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Milkweed Plants

Q.Grow Milkweed Without The Caterpillars Devouring The Plant

Zone Mt. Laurel NJ 08054 | mcguirejw added on June 25, 2020 | Answered

A couple years ago I bought a couple Asclepias Tuberosa in dazzling bloom. Totally amazing! So I got some seeds and got them going through the winter. The seeds developed into nice plants along with seeds evidently scattered by the first plants I bought. But soon I noticed that the plants were full of caterpillars. I watched them pretty much destroy the plants, which did not seem to survive. Over the past winter I gave some more seeds a try with leaving them in the refrigerator for two or three months and now have some fine young plants, both Asclepias Tuberosa and Asclepias Incarnata. Is there any realistic chance that I will actually see any of these plants bloom or am I really raising caterpillars and not milkweed?

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GKH_Susan
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Answered on June 26, 2020

I'm surprised your tuberosa was devastated. They barely touch it in my yard. It blooms off and on all summer, where other perennial milkweeds only bloom a short time. In my yard, the monarch caterpillars seem to prefer the incarnata, so maybe the more you grow, the more chance you will have of seeing them flower. They propagate easily from cuttings.

The perennial milkweed usually comes back from year to year even with defoliation by the caterpillars. So I'm surprised you have to keep replanting. You may want to check their cultural conditions. For example, tuberosa prefers a dry, sunny site and is very drought tolerant whereas incarnata prefers moist soil in sun.

Here is information on propagating milkweed:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/milkweed-cutting-propagation.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/growing-milkweed.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/milkweed-plant-varieties.htm

https://monarchwatch.org/

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mcguirejw
Answered on June 26, 2020

Thanks! It seems there’s hope! At this moment I have a bunch of A. tub. and incarnata and a couple that reseeded, probably from my original 2 or 3 from a couple years ago that the caterpillars devastated last summer. Perhaps there’s safety in numbers.

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