Mine have grown very well this year, I'll definitely be growing more next year, I'll probably try a few different varieties. This year I've been very lucky and so far this autumn they haven't been damaged by frost. I was expecting the frosts to kill them in September.
I was amazed at the value you give to this species. Here where I live (Sao Paulo, Brazil) this plant is extremely common, even being considered a pest due to the speed with which it can occupy a piece of land. Furthermore, I always found it beautiful, mainly because of the shape of the leaves, I had no idea that there were a number of people who cultivated it for its ornamental value.
In Temperate countries it's grown as an annual and there are many different varieties which have been bred for growing in gardens. Although I know in tropical and sub tropical countries it can be a weed that grows out of control.
I planted my castor bean plant in the front of my place and watch how it was growing and looking very healthy then someone stole it dug it up and smooth the dirt out like it was never there. I was so hurt I wanted to cry .
They are very easy to grow from seed, but make sure you have a lot of space as these plants will grow very fast, especially if you live somewhere with warm summers.
Just a point, wearing gloves just to handle the seeds etc is not necessary. I have grown Castor Oil in my gardens for some 30 plus years, handling and potting up plants, pruning them, all the time, I've never died yet and haven't got tentacles or a third arm growing. Been growing it both in Australia, where it usually survives all year, at 33 Degrees South Latitude and in New Zealand at 44 Degrees South Latitude as a mostly Summer plant (occasionally, like this last Winter, numerous plants do survive Winter with some measure of frost damage), but come away again come Springtime. I bring some small potted specimens inside for the Winter plus have a stockpile of saved seeds so I can start new plants again in Spring if necessary. As some plants have previously ripened seeds outside, seeds naturally scatter around the garden and fall amongst other potplants or the lawn/garden. Seeds may lie around for 5 years or more before sprouting naturally. The seeds are highly poisonous to humans if eaten. A fatal dose can be as little as one seed for a child and 2 or 3 seeds for an adult. However, birds like domestic chickens and ducks know not to eat the seeds, plus the fatal dose for them is many tens of seeds. Domestic dogs and cats are not known to eat the seeds. Just ensure babies and small children cannot eat the seeds and everything is fine. Can be grown indoors in cold climates potted plants can be taken inside in Winter but they want the brightest Sunlight possible. Potted plants can be carried back outside during Winter days when the temperature is well above freezing 0*Celsius, then carried back inside during the afternoon before frost returns. . Other parts of the plant are likely mildly poisonous such as the leaves and sap. So just DO NOT eat it, drink it, or smoke it. Be aware that Medicinal Castor Oil is processed in a special way so as to be non-poisonous. People should only make up their own Castor Oil if they are 100% sure of the safe process. It has been used medicinally for hundreds of years. The oil is also useful for specialist engineering purposes. . For folks in a COLD CLIMATE that want a Castor Oil looking plant, the Japanese Aralia "Fatsia Japonica", these grow as a large dense bush upto about 5 metres tall and 5 metres across and can tolerate far more frost. I've seen them growing in Czechoslovakia so the plant itself tolerates some minus 15 Celsius of frost. However a much smaller frost and cold spell, such as the very occasional snowfalls we have, I have seen it kill off the flower spikes. So to get seed from an Aralia/Fatsia in Scotland may need one in a greenhouse/tunnelhouse or a heated home conservatory room. . The Aralia/Fatsia is not normally listed as "Poisonous" but neither is listed as "Edible" either. So don't eat it anyway. Fatsia/Aralia can also be grown as an indoor plant in a brightly lit area. If grown in full Summer Sun the leaves become pale Green almost Yellow, but grown in Deep Shade, or inside a house, the leaves are beautiful Deep Dark Green. Fleshy stems can be cut down easily to rejuvenate a leggy old bush.
Here's one video, that I prepared earlier ! I never got around to bringing in that very large pot. But it sits right beside the house and 2 of the 3 Castor Oil plants I put into it those years ago, are still surviving. Just starting to recover from the latest Winter's damage. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZulhRFvGbbA.html
Fascinating and beautiful too. Question? When do you started to feed them, is it after their true leaves fully expose or now, and do you watering them throughout before and after they germinate?
Love the idea of your 'jungle style garden' so far north. I'm a little bit further south than you (roughly Glasgow level) and would love to do something similar. Any suggestions for other plants that might survive winters and help give a tropical/jungle feel to a patio area would be brilliant. Also, are those plants perennial?
Many of the plants I'm trying this year are not the best suited to my climate, but I like the challenge, however here is a list of tropical or tropical looking plants that I know grow well in Scotland. Cordyline australis, Phormium, Fatsia japonica, Bamboo, Acanthus, Tetrapanax papyrifer and Trachycarpus fortunei. And if you have space you can't beat Gunnera manicata which loves wet cool summers. Out of that list Cordyline australis and Tetrapanax papyrifer won't survive past -10c if in a pot and Gunnera will be too big for a patio. Trachycarpus fortunei is great as its the only truly hardy palm tree although it grows slowly and is a little expensive. The castor oil plants are trees in their native habitat, but here they only last the summer as they cannot tolerate any frost.
They are not the most common seeds, but most of the large seed companies usually stock them, or at least they do in the UK. Online might be a good place to look.
Yes, although allow the surface of the compost to dry slightly in between waterings. They like a lot of water and are very thirsty, but if the roots are too wet they will rot.
As much as you can give them, they do best with direct sunshine so a south facing window would be ideal. They could probably survive with just bright indirect light, but they will grow slower and will become a little leggy.
I've not heard of this before, but as the whole plant is toxic it makes sense if the voles are eating roots and they come close to these plants they will probably avoid them. I imagine they would work well if planted on the boundary of a property as they would act like a barrier.
Most people use it for its dramatic foliage in the garden to give a tropical appearance, but commercially its used for making castor oil, but because the plant is very poisonous you can't make castor oil at home safely, and gloves should be worn when pruning the plant.
Please Do Not Give Wrong Information. I grew up with them. None of the many varieties of the plants and seeds are poisonous. As a matter of fact both in Eritrea and Ethiopia are used as non-stick oil in baking our traditional bread The Taaita or The Injera.
@@nowirehangers2815 it’s because the heat used to process the oil deactivates the ricin which is the name of the poison. Ironically, the misinformation you’re spreading is very dangerous. Next time, try to be more responsible and humble, and check online before challenging somebody’s information. It’ll save you a bunch of awkwardness in the future.
I'm a huge Ricinus communis enthusiast and I have been growing these for many years. Last year I planted 9 different varieties, your variety is most likely to be Ricinus communis 'Zanzi Palm'. They grow the fastest and tallest. Mine reached 4.5m last year! There are some tricks to get them to that size, let me know if you want to know more :)
I love how fast they grow, mine have slowed now they are outside as they don't like the cool Scottish summer temperatures, but they still look healthy. Wow, 4.5m is great, I don't think mine will reach that size. How well do they stand up to wind? I live in a very windy part of the world, at the moment they are sheltered, but if they grow much taller than 1m they will be very exposed so I plant to stake them. If I have the space I want to try a few different varieties next year, I like the look of 'Blue Giant'.
@@Gardeningat58N Oh I definately have to stake mine, not just vertically, but angled from multiple sides! I live in Switzerland and we have powerful summer storms with very strong gusts of wind. And last year when the plant had already reached 4m, it was completely flattened on the ground due to those strong winds, it bent at a complete 90° angle, even with multiple stakes! And it didnt get uprooted! But what is amazing with Ricinus is that they go limp when it is very windy so that they dont break; they just become like rubber and bend! So after that strong storm, I could pick up the plant and erect it and it was fine, no damage to the trunk at all. Amazing feature.
@@maryannmorris4608 Hey, Its not really a secret. The plant is very hungry for Nitrogen. The amount of fertilizer I've given these plants would have killed other plants easily. Try the amount you are used to and then double it; dont just give liquid fertilizer, but also long-term stuff that comes in granule form. And cut all the buds off before they bloom, like that you encourage growth even more.
