Can I transplant milkweed?

It is possible to transplant milkweed, but it is not always easy or successful. It is best to transplant milkweed when plant shoots are very small. Milkweed has a deep tap root, and if you cut off too much, the transplant is less likely to succeed. If you find small plants that are likely growing from seeds dispersed the year before, these will be much easier to transplant! If you do try to transplant milkweed, make sure that you get as much of the taproot as possible, and do not remove all the plants from one site. If you are interested in transplanting a plant from the wild or somewhere not on your property, seek permission before doing so. Learn more about transplanting in Xerces Society’s Milkweeds: A conservation practitioner’s guide.