Seed bombs...

[SammyG]

Have any of you ever tried them? I have seen numerous videos on how to make them, but haven't seen results posted. Also wasn't sure how well milkweed seeds would work, but thought it might be fun to try

[Mona Miller]

Monarch Watch made seed bombs with milkweed at the open house this year, but they called them seed balls.

"seed balls" containing seeds of milkweeds and other butterfly plants that can be used to create habits for monarchs and other butterflies."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSooimEQK7w

[blazing star]

What is the benefit of these, or is this just something fun? I simply scatter my native seeds on our land.

I tried doing the moist, cold germination idea in the fridge (with damp sand) and it was too hard to time it such that seed viability was compromised. I'm wondering if this causes the same problem?

[Mona Miller]

The seed booms help to protect the seeds and provide the medium for them to germinate as they break down. Monarch Watch has been making these at their open houses.

[blazing star]

That's interesting. I've always been told to sow the seeds directly on the soil in the fall as the ground will contract, etc. The seeds would then be well nestled in the ground in Spring when they start to germinate, i.e. good soil contact for the best root development. This seems to contradict this process.

[Mona Miller]

The seed balls also protect the seed from being eaten by animals.

[Paul Cherubini]

What is the benefit of these, or is this just something fun?

My guess is it's just for fun because I can't imaging how it could be effective for growing milkweed successfully. Too bad the promoters of seed balls havn't provided the public with photographic proof that it is effective for establishing new milkweed plants in the wild.

[blazing star]

Photographs aren't proof. Just because seeds may germinate one time, and someone has a picture, doesn't mean that overall the seed balls are an effective means of germinating plants.

I'm not going to try this because it's not what I've heard I should do from the people in the know about native plants. Seed is too expensive for me to try something new when what I've been doing has had phenomenal results.