Thanks for your question.  I am slightly confused as to what you are asking.  Were the plugs you planted also Canadian Milkvetch?  Also, are you failing to see flowers in the just the planted plugs, or is the lack of flowers seen in both the plugs and the Canadian Milkvetch that existed there before you planted plugs?

I'll look forward to any clarification that you might be able to provide.  Many thanks.

Thanks for your response.

Canadian milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis) may fail to flower due to certain environmental and biological factors. Here are some thoughts that I have:

1). Milkvetch typically requires full sun to thrive and flower. Unless you have opened up this area (e.g., tree removal), this doesn’t seem like a reason for why you once had flowers but not now.

2). If you have done so within the last three years, it may be informative to do a soil test of the area. See:

https://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/testing-services/lawn-garden

3). Flower development in many plants, including milkvetch, is adversely affected by various environment conditions that include lack of water (milkvetch prefers moist sites), high temperatures, and/or spring frosts after flower budding has occurred. When temperatures above 90°F are sustained for long periods, flower development is often slowed. The fact that these conditions existed in 2022 and 2023 when you also observed limited flowering, may be more than just coincidental?  See:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/ndpmcpgcamlk.pdf

My bottom answer is that I am unable to provide you a definitive reason for the lack of flowering. I have just provided some possibilities. As long as the plants lacking flowers look healthy and show good foliage, there should be little concern on your part. Continued patience may be the best course.

Good luck. I apologize for not coming up with a solid answer to your question. Thanks for using our forum.



Glad to be of assistance.

If you are interested in a fun fall/winter Minnesota project, consider saving the seeds from the milkvetch this fall. That is assuming you get any flowers. Once the flowers start to turn brown and look like they are dried, remove the pod from the plant and put into a paper bag. Let the seeds dry even more until the pod breaks open. That is the reason for putting them into the bag. The seeds literally “explode” from the pod. You could even try to break the pod open to get the seeds but don’t be too hasty in doing that. Seeds will be sightly smaller than garden peas. Let the seeds air-dry for about two weeks. Coffee filters for drip coffee makers are great for holding the seeds. Then place the seeds (envelope!) in your kitchen fridge for the winter. Bring them out next April (2025) and sow them around. It’s a cheaper than buying plugs and it’s a whole lot more fun.

Good luck. Thanks again for consulting us.

Glad to be of assistance.

If you are interested in a fun fall/winter Minnesota project, consider saving the seeds from the milkvetch this fall. That is assuming you get any flowers. Once the flowers start to turn brown and look like they are dried, remove the pod from the plant and put into a paper bag. Let the seeds dry even more until the pod breaks open. That is the reason for putting them into the bag. The seeds literally “explode” from the pod. You could even try to break the pod open to get the seeds but don’t be too hasty in doing that. Seeds will be sightly smaller than garden peas. Let the seeds air-dry for about two weeks. Coffee filters for drip coffee makers are great for holding the seeds. Then place the seeds (envelope!) in your kitchen fridge for the winter. Bring them out next April (2025) and sow them around. It’s a cheaper than buying plugs and it’s a whole lot more fun.

Good luck. Thanks again for consulting us.