We have maybe 10 established swamp milkweed plants in our yard, and every year, we get about 20 volunteers. These plants are about 8 inches high now, in early summer, and the leaves are tender. As needed, I will clip these off near the base, and use them to feed monarch cats. The volunteers that are in a good location, are left alone, but most of them are on the edge of flower beds, and these are taken out as weeds.

Our milkweeds were damaged in the spring by an aggressive crop of aphids. They ended up "topped". They came back with new growth. So, I think if you wish to, you could cut them back, gently. However, it does take a while for the new growth to come in. Most milkweed is pretty aggressive and comes back just fine. Depends on what type you have too.
-Elisabeth

When the milkweed gets chomped down here, it always puts out some new leaves. To be safe, one could cut it down and be sure to leave a few stems of old leaves. It should put out new leaves in a couple of weeks as long as there are favorable conditions--sun and water and some organic fertilizer.

I was just thinking if an organizer fertilizer is a little higher in nitrogen than they usually are would encourage more leaves on the milkweed? You know how we are usually told to stay away from high nitrogen fertilizer because it can create too much foliage and not enough blooms--we might want the opposite for some of our milkweed? Maybe putting down some composted manure.

I know someone (Susanlynne and/or MissSherry) swear by composted chicken manure)

Thanks ericwi, Elisabeth and bernergirl.

I've never seen caterpillars on my milkweed, although I have seen some small missing sections on the leaves. I do get some volunteer milkweeds, but I'll have to check with my SIL to find out whether or not she gets them too (I think my yard has better conditions for swamp milkweed than hers does).

It sounds like my SIL can prune the plants a few weeks before she thinks she'll get caterpillars and the chances are she'll encourage new growth.

Hi, Loris and everyone,

I am glad you brought up the idea of pruning the MWs for fresh new growth. I never hear anyone talking about it on BF forums so I sort of had to go by trial and error.

I like to try to keep my Incarnatas in bloom 'til the big onslaught of Monarchs in August and September here in Ohio and it took me a while to put together a strategy that I think might work.

Here's what I try to do with my Milkweeds (incarnatas): I cut back just part of each milk weed plant. Maybe every other stem, or just the back/front of each depending on how it is growing in the garden. I try to leave about a foot of stem or more there, and also try to cut just above a node to try to get a nice branching.

That way I have some of the mature plant growing and also can stimulate new growth and tender leaves. I do this with most of my perennials and I should imagine it would work with your A. incarnata too.

When I did this last time I went ahead and made some rooted cuttings: I took the pruned off parts, trimmed them to a node on the bottom of each stem, left about 5 inches of stem, took off most of the leaves except maybe the top 2, then dipped them into a little Roottone and stuck them into a glass of water and left them on the kitchen counter. Now I have a 10 rooted cuttings growing in the garden. This was easy and a new 'trick' that I was happy to learn about.

I wish we got some of your volunteers you pull for weeds! I never have enough milkweed. It took me a while to figure out how to work with the MWs to get the most out of them here in our growing environment in southwestern Ohio.

FairfieldCircle;
You must be in Fairfield near Cinci? Have you visited us up at Cox in Miamisburg? Stop by sometime and I might have some seed for you of other milkweeds.
-Elisabeth

Thanks fairfieldcircle. What youÂre suggesting sounds very useful. IÂm with you. I still want more plants, so any volunteers that show up that donÂt end up with my SIL stay where they are or get replanted in the garden. IÂm guessing in a few more years IÂll have what I consider enough of them.

-- Lori

Hi, Elizabeth, Actually we are in Anderson Township on the southeast side of Cincinnati along the Ohio River. However, happily we joined Cox Arboretum a couple of years ago~~I try to stop there when I am passing thru Dayton~~and it is truly a beautiful resource. I have not been to the Butterfly exhibit, though. I'm wondering...do you work at the arboretum?

(And FYI I am going to try to attend at least part of the Midwest Native Plant/Wildflower conference in a couple of weeks, too, at the Host Hotel in Dayton.)

Thank you for your offer of seeds. I am trying to start some Purple Milkweeds right now, with just a few seedlings popping up so far. Also A. tuberosas from seed (with nothing showing yet).

Lori, I wish my milkweeds would make volunteers (unless they already do and I think they are weeds and unknowingly give them 'The Yank' in the springtime!)

This past year I laid out a new butterfly garden at my sister's home (where she has much more sunshine than we have in our butterfly garden) so it has been fun to grow the host and nectar plants for her family from seeds and cuttings. It takes a quite a bit longer than using 'bought' plants, though, and I'm not sure my patience will hold out! (-:

I really appreciate all the detailed butterfly gardening posts on GW. Lots of good info here!