Earthyman Responds to a Customers Question on Advice on Planting Butterfly Milkweed : Asclepias Tuberosa Seeds

Question:  Hi.  I recently received 6 packets from you of Butterfly milkweed.  Could you provide some advice on planting?  I have a small flower garden ( full sun,) as well as 15 acres of various prairie plants and grasses. Began as all  switchgrass but I am slowly planting more and more grasses and forbs. Thanks.  Stan

Response:  Stan, you may start the seeds indoors after you have moist stratified them.  Place the seeds in a zip lock back mixed with moist vermiculite.  Leave them in a refrigerator for 30 days.  Remove and plant in open flats or small pots with sterile soil medium at a depth of 1/8th to 1/4th inch.  They must receive considerable light and warmth to adequately develop.  Once they have started to form the white root, they can be transplanted to your garden or field.  Keep the competition down from weeds and other plants.  They prefer well drained to excessively drained soils in full sun.  They do well in rocky poor soils with maximum exposure to the sun and wind.  If you want to do a dormant seeding, you may spread the seed now or anytime the ground is exposed.  Make sure your seeds are not on frozen ground as they may wash away.  Wait until the ground thaws and spread your seed but only lightly cover with a sprinkling of soil or compost no deeper than 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Nature can then freeze and thaw offering the best stratification.  Once plants are mature, you must be very careful when you attempt to transplant as the roots are very massive and at least 90% of the roots should be dug with plant and immediately transplanted.  You should start seeing blooms the second year and thereafter the plants will grow much stronger and have many blooms in the following years.  If your plants, for some reason die or disappear the following year after planting, they are probably in a poorly adaptable site for this species.

Thanks,

Howard aka "Earthyman"

"Helping You Create Your Own Natural Beauty"

Howard Bright
800-291-2143
1878 Old Mission Drive
Harpers Ferry, IA 52146

To Purchase Butterfly Milkweed Visit us at Ion Exchange, Inc. or Native Wildflowers & Seeds

Why Are Some Wild flowers Highly Scented with Brightly Colored Petals?

Thought You Might Enjoy this Q&A From Ask.com regarding Wildflowers

Question: Why Are Some Wild flowers Highly Scented with Brightly Colored Petals?

Top Answer: Some wild flowers are highly scented with brightly colored petals so as to attract pollinators like insects and birds. The pollinators feed on the nectar and help in distribution from pollen grains from anthers to stigma of the same plant or another plant. This enables continuation of reproduction.

To Purchase Your Native Wildflowers & Seeds Visit Our Nursery Website At Native Wildflowers & Seeds From Ion Exchange, Inc.

Sand Dunes Video Explained by Earthyman From the South Padre Island in Texas

Earthyman views the relationship of Sea Oats in the stabilization of sand dunes on the South Padre Island in Texas

To Purchase Native Wildflowers & Seeds Visit Our Nursery Website at Native Wildflowers & Seeds

The Birth of a Butterfly You Tube Video by jamesmenful

This is not intended for infringement, sound track used and copyright still belongs to the owner.
Background music by longzijun

The Birth of a Butterfly You Tube Video

To Purchase The Bird & Butterfly Attractor Station Plant Starter Kit Visit Our Website At

Ion Exchange, Inc.

Chip in for Monarch Watch! A Fundraising Campaign In Chip’s Honor

“Chip in for Monarch Watch” Fundraising Campaign
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The 2012 “Chip in for Monarch Watch” Fundraising Campaign is now underway!
Please help us spread the word about this annual campaign which brings in
funds to keep Monarch Watch’s education, conservation and research programs
going…and growing!

If you are in a position to offer financial support to Monarch Watch (or if
you know someone who might be), please consider making a fully
tax-deductible donation of any amount during our 2012 “Chip in for Monarch
Watch” fundraising campaign.

Visit http://monarchwatch.org/chip/ for more information or to submit your
pledge and tax-deductible donation. Be sure to check out the comments and
photos submitted by other donors – we are continually amazed by the
connections that are made through monarchs and Monarch Watch.

Last year’s campaign was a huge success, raising more than $31,000 – think
we can top that this year? 

Thank you for your continued support!

Chip in for Monarch Watch:http://monarchwatch.org/chip/

To Purchase Native Wildflowers & Prairie Plants visit Ion Exchange, Inc., at http://ionxchange.com/ or Call Us at 1-800-291-2143

The Great Sunflower Project Article On The BUZZ: Join Us for the Great Bee Count on Saturday, August 11, 2012

The BUZZ: Join Us for the Great Bee Count on Saturday, August 11!

Greetings citizen scientists! Our poll results are in, and, at last count, some 46% of you have sunflowers up and blooming. About one-third (34%) are still waiting for blooms (or encountered an gardening mishap), and another 21% didn’t plant sunflowers this year.

Those of you lucky enough to have sunflowers in bloom are diligently sending in your bee observations. Congratulations to all those who have already had the opportunity to observe, collect and report their data. Well done! Without your thoughtful observations, we would not have the wealth of information that we have to date.

To see results from the project using data reported up to 2012, have a look here: http://www.greatsunflower.org/results#map - you can zoom in on your area, see averages by type of garden and trends by year. Great stuff, and all because of your participation!

It’s important that you keep sending in data, so please join us and thousands of others across the country in The Great Bee Count on Saturday, August 11th.

Even if you do not have blooms on your sunflowers by August 11th, you can still be enjoy, learn and be part of the project by observing bees on other plants that you may have in bloom. Cosmos, tickseed, bee balm and echinacea, are all on our list, so you can collect data on these if your sunflowers are not blooming yet. And, it’s okay if your sunflower hasn’t bloomed yet. They will in time so you can make your 15 minute observation when they do open up.

And, this year, in support of the Great Bee Count, YourGardenShow.com will present a special online live broadcast "Double Feature" on August 11th, from 10am - noon EST (7am to 9am PST). First hour: a special "Ask Ian" Q&A show about pollination and pollinators followed by an hour of moderated interviews with bee experts talking about our pollinator friends. Join us for this one day event!: http://www.yourgardenshow.com/ask-ian

As you can see from our map, bees are declining in certain areas, and there are some areas where we have no data. Could that be your garden? The more we know, the more action will be able to be taken to preserve and enhance pollinator habitat.

Join us on August 11th!

Freddy B

To Purchase Pollinator Seed Mix Click on Ion Exchange, Inc. Link Below

Ion Exchange, Inc. Pollinator Mix

Ion Exchange, Inc.

Ion Exchange Inc., A Native Seed & Plant Nursery Was Quoted In The Wall Street Journal

Howard Bright co-owner with his wife Donna of Ion Exchange Inc. http://ionxchange.com/

was recently quoted in The Wall Street Journal. For anyone who is interested in wildflowers, earth friendly solutions for using native wildflowers for landscaping this article is a must read. In the article you will see and learn how to plant a meadow of wildflowers

The Wall Street Journal Article

Ion Exchange offers easy starter kits Click Link Below To Visit There Website

Ion Exchange, Inc.

  

Canada Anemone Seed Harvest Completed at Ion Exchange, Inc.

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) seed harvest completed at Ion Exchange, native seed and plant nursery in NE Iowa filmed by Earthyman

To Purchase Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) Click on Link Below

Ion Exchange ANEMONE CANADENSIS Canada-Anemone

Ion Exchange, Inc.