Castor oil - growing seedlings. Castor bean planting and care at home. Growing castor beans from seeds, varieties and photos When to plant castor beans

When to sow castor beans?

Preparing castor seeds for sowing

Castor seeds have a very thick and rough shell, so without special preparation they germinate for a very long time or do not germinate at all. One of the methods of preparing for planting is, that is, damage to the seed coat. Rub a castor bean seed on sandpaper.

It is not necessary to wipe the shell through, a slight abrasion is enough for moisture to penetrate the seed and awaken it to germination.

After scarification, soak the seeds in a stimulant solution ("Epin", "NV-101"), strictly observing the concentration and soaking time indicated in the instructions.

If your household has an old thermos that you do not use for food purposes, then you can do without scarification. It is enough to soak the seeds overnight in hot water (+50...+60°C). Remember that castor bean seeds are poisonous, and it is unacceptable to use food utensils to process them.

Soil for castor seedlings

Castor oil does not like transplants, so it is preferable to grow seedlings in peat pots.

Prepare the soil for sowing from soddy or garden soil and sand, taken in equal amounts. Humus can be replaced with well-rotted and sifted. Can also be used for seedlings from the store.

Sowing castor beans for seedlings

Fill the peat pots about 2/3 full with potting soil. The remaining space in the pot is necessary for filling the seeds and further adding the soil in case the castor seedlings stretch out. The soil mixture should be slightly damp. Compact the surface of the soil with a plank.

Castor oil is best sown with a margin. Spread the seeds 2-3 pieces in a pot.

From above, cover the seeds with soil with a layer of 2-2.5 cm.

The layer of soil above the seeds should not be too thin. Small backfill is the reason that castor bean seedlings cannot shed their seed coats. The seed coat does not remain in the ground, but on the cotyledon leaves. Together with the sprout, it is brought to the surface and prevents the development of the seedling. Water generously.

Check seeding depth. If necessary, add some soil to the pot. The walls of the peat pot quickly evaporate moisture. So that the roots of castor bean seedlings do not dry out, you need to maintain a constant humidity of the pot. Place it in a suitable size plastic pot or plastic bag and place it in a warm place where the temperature does not drop below +20...+25°C.

Castor seedlings appear 3-5 days after sowing. At this time, the seedlings need to be put in a bright place.

In order for the seedlings to stretch less from lack of light, if possible, reduce the temperature to + 15 ° C.

Caring for castor seedlings at home

If the seedlings still have not dropped the sticky peel from the cotyledon leaves, then cut it with thin-ended scissors (or manicure). Remove the seed coat with tweezers or a wooden toothpick. It is important to do this on time, before the cotyledons rot.

After the castor bean seeds have fully germinated, remove the extra seedlings, leaving one of the most powerful sprouts in each pot. In order not to disturb the root system of a neighboring seedling, do not pull out the seedlings, but cut them off with scissors as close to the soil surface as possible.

The main care for castor bean seedlings is to maintain constant soil moisture, as well as regular (every 10-14 days) top dressing with complete mineral fertilizers ("Fertika", "Agricola"), which contain not only the main elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) , but also necessary for the full development of trace elements.

What to do if castor bean seedlings stretched out? If the seedlings still stretched out in low light, pour the soil mixture into the pots. Two weeks before planting in a permanent place, start hardening in the fresh air and gradually accustom the castor bean seedlings to the sun's rays.

When to plant castor beans in the ground

It is possible to plant castor beans in a permanent place after really warm weather sets in, since castor beans cannot stand not only frosts, but also prolonged cooling. The earth should warm up to + 13 ... + 15 ° С. The ideal place to land in the middle lane is the south side of a solid fence or house wall. Castor beans are often planted near homes because they are believed to repel flies.

Planting castor beans

Castor bean grows very quickly, so it is very demanding on soil fertility. If the soil in your area is clayey and heavy, then you should work hard and dig a hole measuring 50x50x40 for planting. Fill the hole with peat, humus, turf (or garden) soil and sand in equal amounts, mix well and compact. If you got sandy loamy soil, then you can do without a hole. Just add peat and humus (or well-rotted compost) to the planting site and dig as deep as possible.

