Content
Other entries about castor oil plant
Once I saw a strange plant resembling a palm tree, with large gorgeous leaves, a bit like maple leaves, I could no longer forget it. Therefore, I decided at all costs to grow this in my garden. Castor oil plant, and just like that ...
Castor oil plant has not sprouted for half a month already. Does it need to be watered when planting and growing? Do you need to soak just one night or more?
Until now, in the south, the "paradise-tree" - castor oil plant has not lost its attractiveness. This is what it was called in Ancient Egypt, where temples were consecrated with oil obtained from seeds. But the Russian name for castor oil plant is associated with its prickly fruits, strong ...
Do I need to dig up castor oil plants for the winter?
Once on the train, a fellow traveler said that he was planting about five decorative castor beetles in potatoes on his plot - and there were no Colorado beetles. I did not find such information on the Internet. Maybe someone has experience? Then I started to find out, it turned out ...
For the first time I planted castor bean seeds, on March 13, signs of sprouts already appeared, and how they began to actively germinate. Yesterday a whole leaf unfolded in a day, the growth rates are incredible. The shell of the seeds is very tough, so I was sure that the seeds ...
See all materials
about castor oil plant :
See all
Castor oil plant, or caster (Ricinus) is a perennial plant of the Euphorbiaceae family, native to the tropics and subtropics. In Siberia, it grows beautifully as an annual culture. This beauty even in Altai reaches 2-3 meters in height, expanding its almost meter-long leaves with very beautiful peduncles, looks very impressive and leaves no one indifferent.
 |
| Magnificent castor oil plant |
Even I succumbed to her charm and every year I definitely find a place for her in my small summer cottage! I know of two types of castor beans - red and green. Both visited my dacha, now the red one is growing.
The castor oil plant is still a guest from warm countries, so it needs to be grown through seedlings. Sowing is carried out in late February - early March, I use my seeds. They ripen well even in the short Siberian summer, are stored for 4 or more years, and their germination is excellent.
It is very easy to prepare seeds in any quantity. I have enough for myself, and many friends, and gardeners I know.
 |
| Castor bean seeds |
It is only strictly necessary to remember that castor bean seeds are very poisonous, they must be stored away from children and food!
Poisoning with the protein toxin ricin contained in these harmless-looking beans-like seeds can be devastating. The lethal dose for an adult is 20 seeds, and for a child - only 6 pieces!
For planting, I use ordinary garden soil without additives. The sowing depth is 3-4 cm. The castor bean sprouts very powerfully, immediately shoots out shoots up to 15 cm high. I immediately thin out the seedlings at a distance of 5 cm from each other, so that it would be convenient to plant the castor beans later. When thinning, it is better not to pull out the excess, but to cut off with scissors.
 |
| Castor bean sprout |
The seedlings grow very quickly, and if necessary, I transplant the plants into separate containers with a volume of 3-5 liters. The containers should be filled no more than a third, so that as the seedlings grow, you can add earth when the castor bean begins to stretch. It is convenient to use flowerpots for indoor flowers for this, because small palm trees are already a decoration of the apartment!
 |
| Small palms are already a decoration of the apartment! |
It is advisable to plant seedlings in two pieces in a container.Only when the young castor oil plant reaches a height of 15–20 cm should one plant be left in each container, and the excess seedlings should be cut with scissors at the root. You can, if required, and plant in another place. Top dressing of seedlings is not needed, but it is required to water it regularly and abundantly. Now, until the landing itself, the castor oil plant does not cause problems, only it needs the sun and warmth. The bigger, the better! By the time of planting in the ground, the growth of seedlings reaches 1 meter.
 |
| Castor bean seedlings before planting |
I land when the threat of frost has passed, in Altai this is the first decade of June. The castor bean seedling is simply shaken out of the container and lowered into the hole prepared in advance.
The roots of the seedlings are so intertwined that the clod of earth does not even crumble. I level it, make a hole about a meter in diameter, water it abundantly - and that's it!
Under favorable conditions, castor oil plants grow up to 3 meters! During the summer, castor bean does not require any care, it grows by leaps and bounds! When I feed different crops, and for this I use a solution of bird droppings 1:20, then I always pour the remains and the thick under the castor bean. And she is so glad of that! Almost says thank you! Now just have time to water, more often and more abundantly, and until autumn this beauty will delight everyone with her splendor! Especially when giant peduncles up to 1 meter in size appear. A bouquet made of them will not leave anyone indifferent!
