Step 3: Poke the seedling out of the tray The length and width of the soil knife allowed me to easily dig narrow holes the perfect depth for my seedling’s roots (about 4 inches). I used a narrow soil knife to dig holes for my seedlings. I recently created a native plant bed in the front yard, so I chose to add my milkweed seedlings to it. You can wear gloves if you don’t like getting your hands dirty (or if you are worried about contacting the milky sap). Later you will need a watering can or hose. If you see roots sticking out, your plants are ready for more room to grow.) Step 1: Choose your planting site & gather your toolsĪll you need to start planting are your seedlings in the seed tray and a small digging tool. One way to check if your seedlings are ready to transplant is to inspect the openings at the bottom of the seed tray. Ready to transplant your seedlings? Follow the steps below to get your native milkweed plants in the ground! (Note: I transplanted my seedlings when they were about 4-5 inches tall. Continue watering seed tray daily or more often if seedlings are wilting in the heat of the day. Look for seedlings to start sprouting within a couple of weeks. Water seed tray daily (early morning recommended). Sprinkle more potting soil on top to just cover the seeds. Repeat until you run out of compartments or seeds. Make a small depression in the soil in each compartment, just big enough to place 1-2 seeds. Ready to sow your seeds? Fill a seed tray with potting soil. Anyone with known plant or latex allergies should take extra precautions.
#Milkweed seedlings skin
If you do get the sap on your skin, avoid touching your face or eating until you can wash your skin with soap and water. If a milkweed stem is broken, a milky sap will ooze out. The toxins make the caterpillars and adult butterflies taste bad and protect them from predators. Caterpillars accumulate these toxins while eating the leaves.
Safety note: Milkweed plants contain toxins. What may surprise you is the cinnamon-like aroma of the flowers. As you may have guessed, this plant produces flowers in a lovely shade of pink.
#Milkweed seedlings full
Although swampy in nature, this milkweed can do well in garden settings with moist soil and full sun. Pink swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata) naturally occurs in wet prairies and swamp edges, habitats that can be found locally in places like Big Cypress National Preserve and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. (Note: Native wildflower seeds tend to lose viability relatively quickly, so plant your seeds shortly after receiving your packets.) I was able to purchase seed packets of pink swamp milkweed in late December 2019, planted the seeds in early January 2020, and transplanted the seedlings in late March 2020. Species availability changes with the seasons, so keep checking back for more variety.
The Florida Wildflower Growers Cooperative is an online source for native wildflower seed packets. Another option is to grow your milkweed from seed at home. If you are lucky to have a native plant nursery near you, they may have a few species of milkweed in stock during certain times of the year. Typical garden centers are most likely to carry scarlet milkweed ( Asclepias curassavica), a species that does not naturally occur in Florida and may have detrimental effects on Florida’s native ecosystems and monarch butterfly populations (read more from University of Florida IFAS Extension). As more of our lands are converted to human uses, it’s beneficial to butterflies (and other wildlife) for people to replace as many native plants as possible in our gardens and landscaping.Īn initial obstacle Florida gardeners face is finding native milkweed to purchase. These native milkweeds have coexisted with Florida’s butterfly populations for a very long time.
There are 21 species of milkweed that are native to Florida, meaning these milkweeds naturally occur in Florida’s ecosystems. Once the caterpillar eats enough, it turns into a chrysalis and metamorphoses into a butterfly. Caterpillars hatch from the eggs and eat the milkweed leaves (and sometimes the flower buds and seed pods, if they are still hungry). Milkweeds serve as the host plant for monarchs (plus queen and soldier butterflies), meaning the butterflies lay their eggs on the milkweed. Many gardeners in Florida (and throughout North America) would like to provide more native milkweeds for monarch butterflies.
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