Please consider planting Tropical or Oscar milkweed this season
Mary Leek
10 years ago
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docmom_gw
10 years agodocmom_gw
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Asclepias Physocarpus Oscar - aka Hairy Balls - free Seed
Comments (52)Hi John, So glad the Oscar seeds are performing well for you. The seedlings I've transplanted into the garden are really taking hold now. I used homemade compost mixed with the garden soil when I planted them and they are really growing strong this season; nice strong stems already. Another forum member recently explained to me the difference between Gomphocarpus physocarpus aka Hairy Balls and Gomphocarpus fruticosus aka Cotton Bush, both S African plants. I'd simply lumped both into the same general growing habits but she told me the 'Cotton Bush' is a bit smaller, with more willow like leaves and consensus is the roots should over winter in my growing zone and come back in the spring. My last year's Oscar hasn't come back from the roots so I'm going to also try the 'Cotton Bush' this year and see how it does here. I guess, for your growing zone, they might both be considered annuals. I'll let you know how the 'Cotton Bush' does; it might be something you would want to try. Mary...See MoreTropical Milkweed..overwintering
Comments (23)I don't know if you mean me, as I don't consider myself to be a milkweed expert, but thank you anyway. I didn't build my cage with the intentions of raising milkweed plants in it. It's for putting the milkweed plants into that are already grown. I put those and a bunch of Monarchs in the cage so no predators and parasitoids will be able to get to the Monarchs and kill them. It was never meant to have a heater in it, as it has screen on it. I'm in zone 6 and would have to pay the electric bill that would be generated from heating something in a cage outside in temps that sometimes get below zero in the winter. The cage is to provide a safe place for Monarch cats to eat, pupate, and eclose as adult butterflies. I suppose you could build a cage and put plastic on it if you'd want to raise plants in it, but I don't know the particulars about venting, etc. and would advise you to ask someone with knowledge in that area or to buy a small greenhouse for that purpose....See MoreTropical Milkweed: To Plant it or Not
Comments (16)There are many, many people who love to watch butterflies as they flit through the air slowly and gracefully. If you never have, you certainly should! Butterflies provide beauty in an often ugly world. They give us insight into the world of nature and how wonderful and complex it is. But the butterfly is much more than that. Butterflies are some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures on Earth. A butterfly garden is an easy way to see more butterflies and to help them, since many natural butterfly habitats have been lost to human activities like building homes, roads and farms. It is easy to increase the number and variety of butterflies in your yard. Creating a butterfly garden should start with some serious research to learn which kinds of butterflies are native to your area. You can learn that from this book âÂÂAttract Butterflies To Your GardenâÂÂ. Here are some points you should focus: A. Make a list of all of the different kinds of butterflies you would like to attract, and then learn which flowers and plants they both feed on and lay eggs on. B. Plant the âÂÂButterfly Host Plantsâ to lay their eggs on. C. You can add some butterfly garden accessories like a Butterfly House, which has slots the ideal size for keeping birds out while giving butterflies protection from the wind and weather, and are beautiful garden decorations. You could offer an additional nectar source close by to supplement your flowers. D. Once you have designed and started your butterfly garden, you can be proud that you have made a habitat for butterflies in your own yard, which helps with the conservation of the many species of quickly disappearing butterflies today. You will certainly want to place your favorite outdoor furniture near so that you can enjoy all of your visitors day after day. Here is a link that might be useful: Attract Butterflies To Your Garden...See MoreLos Angeles County milkweed and tropical MW info
Comments (6)Thanks so much for this information, needtoseegreen. "The three species you mentioned", is that the newsletter you're quoting? I have been concerned about planting non native milkweed so I'm very glad for this post. I grow the milkweed that is native to where I live in So. Cal., if was growing in the yard for decades and I didn't know what it was until 2 years ago. Luckily the roots survived my weedings. It makes sense not to fool around with mother nature and grow non native milkweed. I'm not surprised with the findings you listed from the newsletter. I have read about the toxicity of the "milk" varying and that So. Cal Monarchs aren't used to the toxicity level of tropical or other non native MW's, but I have no opinion because I don't know for sure. I would trust what Monarch Watch says on it. The Monarchs that visited my yard last year when I tried a small plant of tropical in addition to the native (A. fascicularis) didn't lay eggs on the tropical. The tropical didn't do well in my heavy clay soil either. Could you please forward the newsletter to me? I'd be very interested. Do you think they would mind if you mentioned them here? I don't recommend using anything but water on the milkweed, because even a tiny amount of bleach in water will kill the caterpillars on contact. I found this out in my cat raising indoors for the first time starting a few weeks ago. The newly hatched Monarch cats are way too small for anyone to notice, they are extremely small and are hidden under leaves, or can be embedded in the tender growth at the top of the stem. Insecticidal soap would kill them and leave a toxic residue (to them). I recommend crushing the aphids, and wearing latex gloves, they stain the skin. Hosing them off would be hard on the new cats and would likely wash them off too. May I ask what MW species you grow? since you're in the same growing zone and area as myself. Any way to find out if the other species you listed (other than A. fascicularis) are native to the L.A. area? Any So. Calif. milkweed and Monarch breeders who read this, could you share what species of native MW you grow? I am battling black mildew on my A. fascicularis leaves, and pulling off the affected leaves daily. It's a huge task. I need to keep a clean food supply for all the tiny cats I have brought in. Today I picked about 5 stem tops and found 4 more tiny cats, and the nights are getting too cold for them. Just the problem that the newsletter addressed; tiny cats hatching in weather that is too cold due to abnormal breeding spans encouraged by the non native MW species. (I get the impression that tropical MW to a Monarch is like catnip to a cat) Sadly all the nurseries, even Home Depot carry these non-native MW's, and I think they have helped create the OE problem. The cats I raised last December-January all emerged as OE infected butterflies. The reason for this (according to what I've read) is because since the plants have been visited all season by butterflies, all that "foot traffic" has raised the probability of contamination of the plants and egg by the microscopic OE spores. The unnaturally long breeding season puts Monarchs in a perilous position not just weather wise, but disease wise. Sorry this got too lengthy. This fall I'm dipping the milkweed used for feeding (clear of eggs or tiny cats), in water with a few drops of bleach for 10 seconds, and rinse it well. The 2 Monarchs I released today had questionable looking thoraxes (possibly OE infected), I was torn about releasing them. They were not raised entirely indoors. I need to get an inexpensive lighted microscope to check for OE, any suggestions where to get one, anyone? Thanks. It didn't work for me to raise the eggs on the narrow leaves, the larvae all got black death or NPV (or?) at various stages. Now it's the cut MW in water, tons of work and I can't disinfect the MW that have eggs on them. I'm worn out! It's a full time job. Feels like changing baby's diapers all day long. :)...See Morephrelco
10 years agowifey2mikey
10 years agodocmom_gw
9 years agoMegan Hume
2 years agodocmom_gw
2 years ago
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