Is the Milkweed invasive? Does it grow with runners?
If my comments about milkweed left you hesitant about planting it, consider butterfly weed, Aesclepias tuberosa. Like all milkweeds, it is drought tolerant. More importantly, it spreads less and is far less likely to send up shoots a distance from the main plant.
Common milkweed, Aesclepias syriaca is a thug in good garden soil. It spreads via underground runners in every direction. When growing milkweed, place it where the soil is not the best and look into which ones are native in your state since the butterflies in that area are used to certain varieties. (There are over 100 types of milkweed in the US) Swamp milkweed and Sullivant's milkweed are said to be better behaved in a traditional garden. Or consider having a bed just for pollinators and butterflies and let the milkweed spread. https://www.wildones.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Meaningful-Gardening.pdf
I have a swamp milkweed that is growing like crazy. I feared it would not do well in my dry garden but I put it in a low spot which it seems to like very much! However, now, after about 6 bug free months, the milkweed beetles have begun to feast. I read on this site that they eat only the seeds and unless you are worried about collecting seed, to just leave the bugs alone. But will they attack and eat the butterfly larvae which I impatiently await? - Also I noticed a round yellowish black spotted bug joining the party. Cucumber beetle? I have tried Dawn insecticidal water/soap mix, the milkweed beetles sort of froze but did not fall off. I have not tried it on the yellow beetle yet. I have not seen any aphids but I’m sure they will be next *sigh*
It would be hard to say for sure without a photo. I can give you a link to many articles. There are many articles that will let you understand how to make natural pesticides, and how they work. Most are broad spectrum, but the best part is that you can mix them to cover a broader range of insects. Here is the collection: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic
if the beetles are harmful-how can I get rid of them without harming any butterfly larve?
If you have milkweed, you are likely to have milkweed beetles. These may chew the leaves a bit but will not do significant damage or harm the caterpillars.
I want to use the milkweed in raising monarch butterfly caterpillars. A neighbor has offered seeds from her milkweed, but the adjacent lawn has been treated with various substances by their landscaping company. Could any fertilizer, herbicides, etc. remain and affect the plants grown from these seeds which would make them unsuitable for the caterpillars?
Thanks for this; I don't think I'll take the chance with the neighbor's seeds. We do have a nursery nearby that is a monarch way station and sells "safe" seeds.
There is no fast answer to this question. We can assume the plants were not sprayed directly. How far are the milkweed from the lawn? Lawn herbicides are typically contact herbicides so a light coating is all that is needed. I don't think much makes its way to the milkweed roots. However, some weed killers remain in the soil for up to 18 months. These are mostly for agricultural use. The amount of herbicide that makes its way to plant seed would be very small amounts; however, a caterpillar is very small too.
Milkweed seeds are available from mail-order native plant nurseries. There are over a dozen types of milkweed. Make sure to use seeds of types native to your region. These will be the types that monarchs in your region are looking for. Follow this link to find a source for your native milkweeds. https://xerces.org/milkweed-seed-finder/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/how-long-does-weed-killer-last-in-the-soil.htm
I have attached a picture of the milkweed in our back yard. It is two years old. I have raised and released over 150 Monarchs in those two years. I have never trimmed it. As you can see, it is pretty tall and full of seed pods (which I have not seen before). Fall and winter is coming (California) and I am worried about how to take care of the milkweed. Should I just leave it be? Should I cut it back/prune it? What should or can I do with the seed pods? Thanks. Sue California
If the milkweed is a perennial, like Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed) pictured above, you’ll notice tiny leaves growing from the base of the plant at some point after the upper stems have been consumed. Wait for that. Then cut back stems to the new growth and the plant will take off from there.
As a reminder, it is ideal to grow milkweeds that are native to your state if possible. In California, we have several native milkweeds, and seeds can be obtained from Theodore Payne Foundation for at least one of them.
Often, I can't find any info to tell me if the native milkweed seeds I buy from quality sources need to be stratified or scarified. Not to mention keeping those 2 terms straight. For Asclepias erosa seeds, from plants, do you have a suggestion to either stratify or scarify? Thank you
Stratification would be exposing it to a certain temperature range (usually cold). Scarification would be nicking the seed coat. Both are methods for overcoming seed dormancy.
Now... There seems to a lot of argument on whether this particular species needs a cold period to germinate. They do not need a scarification. The best thing I could suggest would be to put some in moist soil in the refrigerator for a few weeks, and some planted directly to see which has a better germination rate. There may even be no difference in germination rate.
This article will give you a little more information about the species as a whole: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/milkweed/milkweed-plant-varieties.htm
I am hoping I didn’t mess up last summer and do everything wrong. I do know one stupid mistake I made: I planted bean vines too close to my Hello Yello and so it did rather poorly. (So did the beans: far too much rain, resulting in giant vines but no beans!) I have Ice Ballet (I think) at the east side of the garden in a low spot, it did great. I have the red orange kind tucked into a spot in between, it did OK the first year...but thus far I have seen no spring growth on any of those. However—the Common variety over on the north side is growing up like crazy. Is this normal for the others to be late coming up? It’s almost May and I’m a bit worried. Also, I didn’t mulch any of them -- should I have done?
Yes, some of the milkweeds wait until warm weather to emerge. They also develop extensive roots so they are hard to kill off. I wonder if your red-orange one is butterfly milkweed. It has an amazing taproot and is therefore drought tolerant. Ice ballet is one of the swamp milkweeds and it likes lots of moisture. Be advised that common milkweed can be a thug in good garden soil spreading by underground rhizomes. It is an important milkweed but may not be the best garden plant. If you have room for it to roam, that's great.