Michelle, I grow them every year and all I can tell you, is that I let them dry out before I water them, they get lots of light, a lean soil, and I don't feed them. Do you have air circulation? I have a ceiling fan that I turn on if it gets too warm and humid in the room. Mine drop their lower leaves as they grow and sometimes if I don't get them watered soon enough, the bottom leaves will yellow and fall off, but after they get watered they revive. I am growing mine in a south window with lots of light. I have over 200 plants, and haven't lost any of them. They are currently between 4 and 6 inches tall. The farmer's markets begin in two weeks, so they have to be ready to sell. It's not too late to start some more plants as they germinate and grow quickly. If you don't have any more seeds, I have some that I can send you.

There is a common term "squirrely" and a few years ago I learned where it comes from. This spring also. I have a large Grecian urn as a feature in my new garden under a Black Walnut tree. I watched a squirrely squirrel jump from the urn to my Krossa Regal and back over and over again until my hosta was flattened. It was enjoying itself until I unleashed my German Shorthaired Pointer on it. They love bombing my things with walnuts, but I have never seen them eat a hosta. What they do is when they smell recently disturbed dirt they dig looking for burried nuts so they might uproot newly planted hostas. I wonder if some pressed garlic will discourage this? Les

Thank you for your comments. I live in Northwestern Ohio near the Michigan border. We have actually had a lot of rain and flooding this year, but the condition started to happen at the end of the season last year as well. The bed is watered by an automatic sprinkler which is controlled by a rain gauge. So, I do not think it has anything to do with watering. mary_litterocker, I also read that article when I began my search and also came to the conclusion it was suffering from witches broom growth. Thank you for digging around. I am hoping for some more in depth information. There seems to be very little out there because Common Milkweed is considered an aggressive growing weed and most people want to get rid of it rather than heal it. It is sad, and one of the many reasons why Monarch's are suffering. Right now I have to go and get my milkweed from fields. My daughter and I drive around searching for good clumps of milkweed for our 50 caterpillars. Hopefully I can get my bed back in good order next year. I am in the process of cutting all the sick plants down, but it is slow going because the Monarch's are still laying eggs on it. So, I need to carefully check each plant once I cut it down. Thank you again for you help and if I ever so find a clear answer I will post. But, I am leaning toward the Milkweed Mosaic Virus spread by the leafhopper right now.

Hi Ravenclaw, first of all that isn’t syriaca, it’s tuberosa. Second you really shouldn’t put it in a pot, they like the ground much better. It also helps with hardiness, not that that’s really an issue. Last, it’s fall; it’s not dying, it’s just going dormant. Cut it off at ground level after it goes completely brown and I will come back up in the spring. Don’t give up on it if it doesn’t come up early. I had some that didn’t come up until mid June this year.