HomeHOWHow Much Milkweed Down For A Glove

How Much Milkweed Down For A Glove

1. Sun and Drainage: Most milkweed does best and offers better blooms when planted in an area that receives full sun to light shade. In San Antonio, most milkweeds do great when they receive full sun for most of the day, but a little shade in the hottest of the afternoons can be refreshing and offer them a break when we have some real scorchers.

Well-draining soil is imperative for the success of milkweed. This is super important! Soil that stays wet for too long will result in root rot and eventually death to your milkweed plant. If you are unsure if your soil drains well where you are wanting to plant, dig a 12″ x 12″ hole, fill it with water and let it drain. The water should completely and quickly drain from the hole, like in 15-20 minutes. If it doesn’t, that’s not the spot for planting milkweed.

*Note on soil: We have a huge variety of soils in Texas. Clay soil does not drain super fast and will need to be amended with a lot of perlite and peat to get the water moving through it. Rocky, limestone soils like in the Hill Country usually drain pretty well. If you are in doubt, plant your milkweed in containers with a quality potting soil like FoxFarm Happy Frog mixed with a lot of perlite (kind of like a succulent potting soil). It may just be easier than all the inground soil amending you may have to do.

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2. Dig Your Hole: Planting milkweed too deep is a common mistake for novice butterfly gardeners. Milkweed should be set no deeper than the rootball. In other words, the top of the rootball soil that is in the nursery container should be set level to the top of the ground (or just slightly higher). Basically, if you dig a hole and set your milkweed plant in it, you should be able to lay a ruler across the hole and plant and it should be level or a little higher in the center. Got it?

3. Water Before Planting. You should always water both your nursery plant in its container, and the hole you are going to plant in before setting your milkweed in the ground. Fill up the hole with water and allow it to completely drain before moving on to planting. (Do the test in step 2 if you are unsure you have good drainage).

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