Milkweed?

[ricktrojanowski]

I found a patch of milkweed,(common not swamp), I wanted to try some cordage making and was wondering if I should harvest now or wait.  Most of it is no longer green and has lots of dark brown to black color and the seed pods are all emptied.  Is it possible that it is last years growth?  There is still some green plants in the same patch. Thanks

[Hillbilly]

There could be a mix of this year's and last year's growth. You can use it green, just full of sticky latex. The best time to get it is right after the leaves fall off, but it will make cordage at about any stage. Last year's stalks are probably too rotten by now, but you can try it and see. Milkweed makes great cordage. The common and butterfly (orange flowered) types seem to be a little better than some of the others.

[RidgeRunner]

How do you get the fibers out of milkweed??  I have about 10 five foot stalks.
I have tried to get the fibers out of one on them bout could not figure it out.

David

[Hillbilly]

Step on the stalk to split it into quarter-sections lengthwise. Take one of the sections and break the stem toward the outside about 2-3 inches from the end. Peel it off the fiber/bark. Keep doing this all the way down. If you try to peel the fibers and bark from the whole stem, you tend to get short pieces, but if you keep breaking the stalk and pulling it off a little at a time, you can get the whole length of the fibers. With a little practice, you can strip a stem like this in less than a minute. After you get the fiber off, rub them between your palms and twist them to get the bark and chaff off the fiber. Hope that made sense, easier to show than explain.

[RidgeRunner]

Made good sence Hillbilly.  Will try that.
Will this be more difficult to do with dry stalks??

Thanks
David

[Hillbilly]

It's actually easier with dry stalks.

[ricktrojanowski]

Thanks for the info Hillbilly, the stuff  i got seems pretty beat, so I think I'll wait til the green stuff browns up a bit, I've been using some pods for tinder with pretty good results.

[jamie]

for bow strings i prefer to gather it somewhat green and then rett the fibers free. much cleaner material and longer fibers.

[mitchman]

im sorry but how do you make the cordage out of it

[ricktrojanowski]

From the little bit I've messed with it and with dogbane, you do the same twisting motion as if you were making a flemish twist bowstring out of Dacron.

[mitchman]

thanks, i made this tonight after messing around with it for a while.
 its all milkweed except for the fox fur at the end. i died one of the strands with some purple berries. then twised them togeather. i just htink this is so cool. its just like string. actually i think its a little stronger than most strings(for now.)

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