For myself, I also leave one, the most mature, for seeds. After all, I part with castor oil only until next spring.
 |
| Castor oil plant and me |
Say what you like, but beauty is a terrible force!
In household plots, you can often see a tall, powerful bush with wide patterned leaves. This is a castor oil plant. Planting and caring for the plant does not require special skills, so it is quite easy to grow a kind of palm tree in front of the house. It quickly stretches upward and gives the garden an original rainforest look.
Description of the plant
The native land of the castor oil plant is African countries. In subtropical climates, it grows like a perennial and often reaches 9-10 m in height. In our country, the plant does not withstand the harsh winter, and therefore it is planted every spring from seeds and looked after as an annual.
The main decoration of the castor oil plant is bright leaves, consisting of several lobes and somewhat resembling maple leaves. They create a unique atmosphere in the garden. In the middle of summer, the plant produces small stems on which nondescript flowers bloom. The pollination of castor bean occurs with the help of the wind, so the flowers do not have a strong odor to attract bees, and do not differ in the brightness of the colors. After flowering, balls appear, completely covered with needles. They contain many seeds that are harvested in sunny weather, dried and stored until spring to be used for planting.
Important!
Do not forget that castor oil plants are very poisonous. Inside its flowers and seeds is ricinin, which is very dangerous to humans. Therefore, the cultivation and care of castor oil plants require compliance with safety rules. Always wash your hands after handling it and protect them with gloves when collecting seeds. Keep small children away from the plant and be sure to keep the planting material out of their hands.
Valuable castor oil is extracted from castor bean. Experts do not advise doing this on your own by watching a training video on the Internet. It is possible to completely get rid of toxic substances only at a pharmacological enterprise using special technology. It will not be possible to cleanse the seeds from the poison at home, and the cooked oil, instead of benefit, will seriously harm or even lead to tragedy.
Variety selection
In nature, there is one type of plant - castor oil plant. By the method of crossing, scientists have bred different varieties that differ from each other in the color of shoots and leaves.Therefore, each grower can choose their favorite color, ranging from bright green to burgundy.
The most popular undersized varieties:
- "Zanzibar" - grows up to 2 m and has red-purple shoots;
- "Gibson" - reaches 1.5 m and is distinguished by the metallic sheen of the leaves;
- "Kazachka" - this variety, bred by domestic breeders, grows no more than 2 m. It stands out favorably against the background of others with a variegated red-green color and bright red flowers.
Of the high varieties of castor bean often planted "Northern Palm", which has powerful green shoots and leaves.
How to plant seedlings
The castor oil plant is afraid of even minor frosts, so its cultivation will be more successful if the seedlings are prepared. It should be planted at the end of March.
The seeds of the plant are dense, germinate for a long time without careful preparation and have a low germination rate. Therefore, first you need to do seed scarification. To do this, they need to be gently rubbed with sandpaper from all sides. This helps open up the tough shell and makes it easier for the seeds to germinate. Then, overnight, the planting material is soaked in water or in a solution to stimulate growth. Means "Heteroauxin" or "Epin" will do.
To make care for castor bean seedlings easier, it is advisable to grow it in liter plastic cups. Fill them in half with fertile soil and plant 2 seeds in each, deepening them 2 cm into the ground.Pour lightly with water, cover with plastic wrap, put in a sunny place and wait for shoots. As soon as the first shoots appear, remove the film, providing the seedlings with full care, which consists in regular watering and gentle loosening of the soil in cups.
The castor oil plant grows rapidly. When it has several leaves and it reaches a height of 10 cm, it can be transplanted into open ground. But this should be done not earlier than the last night frosts are over, otherwise the tender seedlings may die. The optimal time is late May or early June.
Soil transplant
Prepare the bed a week before planting castor bean. Choose a sunny spot for her, protected from wind and draft. Loose fertile soil with constant moisture is ideal. Dig small holes 40 cm deep and 50 cm apart. Fill them a third with manure, sprinkle with earth and cover with oilcloth. In 7 days, manure will warm the soil. This will help the seedlings take root faster and make growing easier.
