Comments on: The Tropical Milkweed http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/ Learning a savanna in Panama, plant by plant Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:43:09 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: mary http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-475 mary Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:38:27 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-475 Carlos, Thanks for this information! You're doing great work, despite the Miami climate. The Live Monarch site is a fine resource. Thanks again. Carlos,

Thanks for this information! You’re doing great work, despite the Miami climate. The Live Monarch site is a fine resource.

Thanks again.

]]> By: Carlos http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-474 Carlos Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:24:41 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-474 I found another site that is excellent and the prices are very resoanble. They seem to be a non profit foundation of some kind to gain more milkweed for monarch survival. They will provide seeds and small cutings that will become big pants with in short month. My problem have been the heat of Miami. I have need to plant this pants in part shade until they get established. One need to watch the plants close for wilting here in Miami until they get stablished. Also if one waters them every day, the Milkweed will only grow very shallow roots never or very slowly planting their roots very deep in the soil looking for water. If the roots are too shallow not only they do not stay up too well but they take longer to stablish because they do not gaing to the deeper roots they will need to survive. http://www.livemonarch.com I have had several generations of caterpillers and monarch butterflies since my first post a few month ago. A total of about 50 butterflies altogether. I found another site that is excellent and the prices are very resoanble. They seem to be a non profit foundation of some kind to gain more milkweed for monarch survival. They will provide seeds and small cutings that will become big pants with in short month.

My problem have been the heat of Miami. I have need to plant this pants in part shade until they get established. One need to watch the plants close for wilting here in Miami until they get stablished. Also if one waters them every day, the Milkweed will only grow very shallow roots never or very slowly planting their roots very deep in the soil looking for water. If the roots are too shallow not only they do not stay up too well but they take longer to stablish because they do not gaing to the deeper roots they will need to survive.

http://www.livemonarch.com

I have had several generations of caterpillers and monarch butterflies since my first post a few month ago. A total of about 50 butterflies altogether.

]]> By: Carlos http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Carlos Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:59:58 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-160 Actually they did turn out to be monarc caterpillers. I had to run a buy larger plants and since I have had about 3 generations of about 20+ larvas survive become pupas and become butterflies. I am surprised that in Panama you have had no ativities. I am getting attached by monarc from every which way. Some time I have to take my milkweeds and hide them away from the yard. The last time all 6 Tropical milkweed I have were eaten to the bare trunk and they are now getting new growth, but I have had to scare the monarcs away to keep them from laying more eggs on my plants. I can only guess that there is a lack of milkweed in Miami Florida or else they wouldn't be so desperate to lay on my milkweed. I have not been able to get them to flower because the monarcs ate the whoooooooooole thing!!!. Actually they did turn out to be monarc caterpillers. I had to run a buy larger plants and since I have had about 3 generations of about 20+ larvas survive become pupas and become butterflies. I am surprised that in Panama you have had no ativities. I am getting attached by monarc from every which way. Some time I have to take my milkweeds and hide them away from the yard. The last time all 6 Tropical milkweed I have were eaten to the bare trunk and they are now getting new growth, but I have had to scare the monarcs away to keep them from laying more eggs on my plants. I can only guess that there is a lack of milkweed in Miami Florida or else they wouldn’t be so desperate to lay on my milkweed. I have not been able to get them to flower because the monarcs ate the whoooooooooole thing!!!.

]]> By: miconia http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-159 miconia Mon, 26 May 2008 17:49:23 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-159 Hi Carlos, Thanks for noting your interesting observations. I don't know the answer to your questions because I have yet to see a Monarch butterfly in our Tropical Milkweed plants here in Panama. Keep up the observations and I hope you find the answer yourself. Mary Hi Carlos,

Thanks for noting your interesting observations. I don’t know the answer to your questions because I have yet to see a Monarch butterfly in our Tropical Milkweed plants here in Panama.

Keep up the observations and I hope you find the answer yourself.

