"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view."

~H. Fred Dale

Here at the Container Butterfly Garden compound, the busy little propagation elves are hard at work again, well, propagating.

With recent purchases and seed swaps of several new species, various aspects of preparation and germination are revving up. Some need cold stratification, while others can be placed in a planting medium immediately.

-Andrew Kliss Photography

Mini Greenhouse

This is the little mini greenhouse setup I have running in my bedroom which includes a grow light stand, greenhouse high dome, tray, and a heat mat beneath the towel. The towel is for catching any condensate that escapes from between the dome and tray. It sits nestled in front of a bay window where I can open the louvers to let in the morning light.

For more info on the equipment, this earlier post goes into greater detail: Saturday, December 7, 2013. Since my initial setup two seasons ago, I've learned a bit and refined a few things:

• Instead of using the plastic cell inserts, I switched to Jiffy peat trays and peat pots. Both come in several sizes. Much easier to use; doesn't cause plant stress from trying to push little seedlings out of the plastic trays. With the peat trays, all one needs to do is cut the individual cells apart and plant it cell and all when ready. Ditto on the pots: plant the whole thing in the ground or larger container.
• The Jiffy brand of seed starting medium was to put it mildly, terrible. Black Gold Seedling Mix I purchased from Green Thumb Nursery is da bomb. Love the stuff. The saying applies here too: "You get what you pay for!".

-Google

 Jiffy Seedling Starting Strips

  

-Google

 Jiffy Pots

Peat starting strips and pots are fairly ubiquitous, as are trays, and covers. They can be found at big box do-it-yourself home improvement centers, Walmart, larger nurseries, and online such as Amazon. The only place I find high domes locally are at the neighborhood Green Thumb Nursery nearby. Generally, for seed germination and small cuttings, the busy little elves here use peat strips. For fast growing plants and larger cuttings, the elves use peat pots.

One can also recycle newspaper to make starting pots for both seeds and cuttings. A thing to avoid though is colored inks; black ink is soy based and safe to use, whereas colored inks may contain toxic chemicals:

 Come spring, I'll be making making cuttings of various plants 'cuz I'm a tightwad and squeak when I walk and don't wish to spend more money on plants than I have to if there's the know-how and the resources to do so otherwise.

"Flowers and butterflies drift in color, illuminating spring."

~Author Unknown

Spring has sprung! Or at least is springing.

Regarding the previous post highlighting the USDA zone map, it's worth mentioning that Sunset Magazine's Sunset Climate Zones maps are much more precise than the USDA zone map that was linked to. I prefer Sunset's over USDA's for western gardens. To simplify things for that article, the USDA map was featured.

USDA Plant Hardines Zone Map

Sunset Climated Zones


I just returned from a week long trip out of state to be greeted by very warm weather and the first Monarch caterpillar sitings! Very early this year as compared to the previous. Last year (the first for the Container Butterfly Garden), caterpillars weren't spotted until well into April/May. One good thing about this warm weather is that the garden plants are literally bursting forth out of their proverbial knickers! I attribute that to the warmth and good timing of liquid fertilizer the garden received prior to my vacation departure. Tropical Milkweed is the attractor ace here, whilst the other species have yet to reveal themselves as caterpillar hosts up to this point.


One way to maintain and increase your butterfly plant stock is to start cuttings, and now is a good time to sprout some in our SoCal area.

Most plants can be propagated via leaf and stem cuttings. Others can be increased through root and rhizome division. One super easy plant to start by cuttings is Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica.

-Google

Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica

I start cuttings in sterilized propagating soil and containers nestled under clear covers using a heating mat and grow lights indoors. For many species of plants, propagation doesn't require using all of the equipment mentioned above. The video below illustrates how a grade school-era propagation technique can easily supply your garden with an abundance of butterfly fodder for a pittance, forgoing getting all geeky as Yours Truly does with the lights and the heating mat and the benches and the soils and the containers and the trays and the covers and the foods... Oy vey!

A couple of things to add to Tony's cutting video, would be to change out the water regularly, as you don't want it going bad, ruining your success at rooting cuttings. If handy, use distilled or RO water instead of tap water. Bad juju in tap water; that's why the bottled water industry is so big.

Also, I'm averse to stripping off unwanted leaves, as I believe nipping or clipping them off is safer. There are times when I prepared cuttings by pulling leaves, only to rip off part of the cambium layer attached to the leaf. Your mileage may vary.

Several species of milkweed growing in the Container Butterfly Garden are increasing themselves by casting their seeds to the wind. Many float down into plant containers where the fertile potting soil and necessary moisture are conducive to successful germination.

Waiting until I believe they are large enough to transplant into their own containers, they are removed by gently cutting out a plug of soil around a seedling, making sure a goodly amount of the seedling's roots are included, lifting the plug out with a spoon or something similar, and then back filling the hole in the parent pot with fresh potting mix.

Those of you who have milkweed growing in your gardens may wish to let some of your Tropical Milkweed seed pods mature and disperse, later to find tiny surprises popping up helter skelter that can be left in place or dug up and moved to more desirable garden spots. Or you can collect the seeds, lightly rub off the parachute fluff  between your palms, and plant them in a container of good potting soil. Easy peasy to germinate. Heck, you could even share some of them when large enough with neophytes or like-minded folks!

