r/Milkweeds

So it got insanely hot yesterday and I come out to water my milkweed today and they are dried (I may've forgotten to water yesterday, but I swore I had) and I am devastated. I want to save them from dying as they're wilting. I watered them; they've been set in the shade, but what else can I do for them?

I have a beautiful, large patch of showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) that I started from seed about five years ago. It has propagated well, expands every year, and even gets pollinated so new seed is entering the patch most years as well. The downside is that it is surrounded by quack grass and vetch which are invasive in my region.

I have recently dug up as much of it as I can, including roots. I live in zone 5 and it snows each winter (though we are getting less and less snow each year). I want to cover the newly exposed soil where the vetch and grass were with something this year to try and kill it off. I can see the majority of milkweed shoots that are going to come up for the season so I can easily leave them poking out of whatever I use.

If I use cardboard and covered it with mulch, would new milkweed shoots be able to push through next spring? Knowing they send out lateral rhizomes and new growth won't come out at the exact same spot each time, I'm not sure. I would prefer this method than plastic as it's nicer, and I would definitely have to remove the plastic in spring to let new growth of the milkweed up. I also plan on planting some more native perennials in the area once the grass and vetch is dealt with. Will this kind of coverage harm the milkweed roots underground?

Another caveat is that my soil is contaminated with lead. The milkweed patch actually has the lowest levels in the garden because I removed the sod when I originally planted this area, but it's still there. I don't need to replace my soil, I just don't like to keep it exposed for long periods of time.

Thanks!!

I’ve discovered a nest of Hornets in an old stump that sits in the middle of my Milkweed garden!

Is this good or bad? What should I do?

Hi all. I got into making some of my own camping gear and happened upon the idea of using milkweed floss as a replacement for down feathers.

I feel like this would be an amazing crop to grow. Milkweed is very hardy, easy and prolific to grow, they support the monarch population, create important habitat etc. The floss is water repellent, very light weight with good insulative properties similar to down.

Am I missing something here or should I go for it? I have a large section of hydro line that I’m seriously considering growing a crop of milkweed in.

Oh, and I’ll also add that harvesting and separating the floss from the seeds, I believe, would be doable in an easy, efficient and scalable way. The method I’d work on is putting the seed pods in a container and shaking vigorously. Do you have any tricks or tips on separating the floss?

I appreciate your thoughts/input. Cheers

I thought when I had harvested common milkweed seeds from a spot near my house that I would easily be able to grow my own milkweed plants. After all, this strain has proven itself able to thrive in conditions like those found in my yard. Except, after I had transplanted my seedlings (which had been hardened off), they quickly flopped over, turned yellow, and lost their leaves. Strangely enough, however, my Asclepias incarnata and Asclepias tuberosa seedlings seem to be doing just fine in my beds. This is extra odd considering I was worried about the butterfly weed thriving in my clay soil (I did however, per some advice I found on this subreddit, plant them in a drier spot in my yard). I would say it might be transplant stress but I am curious why I am not having similar experiences with my other Asclepias species, especially given that common milkweed is supposed to be the easy one to cultivate. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

We bought a couple pots of Crown Flower at Lowes. One of them came with 2 Monarch cats. One disappeared, haven't seen the chrysalis, but the other formed hers right on the plant. I see the occasional Monarch flying and visiting our nectar plants and sometimes the Crown Flower. No eggs yet.

DD and I have caught the bug, so to speak.

She sent for milkweed seeds, 5 varieties. One is Tropical. They all sprouted after a day's soak. We're renters and all plants are in pots.

Finally, The Questions: How will the non-tropical varieties handle weather with no cold spell? Will they die back after x months of growth? Will they stay alive? TIA