Please consider planting Tropical or Oscar milkweed this season

10 years ago

I have read of the huge decline in Monarch breeding stock this year. They are now stirring and preparing for their journey north from Mexico.

Many butterfly enthusiasts have made a plea for home gardeners to consider raising milkweed plants this year and many have responded that they will help.

I would like to also ask for those same gardeners to plant and grow the tropical milkweed aka Bloodflower (Asclepias curassavica) this season and/ or Oscar (Asclepias Physocarpus). The reason I ask is most of the 1st year perennial milkweed will be tiny during this first year of growth, as these plants will concentrate on developing a good root structure over top growth. There will not be much in the way of leaves and almost surely, no blooms. The exception to this would be Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which usually produces more top growth the first year.

This year is critical, due to the low numbers of migrating Monarchs. Tropical and Oscar Milkweed in almost all areas of the states is treated as an annual. It grows faster and will produce more leaf growth and blooms for this season, plus it regenerates faster than the perennial varieties of milkweed.

There is some debate regarding growing these two milkweeds, as some people feel it encourages delays in the start of the fall migration. Others believe it has no effect; that other factors trigger the urge to begin the migration back to Mexico.

Whatever side you fall on, the terribly low numbers of returning Monarchs will need all the help they can get this year. Please locate some seed of at least one of these fast growing milkweeds and get them started for summer growth.

To locate sellers of milkweed seed, google milkweed seed for sale. A good source I've used in the past is GeoSeed. They carry both Tropical and Oscar seed. They sell mainly to growers but will sell to home gardeners. The size of the seed packet is much larger than retail stores but their shipping/handling is a min of $5.00, which has always covered my shipping costs for my seed orders. If you're looking for large seed packets, I've found them to be a good, reliable source.

My thanks for taking the time to read and for helping the Monarch Butterfly.

Mary

Featured Answer

Jay 6a Chicago

3 years ago

"they are now stirring, and preparing for their journey north from Mexico."

She asked for help, so that the Monarch population heading north from Mexico, would have enough host plants along the way towards Canada. These days people in the south should cut their Asclepias curassavica, nivea, Gomphocarpus, and Calotropis down to the ground before the Monarchs start migrating south again, so that the Monarchs returning south won't get infected with OE, and they won't be tempted to leave the migration and lay eggs. I've grown Asclepias curassavica and Gomphocarpus physocarpus, so that there would be a lot of leaves for the caterpillars, and I'm simultaneously growing milkweeds native to my area which can take years to mature, and are still too small to feed caterpillars. I don't think Asclepias curassavica and Gomphocarpus physocarpus are listed as invasive in the USA. I think Gomphocarpus is invasive in Australia. I agree that people should focus a lot more on growing nectar plants for the adults, and the lack of flowering plants they can use, may be more crucial than growing the milkweeds at this point. Studies have shown there are enough milkweeds around for them, it's the loss of habitat and nectar plants along their fall migration route that's making their numbers decline. There is a population of Monarchs that stay in the deep south and don't go to Mexico. They have the highest infection of OE. No doubt because many people in the south grow the tropical milkweeds year round and never cut them down, and probably quite a few aren't even aware of OE. Everyone should plant more fall blooming plants for the Monarchs.

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Comments (8)

docmom_gw
10 years ago
I just planted some A. Curassavica seeds today. I'm not very hopeful that any Monarchs will reach Michigan this year, but I'll be ready if they do. I already had A. Tuberosa, a. Incarnata, A. Syriaca, and Poke Milkweed, and I've wintersown a few new native species. But, I wanted to have some plants growing in smaller pots to use in my rearing tent that I'll try to keep protected from OE infestation. Hope everyone has a successful year!

Martha
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docmom_gw
10 years ago
I got 20 healthy seedlings, so far. I transplanted them into individual pots today. I doubt I'll need that many plants, so maybe I can share if anyone near me gets Monarch eggs or cats. I think that may be overly optimistic this year.

Martha
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I fertilize my tropical milkweed a little, so it gets to be about 5' - 6' tall. Once it gets over about 4 1/2' or 5' tall, I quit fertilizing it, because if it gets much taller than that, it'll bend over to the ground after a rain and need to be staked. It gets about 4' wide for me. You don't have to prune the plants after the cats eat the leaves - and they'll eat ALL of them! - because Asclepias curassavica/tropical milkweed resprouts on its own. I usually do cut it back to about 4' tall, however, and fertilize it a little again to help get it going again quickly for more cats. Tropical milkweed likes a lot of sun, but mine doesn't get a whole day's worth, because there are woods on one side of my garden. I'd say it gets about 3/4 of a day's sun. If you're in Seattle, where I assume it's much cooler than here in summer, I'd imagine yours would need as much sun as possible. You can raise tropical milkweed in pots and bring those pots in during the winter, but I did that with several plants this past winter (4 or 5 plants) and only two survived. I don't know if the roots stayed too wet, or they need more heat than they got. I don't have a (heated) greenhouse. Tropical milkweed works great for me, makes copious amounts of seeds, I even find volunteer seedlings on the ground near the plants. Most of us on the Butterfly Forum are in the hot/humid Southeast or very hot Texas, so I'd be interested to know how yours does in Seattle. Keep us posted! Sherry
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phrelco
10 years ago
Note of caution: For those growing A. curassivica in areas where it is perennial, it is advisable to cut it down to the ground in the fall in order to eliminate OE spores residing and overwintering on the plants, and to discourage Monarch butterfly adults from lingering. Does anyone know if A. physocarpus can be pruned to the ground also?
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wifey2mikey
10 years ago
Hi Mary - popping over here from the Butterfly Gardening page.

I am happy to report that I have planted and have seedlings for curassavica and physocarpa! My incarnata and tuberosa are up and doing well, and I have Sand Vine or Blue Vine coming up everywhere. I also have some new Narrow Leaf Milkweed plants that are decent sized AND if that wasn't enough, I ordered some Sullivant's Milkweed that should arrive this next week.

Hopefully doing my part to help the Monarchs!

~Laura
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docmom_gw
10 years ago
My milkweed collection is also growing by leaps and bounds. My one container of currisavica has turned into at least 40 seedlings. I have six large containers of incarnata seedlings, three containers with Whorled Milkweed just starting to sprout (I can't remember the Latin for the moment), and three large containers of tons of syriaca sprouting. My goal is to grow mostly incarnata in order to collect seeds and distribute them where needed. Incarnata is such a well-behaved milkweed and very attractive to Monarchs for both nectar and egg-laying. It seems like a good choice for introducing into more traditional gardens. So, I'm off to a great start and should have plenty of seed to share in future years.

Martha
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Megan Hume
3 years ago
Monarchs only need milkweed for egg laying, adults can feed on the nectar of most plants. Better to focus on native fall bloomers to fuel their journey than plant invasives that are likely to harbor OE which destroys offspring.
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docmom_gw
2 years ago
This thread was originally posted to the Milkweed Forum. So, the original responses were focused on milkweed plants. It should not be assumed that respondents are not also planting a wide range of nectar plants.
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Please consider planting Tropical or Oscar milkweed this season

Jay 6a Chicago

Comments (8)

docmom_gw

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