Mary

]]> By: Carlos http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Carlos Wed, 21 May 2008 00:40:36 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-158 About two month ago, I took some cutting from a Tropical Milkweed that was growing in a canal in North Dade Miami and I started rooting them in water in 2 weeks my first cutting with two 1/2 in roots, I placed them on a cup with dirt. and a week later I took it outside start to aclimate them to the outside. They were out there for short of a week. A few days ago in the afternoon, I saw a Monark flying around and flierting with the cutting but never sat on the leafs long enought. I saw it go back and forward and fly around it for about 15 minutes... Finally I think she left or I went inside (I can't remeber) or both. Today about 5 days later I go and look at the plant and I saw some holes on the leafs. When I look under the leaf, I saw some very very tiny caterpillers, about 5 of them. They can not be very big I almost didn't notice them. Some are smaller and appear brownish and the two bigger are a little greener. The plant is about 7 inch tall, and it has a total of 8 leafs different sizes and two sets of 4 each flowers and some more growth of leaf inbetween the flowers. Would this be monark caterpillers?I don't remeber ever seeing them. These seem so tiny (almost unnoticable) and there seem to be not many leafs for this plant for the caterpiller to survive. Unless the inside leafs start growing very quickly. Do you think the might be cats from a monark? or do other smaller butterflies lay eggs on Tropical Milkweed? and will the plants put out those leafs fast enought for those caterpillar to eat and survide to butterflys. I imagen About two month ago, I took some cutting from a Tropical Milkweed that was growing in a canal in North Dade Miami and I started rooting them in water in 2 weeks my first cutting with two 1/2 in roots, I placed them on a cup with dirt. and a week later I took it outside start to aclimate them to the outside. They were out there for short of a week.

A few days ago in the afternoon, I saw a Monark flying around and flierting with the cutting but never sat on the leafs long enought. I saw it go back and forward and fly around it for about 15 minutes… Finally I think she left or I went inside (I can’t remeber) or both.

Today about 5 days later I go and look at the plant and I saw some holes on the leafs. When I look under the leaf, I saw some very very tiny caterpillers, about 5 of them. They can not be very big I almost didn’t notice them. Some are smaller and appear brownish and the two bigger are a little greener. The plant is about 7 inch tall, and it has a total of 8 leafs different sizes and two sets of 4 each flowers and some more growth of leaf inbetween the flowers.

Would this be monark caterpillers?I don’t remeber ever seeing them. These seem so tiny (almost unnoticable) and there seem to be not many leafs for this plant for the caterpiller to survive. Unless the inside leafs start growing very quickly.

Do you think the might be cats from a monark? or do other smaller butterflies lay eggs on Tropical Milkweed? and will the plants put out those leafs fast enought for those caterpillar to eat and survide to butterflys. I imagen

]]> By: miconia http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-154 miconia Thu, 08 May 2008 14:30:33 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-154 Bo - Thanks. I just visited your blog, <a href="http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Seeded Earth</a> - filled with beautiful plants and pictures. Here's the link for anyone who wants to take a look: <a href="http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/</a> Bo – Thanks.

I just visited your blog, Seeded Earth – filled with beautiful plants and pictures. Here’s the link for anyone who wants to take a look:

http://gardengrow.wordpress.com/

]]> By: Bo http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-157 Bo Thu, 08 May 2008 13:52:46 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-157 It's a lovely plant - the colors are spectacular together. It’s a lovely plant – the colors are spectacular together.

]]> By: miconia http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-155 miconia Sat, 12 May 2007 20:21:50 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-155 Sylvie, Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy growing the plant. It hasn't flowered much here in my backyard where it's growing wild. I'm trying to keep the machete-wielder away from that area, so I can see it bloom again next January-February. Sylvie,

Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy growing the plant. It hasn’t flowered much here in my backyard where it’s growing wild. I’m trying to keep the machete-wielder away from that area, so I can see it bloom again next January-February.

]]> By: Sylvie http://ntsavanna.com/the-tropical-milkweed/comment-page-1/#comment-156 Sylvie Sat, 12 May 2007 17:08:19 +0000 http://ntsavanna.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/the-tropical-milkweed/#comment-156 Your information on the Tropical Milkweed is wonderful! I just purchased some Tropical Milkweed plants for my garden in Florida. I noticed that the label on the containers identified them as Asclepias curassavica, however, the nursery where I bought them was calling them Butterfly Bush and/or Butterfly Milkweed—the latter is Asclepias tuberosa L., a native of the county in which I live. I went on the internet looking for Asclepias curassavica and couldn't find them anywhere until I hit on your site. It helped me very much! Your information on the Tropical Milkweed is wonderful!

I just purchased some Tropical Milkweed plants for my garden in Florida. I noticed that the label on the containers identified them as Asclepias curassavica, however, the nursery where I bought them was calling them Butterfly Bush and/or Butterfly Milkweed—the latter is Asclepias tuberosa L., a native of the county in which I live. I went on the internet looking for Asclepias curassavica and couldn’t find them anywhere until I hit on your site. It helped me very much!

]]>