Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - August 31, 2006
From: Rye, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Transplants, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Problems in germination of Asclepias tuberosa in New York
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I am a member of the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College and I need information on Acleptis tuberosa. I am in USDA zone 6. Last year I planted fresh seeds purchased from Johnny's Seeds. The plants grew well, and went in my garden when about 2 1/2 " high. This spring not one plant came back. I have just germinated new seeds and request suggestions on caring for the seedlings which have germinated. I was planning on potting up soon, and planting in a sunny spot in mid september. Can you please guide me? Thank you.ANSWER:
Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa is native to the eastern 2/3 of North America and its range extends well north of you into eastern Canada. While cold-hardiness is not normally an issue with this plant, the winter could have played a part in your plants' demise. If they were not well enough established when winter arrived, they could have been killed outright from that. Likewise, if they were in a spot where they were particularly well-protected through the fall and continued to make tender vegetative growth until the first freeze, they could also have died in that way.
Slugs can be an issue for young plants. If you otherwise have problems with slugs in your garden, that might be the cause.
The most likely cause is a fungal root or stem rot which attacked all of your plants. Newly transplanted plants are particularly susceptible to rot disease as there is often a lot of injury to the roots which are places for the disease pathogen to get into the plants. Also, new transplants are just weaker and more susceptible to fungal attack.
It is best to start Butterfly Weed early in the growing season and pinch any flower buds during the first year to encourage as much vegetative growth as possible. Since you have seedlings coming along now, if you have a way to hold them until spring in a protected area, do so. Otherwise, try to get as much growth as you can in the garden now, harden them as much as possible during late fall and mulch them before the first hard freeze. Watch for slugs or other causes of problems the following spring.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Why are large numbers of leaves falling from my Live Oak trees in Driftwood, TX?
June 24, 2015 - Today is June 6, 2015 and I have noticed that for the last week and a half, only a few live oaks out of many, have been losing large numbers of green leaves and turning brown on the ground. I cannot ...
view the full question and answer
Wound in Monterey Oak from Austin
June 20, 2012 - I have a 10 year old Monterey Oak that has developed a wound that is secreting a white bubbly substance that has attracted all the bugs, like butterfly's , pill bugs, ants, and several others I don'...
view the full question and answer
Further question on sprouts from holly tree in Surprise AZ
November 16, 2010 - Thank you Barbara Medford for your response to my question about the sprouting holly tree in Surprise AZ. I took for granted that the tree I was talking about was a holly tree. I looked at pictures of...
view the full question and answer
Cool, wet summer effect on evergreen sumac
August 28, 2007 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have 3 evergreen sumac bushes that I planted as a screen between my house and my neighbors two years ago. They are located in a part of our yard that receives a lot of runof...
view the full question and answer
Redbud leaves turning yellow in mid-summer
July 13, 2012 - The leaves on our redbud trees are turning yellow. The yellow leaves are pale with no other spots and no dark veins. I don't know for sure which variety of redbud they are or how old they are (more t...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |