Hi,
I recently purchased a giant milkweed(Gigantea) & am having problems on the leaves. good luck!
giant milkweed florida
Hi Sharon, I just ordered the Procera seeds from Hawaii. Bokeelia, Florida. Three different milkweed species are for sale. It’s a wonderful resource.
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says
Thank you Ashley…first-hand reports from other butterfly gardeners are always helpful! Nice size too, if that helps at all, good luck..
I just had very good germination from my “giant” milkweed and maybe my method will help someone.
I soaked my seeds in a warm glass of water for 24 hrs. Giant milkweed (Calotropis gigantea, syn. After soaking the cuttings for a week or two, dip the end of the cutting into a rooting hormone and plant in potting soil. And for monarch enthusiasts who rear caterpillars in cages, giant milkweed leaves can be refrigerated. I think that made the difference.
I planted them on seed starter just lightly covering the seed with seed starter.
My method of planting is a bottom layer of potting soil with food and a top layer of seed starter which has no food. Though many milkweed plants need only the help of Mother Nature, this article will cover winter care of milkweed. Maybe this year Monarchs will lay eggs on my two plants that are about two feet tall.
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We have gotten eggs on ours the past two seasons in Minnesota. http://www.flbg.org/
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Last year, 2017, I planted the Calotropis Procera seeds and had very good germination. When I went out the soil almost looked dry! (I know I’m about 3 months late.) Our native species are all around us in our natural areas, but due to their diminutive size most go unnoticed. Of Floridaâs 21 native milkweed species, there are only a handful you can easily raise at home. 2233 Calotropis gigantea - Giant milkweed, Arka, 3 gal pot Giant milkweed, Giant Calotrope - Lilac colored flowers can be seen all through the year, great butterfly attractor. Milkweeds Native to Florida Most people are used to seeing the bright orange flowers of the, non-native, scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and donât realize that Florida is home to twenty one native milkweeds. We hope that future research will lead to increased availability and planting of native milkweed. Faster growing, Not enough data from North America – needs to be monitored for potential problems. Good luck with your seeds!
I would like to know how to start Giant Milkweed from cuttings, I just came back from Puerto Rico and brought 4 cuttings, about 5″ back, I put them in water, but how do I go from here? It has clusters of waxy flowers that are either white or lavender in colour. C. gigantea is a faster growing species but it’s getting pretty late to plant seeds (if you want mature plants) in most regions:
Hi Tony. I kept the soil damp but not overly moist.
The seeds germinated in 2 days in very low light but I’m sure a lot of light would be helpful.
amazingly enough, one popped up in a pot that i thought had some dahlia bulbs in it outside, it was impressive to see the rapid growth and i transplanted it to a more sunny location, i had to look online to find out what it was, i had never seen this before, your site nailed it right down, its not the tree…cant wait to see the flowers..thanks from s. california
I would also like to add to my previous question. for my area. I don’t think one night without the heat mat would make a difference. Can’t wait to see my little babies sprout!
I live in a mobile home park in SoCal whose tiny yard consists of cacti and succulents with decorative gravel and some well placed rocks. Seeding is not an issue for annual zones. Click here for More Milkweed Ideas to Enhance your Monarch Butterfly Garden. It did not flower but the leaves are huge. If your giant milkweed gets leggy, trim the top and plant the cuttings in very damp soil in the shade. This plant has no children Legal Status. Asclepiadaceae â Milkweed family Genus: Calotropis R. Br. Types of Milkweed. I used a green house with Miracle-Gro seed starting mix and kept the seeds warm and moist with a heat pad. The assessment does suggest "caution â manage to prevent escape" for growers in South Florida. could a source for the Proceia be posted
Thank you
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Hi Vernon, the only source I know for procera seeds is currently sold out. This is the variety with white flowers and a slight pink tinge; we haven’t been as successful propagating the plants with purple flowers. I love this plant/tree?
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thanks for sharing your experience Gina…your plant/tree sounds amazing!
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I just received some of these seeds from Hawaii and will let you know how they do! I put the glass on a heat pad to keep the water warm. I think this is a tougher variety for them to chew because the leaves are so thick. Do you recommend I try the remaining 6 seeds?
Sorry this can be a bit frustrating but I hope you have some ideas as to what may have happened.
Thanks,
Adam
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Hi Adam, germination should only take a few days. Can be grown in an island (container). I think this may be the year our plant finally flowers. After 3 weeks, I removed some of the soil and tried to find the seeds to see what they were doing. I will plan my butterfly garden around these trees. I ran into this plant (well, not literallyâ¦) at the University of Tennessee Research Center in Jackson a few years ago.
Hope this may be useful to others. 6-8 inches tall…..they are in either corrugated garden bins or pots……two of them have had Monarch cats nibble on them a bit…..I have had a few aphids on one……they are doing well and definitely add character to my butterfly garden!
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great to hear this Sharon…I hope you get some nice blooms this season too!
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so far no sign of any blooms – could be that that monarch cats are eating the leaves too quickly!
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Hi Sharon, I’m not sure if you will get blooms in year one, but to have any chance I would transfer caterpillars to other varieties if possible.
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says
Hello,
the link above leads to seed for Calotropis gigantean not the proceia variety.