Add 30-40 g of complete mineral fertilizer (Nitrofoska, Ammofoska) to each seat and mix well.

Make a hole corresponding to the size of the root ball. Plant a castor bean seedling with a stem depth of 2-3 cm.

Make a small roller around the hole so that water does not spread when watering. Water generously.

After the water is completely absorbed, mulch the plantings with peat. This will protect the soil from excessive drying out and the formation of a soil crust.

Castor bean care is normal: watering, loosening, weeding, top dressing. Such a powerful plant with large leaves, like castor bean, requires abundant watering.

Make sure that the soil is constantly moist and loose, castor oil does not tolerate drying out and compaction of the soil, just like the neighborhood with weeds. And one more important condition for successful cultivation: regular top dressing. Castor beans need to be fed at least once every 2 weeks. Top dressing is best done in liquid form, alternating a solution of mineral fertilizers (1 tablespoon per bucket of water) and mullein infusion (1:10). Top dressing should be done after watering.

This tall ornamental plant adorns many flower beds and gardens, adding a touch of subtropical design. What castor oil looks like, growing from seeds, when to plant, how to do it right, and how to care for the plant - we will talk about this in detail.

The castor bean plant looks like a palm tree - tall, with large maple-like leaves. Seeds ripen in prickly boxes, resembling beans, but distinguished by a beautiful pattern, similar to artistic painting. When the seeds ripen, the pods dry out. At this point, you can remove the seeds for the upcoming planting.

As a tropical plant, the castor plant loves the sun and warmth, prefers loose and soft soil. When growing it, remember - this is a poisonous plant! Only its seeds are life-threatening - just seven things eaten can be a lethal dose for a child, and twenty for an adult.

The most common types of castor beans:

Castor bean seeds can simply be planted in the soil, without prior manipulations, but in this case, seedlings will have to wait a very long time, and out of ten seeds, no more than 6-7 germinate. One of the options is planting castor beans for seedlings at home with further planting of bushes in open ground. When to sow castor beans for seedlings is one of the most important questions. The best time to plant seeds in the soil is early April.

We have already mentioned that the germination of castor bean seeds is far from 100%. At home, the likelihood of good germination is more likely, but not by much. Do I need to soak castor bean seeds before planting? Yes, this makes sense, if you put the seeds in water for one night, it is more likely that the water will get under the shell and the growth process will begin. This process is called stratification.

For soaking, we take ordinary water, and ideally rain or melt water, at room temperature. Water should not be cold, pay attention to this. We place the seeds in a container with water, they should be completely covered. You don’t need to create special conditions, just leave them for a day, and the next day we plant them in the soil.

Castor Seed Scarification

Scarification is a mechanical damage to the hard shell of the seed, it is done so that moisture gets inside the seed as soon as possible, and the growth process begins. This method is widely used for most types of trees and shrubs. Castor bean scarification is done with sandpaper - the seed must be rubbed well. This breaks down the hard shell and gives more room for moisture to get in. After scarification, the seeds should be soaked as described above, after which they can additionally be placed in water with.

If planting castor beans for seedlings was carried out correctly, by June you should have small but strong bushes ready for planting in open ground. Before planting, the plants should be well watered several times so that the whole clod of earth is well soaked. The fact is that, for all its unpretentiousness, castor beans are very afraid of transplantation - the slightest damage to the roots can destroy it, so it should be removed very carefully.

We first prepare a hole in the ground, remove the plant from the pot along with a clod of soil and, without shaking off the ground, place it in open ground. We fill the castor beans with earth, tamp and water abundantly. If the root system is not damaged, the plant adapts very quickly. An adult plant in care is very unpretentious and requires almost no attention.

What is the care of castor beans grown from seeds - in the timely removal of weeds, which at first may prevent it from growing. But even this problem is easy to solve once, . The only thing that should be provided to castor beans in the garden is regular and plentiful watering.

