They don't mix flats. I'll call in the morning.
Looks like Monarch Watch Milkweed Market is selling out in MD and TX!!!
http://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/index.php?function=show_static_page&id_static_page=1&table_name=vendors
Raising Monarch Butterflies and a chrysalis
It looks like all they have left for Texas is viridis and antelope horn. If that is all they have left, I will pass until next time.
Well, Steadycam, shipping quote from grower is approx $25 which includes a $5 box charge.for either the tuberosa or incarnata.
What do you think?
I have some experience with packing and shipping coleus plants and cuttings via Priority Mail flat rate but not sure how much I want to get in to that. Shall I put a flat on hold with grower for a week while you explore alternatives?
If you mean the shipping charge is $25 then I will pass. $60+$25 is way to much to pay for a flat of almost anything for me. Thank you for checking for me. That was appreciated.
Steadycam wish I could have helped. All of us need you Texas people planting Milkweed!
Thought this was a good approach but a distance from you.
http://texasfarmersmarket.org/feed-the-monarch-butterflies-in-february/
Do you get many Monarchs coming up from Mexico where you are?
I posted on the Daily pictures 106 recently. Check that out. I have about 50 milkweed plants going and I take cuttings and root as soon as the plants are big enough. I only have curassivica and syriatica and was just wishing for some different types. These work well and we have a good clutch of Texas folk rearing butterflies so we help each other out. Good luck to you folk up in the Mid-Atlantic. Let us know if we can help y'all in anyway.
Steadycam3 - How are you rooting the curassavica cuttings? I have quite a few plants and they are leafing out now. I'd like to try rooting cuttings. I'm bringing as many up from seed as will germinate. I figure by summer I'll have a good amount to share with others locally. But who knows, maybe cuttings will be a better way to go.
If stems of the plants get too tall and they really do get tall, I take a cutting of about 6-8 inches and sometimes I use rooting hormone and sometimes I just stick it in the dirt along side the plant I cut it from. The rooting hormone does not seem to make much difference. I keep them watered from the bottom until they get several points that are leafing out. I begin fertilizing with half strength miracle gro until almost all the leaf outs are complete and then I fertilize with full strength miracle gro. I have also at times rooted in water. This is not as reliable for me because I forget to change the water daily and they rot. For rooting in water, you need a strong light source or it will rot also.
Mine don't get real tall, probably because I'm in a canyon and full sun isn't really full sun. Besides doesn't everything grow bigger in Texas? The ones I have out in my yard are all leafing out now. Some even have flowers already. I can already tell they're going to be really healthy this year. I need to take some pics of my blue milkweed (tweedia caerulea). I have one that has like a dozen blue blooms on it, just stunning. I'm going to have lots of seed to share next year. I have some on the seed mat, I hope they germinate, I want to grow more of these.
Gosh it has been ages since I posted! I tagged and released 46 in November; my last hand raised was released in mid-December just before a freeze. I hope it moved on with the winds that week.
I had purchased two huge A. currasvaca MW plants early last year, and of course was told it had not been sprayed. The Monarchs layed eggs on them but caterpillars died as soon as they started feeding. So I cut the 3 foot tall plants to 8" and netted them. I took the stems that I had cut and soaked them in soapy water over night then cut them to 6" and put them in soil that I kept damp. After most had rooted, I transplanted them to pots and stuck them under lights. Picture is right before setting them out.
I am anxious to see if I have a lot come back healthy and full this year.
Wow, Sheila those MW rootings look really good! It's sure is labor of love, I'm looking forward to see everyone's success with the new year's butterflies gardens.
Wanted to post pics of my new milkweed garden. Most of the "barrel staves" have seedlings in them of the larger milkweeds. I'm starting curassavica and the narrow-leaf milkweeds in pots that I can move in and out of the secured cat enclosure, the enclosure is 4'x4'.
Second pic is of my "blue milkweed", Tweedia caerulea. This one I started a year ago and it survived freezing temps this past winter. I'm looking forward to lots of seeds to share.
Lastly, here is my "nectar" garden. This is a before pic, there are lots of seeds and seedlings in this little area. I have passion vine started on the fence and lots of agastache and other perennials coming up from roots.
Very Nice !!! Especially for those of us "Feeling Blue" Pretty ^_^
Sheila I like the Cuttings too!!!^_^
Great setup Dome!
