GATHERING
This is the time of year when we plan to gather seed from most of the prairie plants. It’s a pretty easy task to accomplish and is an excellent opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the fall. Most grass seeds can be easily stripped from the stalk, but not all forbs species are as easy. Some have pods, some have heads that cling tightly to the seed, while others have parachutes that help them fly away.
You can gather the seeds into empty plastic milk jugs that have had their tops cut off, with their handles attached to your waist by a belt. Or, you can gather them into paper grocery bags. Plan to store them in the garage, but up off the floor until they are completely dry.
CLEANING
Then, when the plants are dry enough to start cleaning, while wearing gloves, start breaking the seeds free from the heads and pods that haven’t loosened the seed on their own. Some you can just strip off on your own. Others, such as the Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), you’ll need to roll off on a screen.
RESOURCES
Here are some resources to help you find the best way to gather seed. Enjoy!
Seed Collecting provided by Wild Ones Natural Landscapers, Ltd.
Collecting Advice by Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter.
Germination Instructions by Prairie Moon Nursery.
Pods: Wildflowers and Weeds in Their Final Beauty, a book by Jane Embertson.
SHARING
If you have extra seed, plan to share with your fellow Wild Ones at your local chapter’s Seed Exchange, with your extended family or friends, or with your next door neighbors.
And, as you gather milkweed seed this fall and find you have extra, plan to send the pods on to Monarch Watch. Be sure to read the guidelines on how to handle the seed. If you live in Ohio, you can share your milkweed seed through the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative. See also Milkweed for Monarchs ’19.
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