How to plant castor beans from seed?

Consider another option, how castor beans are planted - growing from seeds, when to plant them in open ground, and how to do it correctly. Let's decide on the timing - it should be a warm spring, when you are sure that there will be no more cold snaps. This is done towards the middle of May. Planting seeds in open ground is not very different from the instructions on how to properly plant castor beans for seedlings - you should first rub them with sandpaper, soak them in water for a day, and then in a growth stimulator.

When planting seeds, consider their low germination. In each hole it is worth placing 2 large good seeds or three medium ones. If several sprouts sprout, weaker shoots can be removed immediately. So that the seeds in the soil do not suffer from the cold, the first days after planting it is worth covering the crops with a film at least for the night.

How many castor beans grow?

Castor oil, if it was grown from seeds directly in the ground, sprouts at different times, depending on when to plant, on compliance with the rules for preparing seeds for planting, and on air temperature. If the weather is already warm, there are no cold snaps at night, and the first days of sowing were carried out under a film, then it is not difficult to predict how many days castor bean sprouts - normally it is 7-10 days.

If you did not soak the seeds, did not do the scarification procedure, but simply planted them in the hole, you will have to wait a little longer for seedlings - they are unlikely to appear earlier than in two weeks. Crops that have been very cold in the soil germinate even longer, and the first sprouts may have to wait about a month.

Castor oil, which is easy to grow from seeds, is liked by many gardeners because of its exotic and decorative appearance. This plant is able to decorate almost any area.

If you create optimal conditions for the growth of castor beans, then over time it will turn into a palm-shaped plant, which will differ from the rest in height and originality. How to grow castor beans?

Description of the castor bean

Thanks to castor bean, on a small plot of land you can create something like subtropics. This plant is quite powerful in appearance and is able to withstand even the most difficult conditions. Caring for castor beans does not cause any particular difficulties.

plant name - castor bean. However, it unites many varieties and varieties of this plant, which have certain differences. First of all, it concerns color and shape.

Such an abundance of varieties indicates that this plant has been grown for a long time in various countries with completely different climatic conditions. This plant is currently considered the most popular and grown in many countries. Its homeland is Africa.

Type of castor bean plant

At home, this plant is grown as a perennial. In other countries, castor oil is used only to create original landscape design. Here it is an annual plant that can grow up to 5 meters in height.

Externally, this plant has enough strong stem and large leaves that resemble maple leaves. To get an original garden plot, it is not necessary to plant a plantation. Just a few plants are enough. It is worth considering that the castor bean grows quickly and strongly.

How to choose a place to land

Propagation of this plant is carried out by planting seeds. Growing it is not difficult.

The main thing is to properly grow and take good care of the seedlings. First of all, one should choose a suitable place for the plant in your area.

In this case, you should adhere to the following rules:

Choose a site with loose and nutritious soil, which is well moistened and cultivated. It is best to use black soil. There must be good drainage.
The site should be located on the sunny side. The plant needs a lot of light.
The site must be protected from the wind from all sides. Castor oil feels uncomfortable in a draft. This is reflected in her growth.

When to plant seeds

Castor seeds are far from uncommon. Buying them is not difficult. Planting material should be planted according to the scheme: to obtain seedlings - March to April, in open ground - around May.

The most popular way is to grow seedlings. After receiving high-quality planting material, you can start planting in open ground. The advantages of this method are that young plants can be planted on the site immediately after the frost has passed.

Before planting seeds, it should be noted that castor beans grow very quickly. In order not to injure the roots once again, the seeds should plant in small containers separately.

In order for the planting material to rise well, experts recommend before planting put seeds in water for a day. Soak them only in warm water. In this case, the fluid must be constantly changed. Water must always be fresh.

In order for the root system of plants to be well fixed in the soil, it is necessary to place the seeds in containers at a depth of 2-6 centimeters. Caring for the plant is quite simple.