Question for the group - for folks that have grown tropical milkweed from seed, was it easy? I'm experimenting with seed starting - I've got some promising winter sowing starts of common milkweed and swamp milkweed - and then, catching Spring fewer, I started some seeds recently for regular annuals - cosmos, tithonia, zinnia - and my tropical milkweed seeds have done absolutely nothing whatsoever. Now - in the interests of full disclosure, I carefully collected these seeds myself in the fall, cleaned them, stored them in the fridge. I have a ton of these seeds. I only tried a few, but where the cosmos and zinnia are eagering coming along, no progress from the tropical milkweed. Perhaps I just need to wait another month, and just direct sow these seeds.
Any ideas, let me know - countdown to Spring continues!
I have dozens of them germinating on my heat mat and out in the greenhouse. I've been having problems with the common and swamp milkweed, LOL. Could be your seeds or I'm thinking that it's just bad timing. If you'd like more seeds, I have lots and about a 90% germination rate. I think they germinate better in serious heat, like on a mat or the ones I have high up on a shelf in the greenhouse are doing well too.
Thanks domehomedee. I think I'll what I'll do is try with more heat and see if that works.
I'm in Palmetto Bay, FL (basically a suburb of Miami, FL), and we have multiple butterfly gardens.
I am desperate to find Giant Milkweed. The nursery where I buy it can't get any, and we've all looked in multiple places. The plant is called "Calotropis gigantea." I know there's one nursery on here selling it, but they are located in Texas. Takes too long to grow from seedlings. My monarch caterpillars are defoliating the plants so quickly that I need plants with leaves on them!
NEED A SOURCE. PLEASE HELP!?
Thanks!
ButterflyLuv
If you have not tried ; You might try the Texas , California , Tropical Zone , Gardening forums .
Also a few wanted forums or the plant trading forum .
Only passing along a thought ..
That's a tough one , whole size plants ... Southwest gardening could also be a possibility ? tropical zone .. Someone has them someplace ,,
This is very exciting!
i have a great supply of Common MW, Exalta, Purple, and small overwintered plant of curassavica, also some volunteers of the A. physocarpa.
The apids really were relentless overwinter so i was very sorry to see the bloodflower go.
I feel like i have enough if they show up in spring, but will be growing seedlings of A. curassavica and A. physocarpa for later in the season when I expect them to come back on migration south.
I have LOTS of seed left from my project and will solicit again at the end of the season.
Keep us posted!!!
A.
Sorry to hear you don't have time to grow them as they seem to germinate well. I have four on them in seedling stage out in my pasture. Looking forward to some warmer weather as I think that's what they are needing to really take off. I've never seen them for sale in plant form but there are a lot of plants that don't get grown for retail sales. Maybe you should start some seeds now for next year. If you decide to do that, let me look through my stash before you buy them.
Hello Dee:
I have plenty of seeds! Ha ha ha - it's the time that I lack.
I am moving things around and sorted out some annual seeds that should germinate easily and get me some blooms before season's end, including the MWs. This is the second year my exalta is blooming, but I started them (and the purples which haven't bloomed yet once!) 2 or 3 or 4 seasons ago! The blooms on exalta are not impressive. I only got one flower last year now have 4. Maybe I'll get some seed!
Will keep you posted. Thanks for the offer/encouragement.
A.
I'm growing "narrow-leaf" milkweed this year as it is native to CA so I figure I should try to get a patch going. I had one plant last year and the blooms are not impressive but I figure that shouldn't be the criteria if I can get a wild patch growing it will really be helpful to the Monarchs. The ones that are doing best this year so far are the gomphrena "tennis balls". I also have like 50 curassavica started. I figure by the end of summer they may be something I can sell for potting soil money, LOL.
I'm going to the southern California round-up next weekend, excited as the lady who hosts it is also into butterflies and has some good butterfly plants I don't have to share with me.
That's great. :)
Keep me posted. I was very impressed at how long into the fall the gomphrena lasted into the winter - I mean temperature wise very hardy compared to the curassavica.
xo
A.
Hey Amanda I have a monarch cat in my garden! The milkweed garden in doing pretty good. I think next year it will be more impressive but I am getting the space filled up finally. I am finding that a lot of milkweeds need two years to get going good. I have a narrow-leaf milkweed (CA native) that was not at all impressive last year but this year it looks pretty good, considering putting more in since it's native and won't need watering. I also have way too many curassavica seedlings coming up on their own, I may need to move a few into pots.
