SOIL FOR THE PLANTER BOXES:
three-quarters composting soil
one-quarter dirt from your yard
ANTS:
Don’t use an excessive amount of fertilizer in the planter boxes.
Too much fertilizer attracts ants.
Ants, at the very least, irritate the caterpillars.
WHICH MILKWEED IS BEST:
Some literature says that using the milkweed ‘cassaivea’ is not good because it carries a virus.
These sources say that it is best to use native California milkweed
BEWARE OF MILKWEED SEEDS:
Usually, these seeds have been treated with insecticide, so the plant that these seeds produce will kill caterpillars.