Tanks after planting castor seeds should be cover with dark cellophane. After that, pots with future seedlings should be placed on a windowsill that is well lit. It is not necessary to water the soil regularly. This can kill seedlings. You should not do this either before landing or after it. When the first shoots appear, you can moisten the soil.

Sprouted plants can be transplanted immediately after the nights become warmer. Castor beans should not be planted before the spring frosts have passed. Plants will simply die.

Do not forget that castor bean seedlings are very tender. Transplanting can greatly affect the condition of plants. Therefore, you need to work carefully.

Planting seeds in open ground

This is another equally popular landing method. It should be noted that this method has its own characteristics. They should be taken into account. Otherwise, the plants will die.

First of all, you need to wait until frost will be completely gone. The air temperature at night should not fall below 12 °C. Landing in open ground is carried out according to the following scheme:

Seed preparation. The oily film that covers castor bean seeds is quite dense. Therefore, every seed is worth processing. To do this, you need to walk along the surface of the planting material with sandpaper. This will allow the sprouts to germinate much faster. This period will be up to 3 weeks.
Planting seeds. Castor beans should be planted in well-warmed soil. The depth of the holes should be 2-10 centimeters. It is recommended to put several seeds in one hole.

Care rules

Nobody takes care of the castor bean, which grows in its homeland - in Africa, but our lands and climate are alien to this beautiful foreigner.

Therefore, if you undertook to grow such "palm trees" in your area, make sure that the plants receive everything they need for development and growth.

High-quality and complete care is the key to a beautiful and healthy plant. The main thing is to follow a few basic rules:

good watering;
draft protection;
enough light;
high-quality fertilizers and timely top dressing;
temperature compliance.

Castor beans grow very quickly from seeds. Main, observe watering rules. It must be timely. Experts recommend watering castor beans every five days. Under each bush it is necessary to pour up to 10 liters of water.

After such watering, all weeds can be removed. Young sprouts will only be grateful for this. It is worth noting that good watering during seed ripening, as well as when flower stalks appear, is very important for these plants. Castor bean grows throughout the summer season.

In order for the castor bean to be strong, it is necessary feed her in a timely manner. In this case, the characteristics of the plant should be taken into account. Here are some rules:

The application of nitrogen fertilizers should be carried out before the castor plant begins its flowering.
Potassium-phosphorus additives should be applied to the soil when the plant begins to lay flower brushes.

Pests and diseases dangerous for castor beans

Castor bean is a robust plant that can withstand the attacks of many pests. However, there are situations when the plant begins to get sick.

As for insects, castor beans are often attacked by sandy lingers, meadow moths, winter scoop caterpillars, false wireworms and wireworms.

They can harm young seedlings. Protect the plant from these insects should be in cases where the seeds are planted in the ground. Often, castor bean boxes are attacked by meadow bugs during the flowering period.

Caterpillars are easy to deal with. If there are few insects, then they can be collected manually. If there are a lot of them, then it is necessary additional processing of plants. To do this, you can use the infusion of wormwood.

For cooking, grind the herb and pour it with water. Raw materials need to fill a third of the bucket. Water must be poured to the very brim. It takes several days to insist on such a remedy.

You can protect castor beans from pests in another way. It is enough to place near it herb plantings, for example, with parsley, mint, dill, coriander, garlic and onion.

To protect the seedlings from the wireworm, it is necessary to process the holes during the planting process potassium permanganate solution.

Castor oil is a non-capricious plant that is easy to care for. However, it is worth monitoring the condition of the plant. Castor bean is susceptible to infection by diseases such as:

Fungal diseases.
Powdery dew.
Late blight.
Phyllosticosis.
Cercosporiosis, bacteriosis, black, gray and pink rot.

To protect landings, treat them with Bordeaux mixture. In addition, other drugs can be used, but with a similar mechanism of action.

Cultivation of castor beans will not cause concern, it is unpretentious. It just needs to be properly planted and cared for. But even for it, suitable conditions must be created. It is important to choose a landing site, because open space with winds and drafts will have a negative effect on castor beans.

