Hi Ron! I had to go yesterday and buy three more plant so they could have a source of food. I have big gopher and mole problems, and often have to plant in gopher baskets. I saw a nice amount of monarch’s the last two years, they need a resting spot. I just had17 butterflies I had to let go outside (not optimal weather). Ascelpias curassvica speciose incanata sullivantii tuberosa. TN. I would suggest that would be a good time to cut back tropical milkweed plants. There are potential issues with it for people who grow it in regions where it grows continuously like South Florida, Texas, and Southern California: I planted a lot of tropical milkweed in my garden in Naples last May. LOL. Bloodflower will produce clusters of beautiful red & yellow flowers. Also, if you don’t get the entire root when transplanting tuberosa this can stress the plant. Aerate well. I have never heard complaints of this, so I’m guessing it’s not a common issue. Hi Arthur, if you take cuttings, remove most of the leaves and rinse them w/ water when you bring them in. At another nursery, I was told that I should get some A. Currassavica because the butterflies at least are attracted to them for their nectar. You can always leaf mulch the soil to increase their chances of returning next spring…yes, it’s amazing how the tropical species survive freezing temps. The Monarchs do migrate here to Santa Barbara and Pacific Grove, mostly. Your response should be to remove it and quit promoting the use of it unless it’s proven to not harm butterflies. I would just like to see the darn things bloom at some point. I ‘spring sowed’ ours in Minnesota and had a high germination rate: I have approximately 30 milkweed plants in my garden in FL. It’s a popular host plant and provides nectar for monarchs during the fall migration. Thanks for your comments. I think I have a pretty good head start on things ,, my seedlings are almost two inches on their third set of leafs ,, time to transplant … good luck ! Today I noticed several of theses caterpillars just eating away the leaves. This year I was expecting the plants to return, but it is mid-spring here in NJ, and there is no sign of anything shooting up. Thanks. Hi Jessica, if your plants are just flowering now, they won’t seed. Hi Laks, if you’ve had a cool spring, I wouldn’t worry yet. Will they come back out this winter in the Tampa Bay area? Hi Renee, tropical milkweed seeds and it can also be started with stem cuttings: Hi tony Anyone grow tithonia diversifolia i have done other mexican sunflowers. Is 1492 and the great Columbian exchange the date? It is important to plant only Milkweed species that are native to your area. Why is the new plant not happy in it’s container? Check out the process here: I purchased 3 curassavica. I’ve had it for years and it’s done very well, even surviving a particularly harsh winter a couple of years ago that wiped out a lot of stuff here in Wisconsin. Leonard. And now the webs are back and it looks horrible. I leave them in their packaging and put them inside a plastic bag in case something were to leak. Chris, this article is based largely on speculation with little science to back it up. We sprayed with neem oil and our plants started doing better. It should start putting our new growth. Every day I microwave a cube for about 30-40 seconds. I stopped at the store and picked up a Red Silk Milkweed, which the nursery employee assured me my caterpillars could eat. Add compost if needed to increase soil quality. A friend told me that she had read that the tropical milkweed would keep the butterflies around for longer than they should stay. I recently had about 30 caterpillars who were quickly running out of food. Hello, I am just learning about tropical milkweed. It grew, but did not bloom (I’m in Iowa). Check out suggested milkweed stores and more plant listings below: A. curassavica seeds only need to be soaked in water for 24 hours before planting and no stratification is necessary. Hi Nancy, if you buy tropical milkweed seeds now and store them in a cupboard or drawer over the winter they should be fine for planting next spring. Also I am not quite sure what the unusually warm weather means for the plants and the monarchs. The leaves are turning yellow too. I do plan to take stem cuttings for overwintering, but I think it would be good to save some seeds for backup. This has worked pretty well for us. The genus name is Asclepias curassavica (color is Silky Scarlet). I spayed again and it seemed to do ok. Now, I’ve seen a monarch everyday laying eggs on it. They always leave in November, even though I do not have the native milkweed. This year the plants are tall and look healthy, but they are not blooming at all. Enjoy your break! Good luck! Mostly the top of the plant with flowers. Monarch caterpillars are tolerant of these chemicals⁠—in fact, cardenolides are the very compound that protects the monarch from predation. To start Asclepias curassavica seed indoors, sow just below the surface of the soil in a flat 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring. Is there something I can do? Soon afterwards, new shoots emerge from the stubs. Hi Rick, I’m not familiar with the continuous growth cycle in Houston. Mexican Milkweed blooms non-stop from spring until fall attracting butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Hi Barbara, the caterpillars on your dill were probably eastern black swallowtails, which are often confused for monarchs. I was wondering if I could plant the Silky Gold in a container (terra cotta) and if so, how large do you recommend? They are not being eaten. Those white seeds will be useless. Mix consists of Gold and Scarlet. Xerces Society Milkweed Seed Finder (25 native species and list of regional suppliers), Monarch Watch Milkweed Market (15 native species and regional maps), Monarch Joint Venture (about 20 native species by region). I my personal experience Tropical (also known as Mexican) milkweed is not “fast food milkweed” (whatever that means), it is the first choice of the female Monarchs of all my milkweeds. I just wish you would discuss this issue as part of supporting healthy butterfly populations rather than writing it all off as “unsubstantiated”. Hi Bill, it’s all about supply and demand. The main concern is that although monarchs may LOVE this type of milkweed, they haven’t adapted to it. Does soil in pots need to be changed, new soil? Asclepias curassavica photograph by Malcolm Manners. 99 Asclepias is a popular wildflower in the family of plants often known as Milkweed. And under the circumstances of lost leaves, a pretty good milkweed bug infestation, some aphids and the time of year, if I should just go ahead and cut them back to about 12″ off the ground? Hi Debbie, I would cut it back. Tropical Butterfly Weed (Asclepias curassavica) is a tender perennial that will thrive for several years as a houseplant or for one glorious year as an annual outdoors. I would like to plant tropical milkweed if you think that is a wise choice for zone 7B in Virginia. I cut one back and potted it and will see if anything different happens in year 2. I gave some to a relative who planted them and they are doing great…blooming as usual. I have a few that still need homes. Aphids do not deter monarch caterpillars. Hi Leonard, one of the most asked questions on the site, so I compiled a list of ideas in this post. Tropical milkweed is very harmful. http://i60.tinypic.com/14l0wao.jpg Do you know what it is and how can I fight it? 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