- Fill well the glasses with castor bean sprouts with water. This will form a wet ball around the root system.
- Then carefully remove the plants along with a lump of earth and place them in the prepared holes, from which you first remove the oilcloth.
- Cover with earth, tamp lightly and pour.
Planting castor oil plants in open ground is possible without preparing seedlings. It germinates well from seeds right in the garden and grows well, if night frosts do not interfere. At the end of May, dig shallow holes in the flower bed, wet them with water and put a few prepared seeds in each. Cover with soil and water the garden bed. If the air temperature is high enough, the first shoots will not be long in coming. When they grow up, leave one shoot in the holes, and carefully cut the rest at the root with a sharp knife.
Growing a plant from seeds in the open field has one significant drawback. If the summer is cool, and early autumn follows it, the castor oil plant will not have time to fully ripen the seeds. And next year they will have to be bought for planting in the store.
How to care for an exotic garden decoration
The plant is unpretentious, so caring for the castor oil plant is easy. Pay special attention to watering. Small shoots planted in the soil literally in a month reach a height of 1-1.5 meters and continue to actively develop. They constantly need moisture. Therefore, the main care is regular watering.Spend it every 5-6 days, pouring 10 liters of water under each bush. When flowers appear, watering should be increased, especially if the summer is too hot.
So that the weeds do not interfere with the castor bean seedlings and drown out its growth, they must be systematically weeded. On the 2nd day, after each watering, be sure to loosen the soil. Such maintenance will prevent the formation of a dense crust on the soil and enrich the earth with oxygen.
Since the castor oil plant grows tall and branched, it is difficult for the root system to keep it upright. Many summer residents drive pegs around the plant, pull a dense thread and hold a young bush with such a support.
Do I need to feed the castor oil plant?
Plant care is not complete without regular feeding. For the rapid growth and development of castor bean shoots, nitrogen is needed. Be sure to apply nitrogen fertilizer a week before flowering. Organic poultry manure can be applied, which is a good source of nitrogen.
Advice
Do not use pure fresh droppings. It contains a high concentration of uric acid, which can damage the roots.
- To prepare the top dressing, pour water into a large iron bucket and dilute chicken droppings in it in a ratio of 10: 1.
- Leave the container in the fresh air for 10 days, during which do not forget to stir occasionally.
- During this time, the droppings will ferment. Place a half-liter jar of fertilizer under each castor plant. Such care will greatly improve her growth.
When the brush of the flower is practically formed, you need to fertilize the earth with phosphorus-potassium fertilizing. A new product called AVA has proven itself well. In addition to phosphorus and potassium, it contains 9 substances that improve plant growth. The drug must be diluted and introduced into the soil strictly according to the instructions.
Instead of purchased fertilizer, you can use wood ash. This top dressing fully enriches the soil with phosphorus and potassium. To prepare the solution, you will need to stir 150 g of ash in 10 liters of water and carefully pour half a liter of liquid under each plant.
Sandy slow
Diseases and pests
Castor oil plant is very hardy and practically does not get sick. If you notice that its leaves have begun to turn yellow and look inconspicuous, most likely they lack moisture. Increase watering, after which thoroughly loosen the soil.
Rarely, a bush is affected by gray or black rot, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. When this happens, the timely removal of infected shoots, leaves and treatment with Bordeaux liquid will help.
Sometimes pests begin to erode the castor oil plant. The main ones are:
- wireworm;
- sandy linger;
- caterpillars of meadow moth and winter moth;
- meadow bugs.
To prevent the appearance of a wireworm in the garden, before planting castor bean, pour a little weak manganese solution into each hole.
Collect the caterpillars on the castor oil plant with your hands and then treat with a solution of wormwood.
- Collect half a bucket of fresh herb. Cut it with a knife and top up the bucket with water.
- Insist 3-4 days, then strain and spray the leaves and soil under the castor oil plant.
Spices will help scare off pests from the flower bed. Plant mint or dill near the castor oil plant. Their strong smell will not allow harmful insects to settle in the garden.
Minimal outdoor care for castor bean will help turn your backyard into a chic exotic place. Many summer residents are happy to plant it along the fence. The tall plant reliably hides the yard from prying eyes and also absorbs dust and smog from the road.
Castor bean cultivation is also used in landscape design. It looks great in a flowerbed along with other flowers.