Soil and lighting requirements

It is best to plant a palm tree on the sunny side (although it can also grow in partial shade), because it does not feel well during a prolonged cold snap. Spring frosts can destroy the plant, so you should not rush to plant it in the ground. The soil is suitable loose and nutritious, cultivated. The ideal option would be black soil. If the castor beans grow in the shade, the leaves will be large and green. In the sun, the leaves will turn red and smaller.

Soil moisture

Humidification of the area where the castor beans are planted should be sufficient. If there is no rain for a long time, a growing palm tree must be regularly provided with moisture. From the moment of flowering to the moment of seed formation, close attention must be paid to watering castor beans. When transplanting a seedling into the ground from a pot, it is necessary to water it with warm water, in no case not cold well water.

Reproduction of castor

Castor beans are propagated by seeds that ripen in fruits (they are some kind of spherical boxes covered with thorns) in several pieces. The seeds themselves can be bought at a flower shop or collected by yourself from those flowers that grow on a garden plot. If you sow seeds in order to get seedlings, the best period for this is March and April, if in open ground, then not earlier than May.

Planting castor seeds

Most often, castor beans are planted by seedlings. This is done so that miniature seedlings grown at home can be planted in the ground after the frost time is over.

To plant seeds at home, you can use flower pots or plastic buckets, you can cut plastic bottles and plant them in them. The earth will do the most ordinary. Fill the pots with it about halfway, and deepen the seed by 1-2 centimeters. All containers should be on the sunny side. Water abundantly, but do not flood. Seedlings will appear within a week. If the seed itself is difficult to get rid of the oily peel, you can help him with tweezers. After all, if the peel remains, the process of decay is inevitable.

When is the best time to plant seeds?

The most favorable time for the development of castor seedlings is the period from the second half of March to the first half of June. But only seedlings that are sown around mid-April will develop most rapidly, will not outgrow and stretch. Castor bean will be able to grow in one season into a strong, powerful, healthy and beautiful plant, on which excellent seeds will subsequently appear and ripen. During sowing, it must be taken into account that the germination of palm seeds is approximately 50 percent.

Seed scarification

Since the castor bean seed shell is quite thick, it is quite acceptable to use scarification, that is, mechanically damage the seed shell. This can be done with a simple nail file or sandpaper by running them over the shell several times. Thanks to this simple action, water will flow into the seeds much faster, and the sprout will develop faster. If the gardener does not accept this method, it is enough to soak the seeds for about forty-eight hours before planting. If there is simply no such time, you can use any growth stimulator - "Epin", "NV-101", "Heteroauxin" or any other. In this case, the night will be enough.

seedling care

Palm seedlings develop very quickly. The stems grow even before the birth of the first leaves, with the appearance of which it is more correct to transfer the seedlings to another, cooler (about 15-16 ° C) room. In the pots gradually, as the flowers are pulled out, it is necessary to fill the earth almost to the edge. The main thing to remember is that for the good growth of castor beans, heat and water are needed.

Seedling dive

If the plants are too stretched up, you can move them to another bucket, higher and more spacious. This will make them much more comfortable. Each container should contain no more than two seedlings. When they reach a height of 20 centimeters, either leave one plant and cut the other at the root, or transplant the second into another pot. It is not necessary to feed, the main thing is to water systematically and in sufficient quantities.

When the spring frosts are over, it's time to plant palm trees in the ground. In order not to injure the roots of young seedlings, it is necessary to water them well with water before planting. Thus, a lump of earth will remain intact and "settled" in the earth. If initially the seeds were planted in peat-humus pots, then you can replant with them, adding a little wood ash as a mineral fertilizer.

Castor bean care

Since the local palm is a rather unpretentious plant, it is not difficult to care for it. The curiosity in adulthood reaches 2-3 meters, and even the leaves are large and wide. With such dimensions, it is difficult for a palm tree to grow straight up. It is better to put a support for comfortable conditions for her life.

