Milkweed
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Gilbert Forest
Posted on: April 6, 1998

How much milkweed do we need for an area 28 feet by 50 feet? Please explain how to grow.

Milkweed germinates best if treated with gibberelic acid-3. Sprinkle 1 cubic millimeter (the amount of the 95% powder you can balance on the 0.5mm tip of one of the types of toothpicks that are pointed on both ends)on the moistened seeds put on a folded moist paper towel. Put seeds and paper towel into a clean plastic bag and fold the end over once and keep at room temperature. They should germinate in 5-7 days and can be planted in seed flats at that time. They can also be planted outside or into a seedflat placed outdoors, in the fall where some will germinate right away and the rest in spring. The third method consists of planting them just pressed into the surface in a flat, keeping the flat for 3 months at 4C then shifting it to 20C and exposing it to light during the day. They will germinate in 1-3 weeks, with at best a 50% germination.

Space plants at 30X30 cm apart. You will need 20g/1000 plants. So you will need about 1500 plants or about 30g seed.

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