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Milkweed?

Blacksmith said:
...... I've found it's more fluffy if you wait till they crack open as opposed to pulling it green and drying it. I pull mine after it splits open and dry it on the dash of my truck in the sun. A pod will last a whole year. I use this coin purse for carry. One zip tied to bow and one to pack.
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A couple thoughts/tips...
One thing that helps the floaters to fluff a little better is to gently knead, or roll the pod between your fingers just before or just after the final stage of drying. It really helps the tiny hairs to separate better. Occasionally, some pods have floater hairs that seem to be kind of "sticky" and they don't fluff open as well. Those are the floaters that act like a malfunctioning parachute. They don't drift as well. If you roll the pod between your fingers slightly, the hairs kinda release themselves from sticking together. The floater will open fully and drift much better on ultra light airflows.

Yeah, a single pod can last a year but I think it's really beneficial to occasionally release dozens of floaters at one time. Releasing one or 2 floaters at a time really doesn't show you the extent of your scent cone as well as releasing 50 or 100 floaters. Sometimes it's really eye-opening.

And I stick by what I've said for many years...floaters are best left in the pods. They don't drift as well when stuffed into another container.
It's not a huge difference but there is a difference.

For any of you guys that still insist on using coin pouches, pill bottles, etc and you want milkweed from me, please let me know that's how you intend on using them. I will make my job easier if I know that you won't be leaving the floaters in the pods. It'll save me from rigging the pods with clips and zip ties. I can ship pod-less floaters for those of you that use secondary containers.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I've never found any that has matured and not produced a seed.
The Dogbane plant does look somewhat similar to milkweed and it does produce a thin pod that contain floaters.
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Of all the pods I pulled last season, I only had one that had no seeds, but they sure float nicely.
 
Have you guys ever tried a cattail pod? It works great. Plus it's free. Found at a local ditch.
 
Seeing some pop on their own now so it's definitely time. Filled up a 30gal tote and planning to drop off most of the seeds to our local soil and water conservation district. Pretty sure I have enough fluff to last me 50 years
 
I stopped off on the side of the road a few weeks ago coming home from the in laws house. My wife was kind of nervous/concerned and asked if everything was OK. I hopped out and grabbed 5 or so pods and explained to here what they were for. It was pretty funny cause she was worried at first.
 
I carry a small bucket, pruners, and gloves in my truck during picking time of the year.
Even after pods are ripe for picking, they will ooze that sticky white sap. It stops oozing a couple days after pods and picked and beginning to dry.
But I'm fully prepared to clip pods from the plant, let them drop into the bucket, and the gloves keep my hands from feeling like I have adhesive all over them.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I carry a small bucket, pruners, and gloves in my truck during picking time of the year.
Even after pods are ripe for picking, they will ooze that sticky white sap. It stops oozing a couple days after pods and picked and beginning to dry.
But I'm fully prepared to clip pods from the plant, let them drop into the bucket, and the gloves keep my hands from feeling like I have adhesive all over them.
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Are you having enough for this season? We have lots of it here.
 
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