Watering and fertilizing adult plants

Castor beans should be watered once every 5-7 days. She will not survive the drought, especially when the flowering period begins. Under each plant it is necessary to pour at least a bucket of water. Before the formation of inflorescences, the introduction of nitrogen is useful. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers will be very useful when laying a flower brush. It is necessary to wage an ongoing war with weeds, since it is still difficult for a young plant to overcome them on its own.

Collection of castor seeds

If castor beans are grown in seedlings, then the plant will not only be strong and pleasing to the eye, but will give seeds in gratitude. After the flowers fade on the palm tree, they are replaced by decorative fruits that look like prickly balls, inside which the seeds ripen. In order for them to be of high quality, 2-3 of the strongest upper inflorescences are left, and everything else is removed.

Once the seed pod is dry and brown, the seeds can be harvested. When the summer is warm with moderate rainfall, castor beans will bloom until late autumn, full-fledged seeds are formed in the fruits. If the summer weather is cool and “pleasant” with incessant water from heaven, the fruits will most likely rot and the seeds will not wait.

Protection from pests and diseases

To protect castor beans from diseases and pests, certain measures are provided:

local palm seeds are harvested exclusively from clean plots of land;
correct crop rotation (planted on the same plot no more than once every eight years);
breed varieties that are sufficiently resistant to the most dangerous diseases;
diseases should be monitored during the growing season;
obligatory observance of technology of cultivation of a castor bean.

Castor bean in the garden landscape

Landscaping a garden plot, we not only give birth to an amazing landscape, but also acquire responsibility. When choosing different plants, remember that some can be poisonous. If in any of the flowers or trees there is no confidence in its safety and harmlessness, it is better not to take risks or resort to the services of specialists.

Exoticism is also popular on earth, because every owner of the site wants to show off something special, something that neighbors or friends do not have. But not all "green foreigners" feel good in our climate. So we have to replace them with local twins. Castor beans can also be attributed to such a twin, because it is very similar to the African palm tree.

Castor oil is planted as an ornamental plant. It looks great on a large plot both alone and in a group of up to five pieces, consisting only of castor beans. If the group is mixed, there will be no strong effect. The local palm tree looks good next to the clematis stretching along the supporting mesh, with the monard, phlox, mallow, or as a decoration for a low wall. Everything will depend on the possibility of implementing the plan and the taste of the owner.
Yulia Petrichenko, expert

Safety precautions for growing castor beans

Since the castor bean, or ricinus, is a prominent member of the Euphorbia family, it is extremely poisonous to humans and animals. It is necessary to plant, care for, collect castor bean seeds only with gloves so that there is no direct contact with the skin.

Castor oil, obtained from palm seeds in pharmacological factories, loses its toxic properties during the pressing process. This is followed by additional processing, finally destroying the remnants of the poison. Only after all these manipulations is it allowed to use castor oil in official medicine. But in home production it is impossible to isolate all the toxic substances, therefore, the use of self-prepared castor oil will lead to tragedy.

If until the next planting of seeds they will be stored in the house, it is necessary to make sure that small children (if they are in the family) cannot reach them. The ideal option would be to be patient until the baby stops getting to know the world around him “by the tooth”.

Any kind of work with castor oil should be done only by putting gloves on your hands. All its parts are poisonous, even the cake, although it is used to control pests of the soil cover. Under no circumstances should you ingest castor bean seeds - the content of the poisonous substance ricin in them can lead to death (6 seeds are enough for babies, 20 for adults). It is better for children not to approach this plant. To avoid accidents, after working with castor beans, be sure to wash your hands as thoroughly as possible with laundry soap.

Growing a plant, the image of which adorned the walls of temples in Thebes, is by no means difficult. You need desire, attention, a little work and the flavor of the subtropics in your summer cottage is provided.

What do you, dear readers, know about castor beans? Have you ever wondered how the Zanzibar castor bean differs from the Indian castor bean? Why does the combination of castor bean borbon and castor bean Gibson look beautiful in one area? Share your experience of growing such palm trees in the comments and try to find answers to these interesting questions.