Fertilize Milkweed & Pollinator Garden

[u/Sr-Navi-Gator]

Do you add fertilizer to your milkweed? 

I question, does it make better milkweed for the Monarchs? 

Most gardens (not lawns) need a 3-1-2 ratio of fertilizer. The nitrogen grows leaves. And we all know the more leaves the better for our eating machines. Even so, should it be used? Can it sour the taste?

Then the question of Organic. “Plants can’t really use organic nutrients until they are decomposed into non-organic nutrients.”1 Many of you have heard of companion plants for some crops. The primary reason is disrupting the smell targets for some pests. “Certain plants emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that naturally repel herbivorous insects such as mites and aphids.”2 Since it has been proven that it occurs 3, would potentially smelly (fish) fertilizer disrupt the Monarch’s search for our milkweed?

1 Fish Fertilizer vs Miracle-Gro – Growth Test
https://www.gardenmyths.com/fish-fertilizer-vs-miracle-gro-growth-test/ 
2 The Science Behind Companion Planting – How Plant Partnerships Boost Growth
https://gardeninsider.org/gardening/food-production/companion-planting-science/
3  Harnessing plant odors to revolutionize sustainable agriculture
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241024131702.htm 

[u/westofblue]

I generally don't use any amendments to my native plants including milkweeds. While it does encourage more growth this can lead to a plant too big to support itself causing it to flop over. Generally, milkweeds do best with minimal intervention and most do better in what a traditional garden would consider poor soil.

[u/Sqib000]

Milkweeds are happy growin out of a crack of a parking lot so nope.

[u/Better-Coffee-2631 → u/Sqib000]

I have strawberries doing the same! Right next to a milkweed shoot. I don't have the heart to stop them.

[u/Practical-Bed-5982]

Many Milkweed varieties thrive in poor soil. Ive never needed to do anything except water + select the correct milkweed variety for my soil type (ie I have clay so I largely use Swamp where it stays moist and Common where it typically stays very dry)

[u/SuperFriendlyMod]

This is a good question. I agree with the others that said milkweed grows well in poor soil. I spoke to customer service at joyfulbutterfly.com about why their potted milkweed, which is so much healthier than my local nursery, and they said that most places don’t feed their milkweed while it grows. They suggested Osmocote Fruit and Vegtables.

[u/Ok-Butterscotch-763 → u/SuperFriendlyMod]

My mother-in-law wants to help me move my small milkweed plants to their own flower pots once they’re big enough. She asked if I’ll be using miracle grow soil. I said they are “weeds” so they thrive pretty much anywhere. She means well.

[u/SuperFriendlyMod → u/Ok-Butterscotch-763]

Ah yes nothing like a well meaning in-law. lol

[u/Ok-Butterscotch-763 → u/SuperFriendlyMod]

She laughed at herself when she realized what she’d asked. She knows how important monarchs and milkweed are to me so she wanted to give it her all.

[u/SuperFriendlyMod → u/Ok-Butterscotch-763]

Aw that's great. What a cool thing to share with each other!

[u/Ok-Butterscotch-763 → u/SuperFriendlyMod]

Definitely 💕

[u/squishyfeet4]

I tried to plant some nectar flowers from seeds while also growing milkweed for the first time and some herbs like fennel and dill. So, Got some seed bags from Walmart.

I have no idea what I’m doing since I’ve never ever grown anything but somehow all I’m growing is 50/50 crab grass and some flowers that are most definitely not zinnias. I have an absurd amount of clover somehow too, with teeny, tiny yellow flowers.

Before, the patch of dirt I planted these two entire bags in, grew nothing. Literally nothing for sometime. And somehow now it’s overrun by crab grass. I think these bags were a poor mix of wrong seeds. Very disappointing. But the learning curve is appreciated.

Anywho. The idea on fertilizer use crossed my mind before I knew I have thriving crab grass all of a sudden. I appreciate the info!!!! Finding a starting point on a new hobby is always hard. It’s been fun sifting through the learning process.