 6 days and 1 more egg that should hatch today... will be a busy month.

luvsgrtdanes said:Thanks @DavidLMO Can I dry them and save them for next year?

How long were they in CMS? Were it I, I would plant them and get more seeds next Fall from nice peeps like me.

In CMS for 30 days+
I think I am going to scatter them in the yard along my fence. It's a good spot since the dogs are fenced from that area and I don't have to worry about them getting trampled.

Is it better to take these out of CMS and direct sow them in the ground? My plan was to bring them under lights, let them germinate in the paper towel, pot them into 4" pots and baby them until I transplant them into the ground. What do ya'll think?

I'm going to do a bigger write up later, but if anyone has extra seeds (of any kind) the Dallas Public Library has just started a Seed Library and are looking for donations. Grand opening is March 18th and will include 'milk and cookies'. Details to follow when I'm not procrastinating.

@dave - a friend in Lipan, Texas (zone 8a) recently sent me some MW seeds that she gathers from open fields, hither and yon. When I asked her what I needed to do, like stratify or whatever, she said and I quote, 'Save yourself the trouble and just winter sow them soon. They are tough little natives!!'

Don't know if this would apply to anywhere else in the country and from seeds from anywhere else. But I'm mentioning this b/c we're both in Texas and in similar zones.

This is what she gave me:
A. asperula (Antelope Horns)
A. verticilicata (Whorled MW)
Matelea reticulata (Pearl MW Vine)

She pretty much knows her seeds. I recently saw that she had just finished labeling some 6 or 700 different types of seeds - veggies and flowers and whatever else there might be. Don't know how she does it.

dave said:Is it better to take these out of CMS and direct sow them in the ground? My plan was to bring them under lights, let them germinate in the paper towel, pot them into 4" pots and baby them until I transplant them into the ground. What do ya'll think?

Dave, it's still early up here in MN, so I'm planning to plant my post CMS seeds under my lights tomorrow. I didn't think about germinating the in a paper towel......hmmm.....

I live in central Arkansas, zone 8a/7b and I've never had much success with direct sowing. I'm usually working with a limited number of seed that is not easy to replace so want my best shot at germination and healthy seedlings. My native seed that requires cold moist stratification either goes through the process via 'winter sowing' or the fridge, then into containers for germination following their cold treatment. I just set them outside in the same type containers I use for winter sowing if they're coming from the fridge, and let mother nature take over from there. I have occasionally grown out milkweed seedlings under lights but mostly use the winter sowing technique with spring weather providing germination.

If you have a lot of seed, then consider trying both types of germination and see what works best in your area. Direct seeding is certainly less labor intensive and likely results in strong, healthy young plants if any make it to the end of the first season. In my area, I have to contend with frequent pounding rainstorms that can wash away the seed, beat new seedlings out of the ground or night things feasting on tiny young seedlings so my choice is easy.

Best of luck and please keep us updated.

Myles

@Dave

I have no experience in TX so cannot help you with that.

If the seeds already have CMS then they can be planted indoors under lights. That is how I always do it here. Well - not always. I do some winter jug planting but not much.

Since Spring is so early, you should be able to plant them out now since they have had CMS.

You might try both methods and compare the results.

After CMS I usually directly pot them up - well in seed trays. I have reservations about the paper towel method, especially under lights. You have to pay more attention, cause if they dry out, they will be trashed. If they are in fact throwing out roots and the paper towel dries out, buh-bye.

Be sure to keep us posted on how things work out for you.