Got Milkweed?

May 2016

Pickaway to Garden

Got Milkweed?

By Paul Hang

 

At The Wildlife Diversity Conference in April I listened to Dr. Chip Taylor Founder and Director of Monarch Watch. He said that the Monarch Butterfly is an indicator species, a harbinger, the canary in the coal mine, for habitat destruction that threatens Monarchs, pollinators and wildlife. As you may know the Monarch overwinters in small areas of Mexico and California. They then leave in the spring and lay eggs as they meander north. They eventually die and the eggs hatch into caterpillars which in turn pupate and metamorphize into the adult butterfly. This generation continues the egg laying and the journey north.  The scenario is repeated until a third or fourth generation reaches as far north as Canada by late summer. In the fall the grandflys and the great grandflys of the original overwintering generation begin to migrate south to the wintering grounds in Mexico. They find the area even though they have never been there and they do not have GPS or Garmin. Amazing! We are not sure exactly how they do this.

 

Milkweed is the plant that Monarchs lay their eggs on and the sole food their caterpillars feed on. No other plants will do. Adults feed on nectar from flowering plants. With the introduction of genetically modified crops that are resistant to certain herbicides and urban development the number of milkweed plants has been drastically reduced. The use of herbicides eliminates weeds at the fence rows where milkweed has grown. During their migrations the Monarchs need waystations for food and procreation. Imagine your road trip coming upon a sign “No fuel or facilities for the next 200 miles.” This is what they face. We can create habitats for monarch butterflies by planting milkweed and other flowering nectar plants.

 

Even a few plants can help. Plant them and they will come. And not just monarchs, other pollinators will also use those patches. There are a number of milkweed varieties that we can plant. Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca is probably the best for monarchs but not for our gardens as it spreads readily from seed and underground rhizomes. Better to plant it on land not dedicated to an urban garden. Three other varieties, Prairie (or Sullivant’s) milkweed A. sullivantii, Rose milkweed (also called Swamp Milkweed) A. incarnata, and Butterfly Weed A. tuberosa are better choices. All have nice flowers from white to pink to deep purple and in the case of Butterfly Weed a flaming orange. Most are fragrant, need full sun (except Rose Milkweed), and can tolerate drier soils (except Prairie Milkweed which likes medium moist soils).

 

Nectar plants include the milkweeds, coneflowers, Asters, Goldenrod, Monarda and most other native plants along with most other favorite flowers such as Zinnia, Cosmos, Daisies, etc. Visit the Butterfly Garden at Mary Virginia Crites Hanna Park to see other plants and the butterflies they attract.

 

May 15 at 1:30 at Rhoads Garden Center on Rte. 56 E., there will be a seminar for beginning pumpkin growers and you will receive a giant pumpkin plant free. On May 21st, 9am to 1pm the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Pickaway County, will hold our annual Plant Sale at the library parking lot on N. Court St. It is a good opportunity to purchase some varieties of plants not always available commercially. June 15^th the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Pickaway County, will hold its fourth annual Founders Day Celebration. It’s free and the public is invited. The program begins at 7pm at Trinity Lutheran Church, Noecker Hall on E. Mound St. Circleville. The title is “In the Garden” with 610 WTVN Radio host Ron Wilson. Mr. Wilson hosts several TV and radio programs originating from Cincinnati. He is on 10-12 Saturdays on WTVK Columbus, Ohio. Also our Helpline can be reached by calling the OSU Extension Office at 740-474-7534. A local master gardener volunteer will get back to you.

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

If you haven't already, this month you can direct-seed corn, beans, potatoes, melons, cucumbers and squash. Those last three are usually planted in "hills" in groups of three or four plants. Place cheesecloth or row cover cloth over them until they are lifted up by the growing vines. With any luck you will have prevented the cucumber beetles from invading the plants.

 

You can set out tomato, pepper and eggplant plants. There is still a chance of frost but as we go through the month the chances become less and less. Be prepared to cover those tender plants if frost threatens. Don't be tempted to overfertilize tomatoes, extra nitrogen will delay ripening and produce more vine than fruit. Remember tomatoes can be planted deep in trenches with the top few branches of leaves above ground. Roots will form along the buried stem. If you stake your tomatoes put the stakes in before you plant to avoid damaging those new tender roots.

 

Harden off the houseplants you plan to put outside for the summer. A period of transitioning to the new environment will help assure their health and vigor.

 

You can divide and move perennials. As the soil warms (50 degrees) you can plant summer-flowering bulbs such as caladiums, cannas, dahlias, and gladioluses. Some start them earlier indoors to get a head start.

 

You can begin spraying roses for black spot following the directions on the product.

 

Cut the seed pods off your lilacs, but do not prune the stems. If your lilacs are getting overgrown and leggy, cut the stems at the ground. Do this to a third of the stems this year, a third next year and the final third the year after that. This way you will rejuvenate the bushes.

 

Thin apples, peaches and other tree fruit (not cherries) to a fruit every six inches. Remember "June drop." It is a time when fruit trees rid themselves of excess fruit which the tree cannot support. This is a natural process. Don’t thin your apples until after June drop.

 

Mulch your beds after the soil has warmed. When you set out those tender plants protect against cutworms that can wreak havoc on new transplants. Use collars of aluminum foil, plastic, cardboard or other material to encircle the stem. The collars should extend into the soil an inch and above an inch or two. These are cultural practices and there are pesticides that can help control these pests (Google "cutworms extension"), however collars will protect your plants immediately. I have also placed a toothpick in the ground next to the plant stem with success.

 

This is a busy time for pollinators. When you spot a bug identify it before reaching for the spray. Fully 97% of the bugs in our gardens are beneficial. Singular bugs are almost always beneficial. Crowds are often pests. Know your enemy!

 

Now is a good time to get rid of invasive and harmful plants. Poison hemlock is very poisonous and a biennial. In its first year it is a rosette with basal leaves that are bluish green, deeply cut parsley-like leaflets that have sharp points. Second year plants have hairless stems bright green to bluish green with obvious purple blotches. Mowing and tilling are partial controls. Post-emergent herbicides are effective this time of year. Let’s make these nasty plants ephemeral!