This year is the 4th season for my A. exalta, and it's the first time I have had flowers and now seed pods. YAY! I picked this native species because it tolerates shade. Not many MW do that that I have learned about anyway.
I am still waiting for my Purple MW to bloom, but no buds there. I started them the same season from seed. Yargh. Same four plants. They look good and healthy. So there's that.
The common MW I also started from seed have spread some from the first one or two that struggled thru last season. Last year I did not remove Milkweed beetles. This year, I decided that I had to. Hate to have to. But there's a lot at stake.
I'm hearing good things in the midwest and central states about population numbers. I haven't checked in on the butterfly thread lately. Would like to hear back about everyone's experience. Dee - will you be raising your bugs this year or letting nature take its course?
I'm pretty much letting nature take it's coarse. This is because the one monarch I moved into my enclosure did not emerge from the cocoon. I have two new cocoons in my garden this week. That makes 3 this year so far. It's early, but my A. curassavica are big enough to take some dining. The weather has been so funky this year. All of my annuals are stunted and blooming early. We are just starting to get warm weather, it's really late, usually June is hot. I just went out tossed a bunch of older flower seeds into my nectar garden. Maybe now that it's hot they will do something. The bees will appreciate whatever flowers come up and we have a good 3 months left of warm weather this year. The nectar garden has been a big disappointment, the sunflowers and the lion's tail were like 8' tall last year, this year they are 5' and falling over. I'm going to get my 5 year old grand-daughter to plant some more sunflower seeds tomarrow, she could get a rock to grow roots and bloom.
Thus far this season I haven't seen many butterflies. Monarch was seen passing through once or twice, but no larva. Queen Anne Laces are abundance but only a few BST s. Wishing for better days ahead.
Me too Lily. I do have an increase in the Pipevine ST this year. I have a group of cats. I brought in three just to show. Sorry about the sideways shot. I hate phone pics!
This message was edited Jun 30, 2014 7:58 AM
A couple of years ago I let some parsnips go to seed and the results?....Lots of parsnips the next spring, and the next and the next. Anyway, this summer I found two lovely monarch cats on and eating the leaves of parsnips. I was absolutely astounded! I made several trips out to the garden just to watched them grow. Then, yesterday, I finally thought of taking my camera, but, of course, they were gone. I have looked for the chrysalis but can't find them. I hope a critter didn't get them, but I have a feeling they hide themselves very well. Anyway....do you think parsnips and milkweed are related? If so, parsnips would be easy to grow in abundance. Now I will watch everyday for two big butterflies.
They're pretty good at finding places to cocoon that are safe. Mine seem to go UP, like on a wood structure that's close by. Or UP into a nice green plant. They will crawl quite a ways to do it too, 10 feet is not to far. I have two new cats cocooning now. I'm going to be careful not to water them as I lost one early in the season and I don't know why except I was using a sprinkler in that area daily.
Oh my gosh....I need to find mine before I water them. Is that a no-no?
How long before they emerge from their cocoons? Does anyone know? Thanks
I released another today , about 12 days I did not get a pic of her flying away as I was late releasing ..
Besides more than 30 in the garden that today was number 4 released .. ^_^
I have no idea if water is an issue. My enclosure is not in full sun and then watering the area every day. Well, I thought I might up my odds if it was a little more native in there. I lost the first cat that cocooned in there and now I have two more in the exact same spot so I'm just being really careful. The other area they usually cocoon is under a shade cloth in a spot that never gets wet.
I think water is something that could encourage growth of bacteria or fungi, so it's best to keep them dry if possible. That said, they still need to have normal temperature/humidity/regular light so none at all indoors is hard to regulate.
I have never heard of monarchs eating parsnips. Interesting. Let us know if you find an answer or someone else who has fed that to monarchs.
I haven't had any yet here in the piedmont/central NC. I used to not expect them until late August/mid September. Who knows what it will be like this year?!
A.
Born this Morning ! Have seen around 40 thus far this season ,
hey it erased my pic
Juhur, so happy to hear of the 40th release - seems like the Monarch numbers are cautiously optimistic. Aim some of those babies towards Atlanta! I've got a buffet for them :)
At Beebonnet.... Do you have any pictures of the cats you found on the Parsnips. That could be a rare thing if you do.
Here's a pic of the "Host plant" garden at the beginning of July. It's grown up a bit, weather here has been to cool to really get the milkweed growing. But I have had like 3 cats find the garden. The two that are cocooned are in the center enclosure. I'm hand watering until they come out.
