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When is the best time to sow milkweed seeds in coastal South Australia?
Hello Jane
You can sow them now🙂
Gomphocarpus fruticosus or swan milkweed can be grown all year round. End of season now May 2024 and the pods have developed. Plant outside and no special requirements needed. Stratifying or smoking. Put pots in a lidded plastic tub to keep warm especially cooler drier climates. I use compost or mix of SRM & coir with a base of organic mulch/leaves….put seeds on top press down and cover lightly with vermiculite. Keep moist…can be transplanted in most soils within a sunny spot. This is a tall thinner plant and may have a short lifespan. Suggest you try a few types and see what suits your area. All milkweeds are host and nectar plants for Wanderer and Lesser Wanderer Butterflies. Floss [white silky fluff] can be kept and removed from seed…better before it becomes fly away.…the floss can be used in a number of ways eg soap or paper making or STEM for schools.
HAPPY GARDENING
Can I grow Milkweed in Brisbane?
Yes, you can Karen 🙂
Hello I’m in Brisbane & was hoping to plant some of these to attract some butterflies for my kids to experience. When would I plant these? Do they attract the monarch butterfly as I don’t see a lot of them around our place.
Hello Sheridan
You can sow seeds anytime in Brisbane. Yes, they do as you can see in the pictures. Caterpillars love to eat their leaves. Some years were quiet. Some years had 2-10 butterflies. I notice that the butterflies come around when the weather start warm and the flowers start to bloom.
What are the instructions for sowing seeds, planting, growing tips etc in Melbourne please?
Hi Sandra
At the moment Melbourne weather is quiet cold and frost. The seeds maybe hard to germinate. The better time is spring through mid autumn. You can sow seeds in tray and transplant or direct to where you want them grown in the garden with well drained soil. Make sure to keep the soil moist to promote germination. Hope a bit help🙂
Does milkweed grow all year in Melbourne?
Hi Ben
You can sow the seeds in spring, summer and autumn. Cold weather may hard for the seeds to germinate.
Hi Ben : there is a number of successful milkweed growers in Victoria. Butterfly Adventures and Bible Museum in St Arnaud who grow many types of milkweed. May not be open?
Gomphocarpus fruticosus or swan milkweed can be grown all year round. End of season now May 2024 and the pods have developed. Plant outside and no special requirements needed. Stratifying or smoking. Put pots in a lidded plastic tub to keep warm especially cooler drier climates. I use compost or mix of SRM & coir with a base of organic mulch/leaves….put seeds on top press down and cover lightly with vermiculite. Keep moist…can be transplanted in most soils within a sunny spot. This is a tall thinner plant and may have a short lifespan. Suggest you try a few types and see what suits your area. All milkweeds are host and nectar plants for Wanderer and Lesser Wanderer Butterflies. Floss [white silky fluff] can be kept and removed from seed…better before it becomes fly away.…the floss can be used in a number of ways eg soap or paper making or STEM for schools.
HAPPY GARDENING
Can I grow milkweed In the Hawkesbury nsw
Yes, The seeds can grow in Hawkesbury NSW
Sorry Susan. This replying is late. Actually I replied to your question with my mobile phone but it wasn’t work.
Would Dubbo be an ideal place to grow these plants please ?
Yes, the plants can grow at Dubbo. When the plants grow about 60 cm. They don’t need to water often.
Gomphocarpus fruticosus or swan milkweed can be grown all year round. End of season now May 2024 and the pods have developed. Plant outside and no special requirements needed. Stratifying or smoking. Put pots in a lidded plastic tub to keep warm especially cooler drier climates. I use compost or mix of SRM & coir with a base of organic mulch/leaves….put seeds on top press down and cover lightly with vermiculite. Keep moist…can be transplanted in most soils within a sunny spot. This is a tall thinner plant and may have a short lifespan. Suggest you try a few types and see what suits your area. All milkweeds are host and nectar plants for Wanderer and Lesser Wanderer Butterflies. Floss [white silky fluff] can be kept and removed from seed…better before it becomes fly away.…the floss can be used in a number of ways eg soap or paper making or STEM for schools.
HAPPY GARDENING
Are they likely to direct sow? We’ve got two plants that have grown and seem to have died off now, they’ve had a lot of fluffy seed pods pop. I’m wondering if I’m going to see seedlings from where they land, or if I should raise them. Only had a couple of monarch butterfly caterpillars on them. But a lot of aphids, and a lot of ladybugs cleaned them up.
(NE Adelaide)
Hi Mike
Gomphocarpus fruticosus or Tall Thin Milkweed can be short lived. They will grow in situe and it maybe too late to collect seed if dispersed. Growing in pots is also good and succession planting helps keep them always available. To encourage more butterflies support them with nectar flowers too! There are many varieties of Milkweed and suggest that growing others is a good option. Aphids are a pest but you have done well to let the ladybirds do their job. Spraying with a hose or squishing as a last resort.
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