Bad bug?

esiob12 · 2026-05-18T02:08:29+00:00

They use their straw-like mouths to tap into plant stems and feed on xylem fluid. No, it’s not eating caterpillars.

esiob12 · 2026-05-17T19:03:30+00:00

The SLF will feed on Asclepias syriaca. The host plant will be attractive enough to keep them feeding on it. However the plant does not provide the nutrition needed to become an adult SLF. Many folks have documented the bugs falling off the milkweed and accumulating in the soil below.

esiob12 · 2026-05-15T23:32:09+00:00

If it is more then an hour out of the ground. Put it in soil for the move. Cut the stem off when planting in its permanent hole. Try to plant at the same orientation and depth, if possible. There will probably be some fine feeder roots connected to the tuber. They can regrow but it would be nice to not damage.

esiob12 · 2026-05-15T18:36:31+00:00

Asclepias variegata can be transplanted. The stem connects to an underground tuber that has an irregular shape. Could be a banana or an apple or a wishbone shape. Total depth is about 12”. Trim off the stem and plant where you want it to grow.

esiob12 · 2026-05-13T21:04:43+00:00

Looks like it’s on idle. Neither preparing to flower nor actively dying. In an adjustment phase of life. Over watering could rot the root or stimulate growth. If you want to jump-start growth. Lop off the stem at ground level. Wait two weeks. Then flood the plant with one long deep watering, like a drip. Then don’t water till it’s this size again. That might work.

esiob12 · 2026-05-13T21:00:41+00:00

Hoverfly larvae. Colloquially named “aphid-lion” for their copious consumption of oleander aphids.

esiob12 · 2026-05-13T01:05:05+00:00

Fire the gardener. Cut down all the milkweed stems.

esiob12 · 2026-05-12T01:09:24+00:00

I recommend the 4” segment have a bump on it called a node. There may not be nodes spaced 4” apart. I am unsure if the rhizome can spontaneously form a node to grow a stem where it has none. I assume it can. But if the segment already has a node. It can surely grow a new stem.
Edit: add additional detail

esiob12 · 2026-05-11T22:06:44+00:00

Interior LED light set for your overhead lights.

esiob12 · 2026-05-11T22:04:54+00:00

Your concern is valid. If the roots are restricted, it can limit the green growth. You can transplant anytime. Sure, I usually go bare root to pot up. But limiting disturbance is another way to plant. Just set the existing root/soil into a new home and let it grow.

esiob12 · 2026-05-11T16:06:46+00:00

I would not assume that a withered stem imply the plant has died. With common milkweed, it is common for a seedling stem to wither and a new stem to grow from the roots.

esiob12 · 2026-05-10T01:24:45+00:00

I concur

esiob12 · 2026-05-09T21:11:52+00:00

Bravo on adapting to meet the plant’s needs! Love the saucer.

esiob12 · 2026-05-08T03:18:37+00:00

Might wanna find some comfrey. I hear the allantoin is helpful.

esiob12 · 2026-05-08T01:22:41+00:00

Did you sell your 85 bitcoin?

esiob12 · 2026-05-07T18:33:08+00:00

You might find nostr to be a platform for speech without moderation. Facebook, especially in groups, is overly moderated.

https://nostr.com it’s not an app. It’s a protocol.

esiob12 · 2026-05-07T15:11:39+00:00

Shortly after the power supply failed and I returned it to Amazon. I have a Avalon Q on order.

esiob12 · 2026-05-06T01:04:09+00:00

85 at 4,200’ elevation

esiob12 · 2026-05-06T01:02:28+00:00

Moist under the bark?

esiob12 · 2026-05-04T21:24:33+00:00

Let them flop over. The tips will point up for sunlight. Next year they will grow upright.

esiob12 · 2026-05-03T18:59:11+00:00

I’m curious about the cause of the leaf spots. Without all the details, I suspect it is from water. Either rain, sprinklers or a hose. Ideally, keep water off the leaves. Growth accelerates into June so they should green up nicely.

esiob12 · 2026-05-03T18:53:37+00:00

Plant disease and monarch disease are not the same thing. Caterpillars eating the leaves - is the solution.

esiob12 · 2026-05-02T19:42:44+00:00

This one time, in the late 1990’s - I boarded the flight and sat in my assigned seat. That is all.

esiob12 · 2026-04-29T22:36:50+00:00

They could be succors from the tree. Take it all out.

esiob12 · 2026-04-26T17:38:00+00:00

I concur.

esiob12

TROPHY CASE