Another idea: those living in Laguna Beach could raise some milkweed and then donate them to the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden c/o "AC" Anthony Condon, Parks Gardener for Alta Laguna Park.


Starting Your Own Tropical Milkweed from Seed:

• Acquire a suitable container to start seeds in. Something with holes at the bottom to allow excess water to drain out of, and something that is not too deep. Nurseries and big box do-it-yourself stores sell 'em for dirt cheap. An 8 inch diameter shallow pot will accommodate close to a dozen seedlings up until transplanting time.

• Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting. Not absolutely necessary, but it does aide in faster germination.
   
• Fill container(s) with a good grade of potting soil. tamp down soil firmly but lightly, not too compact. Leave about a two inch clearance from the lip of the pot to the top of the potting mix.

• Dampen soil thoroughly and let drain.

• Place seeds about an inch apart on top of the firmed, dampened soil.
  
  
• Lightly cover seeds with about a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of potting soil. Tamp lightly so as not to disturb seeds. No need to re water.
   
• Optional: cover pot with plastic wrap secured with a large rubber band. Poke a few holes in it to allow a bit of air flow to minimize potential fungal growth.

• Place somewhere that is warm and sunny. Be careful though, you don't want to cook the poor little buggers!

 They should germinate anywhere between 7 to 14 days, depending upon how warm it is. Keep the plastic wrap on until the seedlings barely touch it. Remove the wrap. Keep soil damp, not wet. Wet soils promote disease and can cause root rot.

When the seedling grow to be about 4-6 inches in height, it's time to individually transplant them into larger containers or directly in the ground. They may wilt a little bit at first from transplant shock, but Tropical Milkweed is rather hardy and should bounce back within a few days.

Once they've acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings, feed them with a half strength solution of liquid fertilizer. After that, fertilize them on a monthly basis in order to get them to a good size fast for our butterflies to feast on.

 

Tra-la-la... It's springtime!

"Butterflies are not insects," Captain John Sterling said soberly. "They are self-propelled flowers."
-R.H. Heinlein


I started my first batch of seed over the Thanksgiving holiday under lights and warmed by a heating mat. Can't wait to see how well they germinate! (Update: Already have several species sprouting as of 12/3.)

If one is interested in producing copious amounts of plants for the garden at next to nothing cost once the initial tools and supplies are purchased, germinating seeds under lights is the way to go. Also, one can get a jump on seed planting with this method, thereby not being saddled by the restriction of seasonal growing constraints. Not only that, but you get to choose what species and varieties to put in, not what the nursery store manager or corporate purchasing agent thinks you should buy.

Some of the plants I plan on incorporating into the butterfly garden are impossible or next to impossible to find in the average local nursery. Online seed catalogs give me the advantage of picking and choosing some very choice plants for only a small pittance of the cost for a packet of seed.

I bought this Hydrofarm single lamp light rig for under $60 via Amazon:

 

This heating mat at Green Thumb Nursery for $24:

Plus three 72 cell seed starter packs also at Green Thumb for $8 a piece:

 Home Depot and Lowe's also carry these trays. They come with a 72 cell insert that nestles into a water tight tray, and rakishly sport clear plastic domes to help retain moisture. All I needed next was some seed starter soil. I bought Jiffy's brand of soil. It seemed to be the best one out there of the various brands I looked at.

The Miracle-Gro brand had several bad online reviews regarding infestations of Fungus Gnat flies, so apparently their product wasn't well sterilized - if at all. The Miracle-Gro bag I hefted at Home Depot seemed awfully heavy to me as compared to a couple of the other brands I lifted. The Jiffy brand was very light, consisting of a fine, even texture. Some of the other brands felt too coarse for germinating seeds in smallish cells. We'll have to wait and see how well the seeds germinate in the Jiffy brand soil before it can be considered a success or not.

 A mat really isn't necessary for me since I set up a germinating table indoors where the ambient temps are moderated, but in a shed or garage situation, I would recommend one if planning on going this route. Two reasons I purchased a heating mat are, I have a tool fetish that needs to be satisfied, and I'm starting some Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica as a host plant for Monarch butterflies (which is also a good nectar plant), that needs the extra heat in order to germinate earlier in the season than if I didn't have a mat.

Below is a list of plants in this first batch:

Achillea millefolium “Summer Pastels” -   This makes for a good nectar source.

Cosmos “Sensation” Mixed Colors -   Nectar source.

Dill “Bouquet” -    Host plant for Anise Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, and Giant Swallowtail butterflies. Nectar source.

Florence Fennel -    Host plant for Anise Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, and Giant Swallowtail butterflies. Nectar source.

Black Hollyhock -    Host plant to various Hairstreaks and the Painted Lady butterfly.

Ruta graveolens, Common Rue -    Host plant for Anise Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, and Giant Swallowtail butterflies.

Tithonia rotundifolia “Torch” -    Excellent nectar plant that sports 3 to 4 inch wide intensely colored reddish-orange blooms. Supposedly deer resistant.

Zinnia “Lilliput” Mixed Colors -   Nectar plant. "Lilliput" is an excellent butterfly attractor.

In the list above, Ruta graveolens is the only seed I purchased online, the rest I found after scrounging around half a dozen different nurseries' seed racks. The next batch of seed will probably be started in February or March, primarily consisting of several different milkweeds that I purchased their seeds online, and a few other species that I'm still ruminating over which to germinate.