r/Milkweeds

Wild monarch taking her time to lay an egg in the milkweed garden

Not difficult to grow from seed, just the same as any other milkweed. Slightly bury about 1cm down, 60 days of cold stratification. Use regular potting soil for the seedlings until putting them into sandy soil when they're old enough to be transplanted.

The most important thing I noticed is they etiolate easily even under a grow light for 12 hours. The seedlings REALLY want full direct sun that lasts the whole day. I grow cacti that are happy under the growlight over the cold months until they go out when its hot enough. These will stretch indoors quickly, so I don't recommend bringing in your cold stratified seeds early to give them a head start for the season.

The trickiest part is seeds are not very available despite that the plant is widespread outside of Ontario. So, experimenting and getting a feel for the species is tough. It is a slow grower that takes about 4 years to bloom. They also grow in very nutrient poor soil. Make sure they don't get crowded out they should be in a garden with other small plants.

For years I have only been able to find tropical... and I've learned that's not native. Please share what you think about this species...

My whole goal of a garden was to have lots of pollinators, as well as an aesthetic garden. This year the milk weed has overloaded. Lots of it seems to be slow to mature. Probably caused by over crowding?

Anyways- someone tell me what to do, I do not have the heart to thin it out because I know how important it is for the monarchs but ahh!

I'm trying to keep this plant alive but it's been struggling. The leaves all have yellowed speckles and some have purple specks as well. Zone 7a, it's in full sun, and I've been watering daily. Previously, I watered every 2-3 days but my plant app told me to water more... it also keeps telling me to feed it epsom salts, which I've done twice in a month, and it didn't seem to help. I have a commercial 10-10-10 fertilizer and a "bloom booster" 10-30-20 I could try. Or maybe I should move it to a less hot spot? Advice welcome!

Is this milkweed or just some random weed? I bought milkweed seeds and planted them in this pot. However I’m having doubts and I’m using some recycled dirt. Wish I kept the seed packet to know the exact species I planted. I know it wasn’t the typical tropical store bought stuff though. TIA.

Bring on the butterflies!

I’m not sure what else to do besides just getting rid of the milkweed at this point. This is my first milkweed, it quickly got taken over by yellow aphids. I did all the basic solutions, mechanically squishing them, strong watering hose on the plant leaves, and diluted dawn soap spray. They keep coming back, I’m assuming because they reproduce asexually so only one surviving aphid can turn into 10 aphids. And then I see these oval shaped brown things on my plant last night.
Today I just cut down the plant half way, getting rid of the tops of the milkweed infested with aphids.

Any tips on how to control pests on milkweed would be appreciated.
For reference, this is milkweed is Asclepias tuberosa

There are eight native flowers blooming currently in my little suburban townhome backyard. Can you identify all of them?

This little caterpillar wasted no time.

Been enjoying the wonderful ecosystem this plant creates!

Ok so I grew these two little showy milkweed plants from seed and I just recently potted them up together in this larger container. They look like they’re struggling and I’m wondering if this is a watering issue? Too much? Too little? Too much sun? The leaves feel soft and obviously they are limp, so my gut is saying this is an overwatering issue? I live in zone 9b Northern California, so our climate is hot and dry. For now I’ve moved it out of direct sun. Also something to note, these little guys have been outside for months in smaller, individual pots, so it’s not due to environmental/location change. Any advice on how I can save these guys?

Edited to add location! This is in Northeast/North Central Pennsylvania, USA.

This plant has alternate leaves rather than opposite, longer and more slender leaves, and a different feel from my common milkweed. It feels almost papery or tougher. It also doesn't look like my immature common milkweed, which all has shorter leaves that are oppositely arranged in a more compact almost rosette formation. This plant is very short in height in comparison as well. It looks similar, but is absolutely not the same. 🌿

However when I scratched a vein on the other side it leaks milky white making me think this might be a *type* of milkweed, or something else entirely. Just not the same species I already have growing on my property. What is this pls. ✨️🫶