How to Plant Castor Bean Seeds
Castor bean, known botanically as Ricinus communis, is a fast-growing evergreen herbaceous plant that can be grown as an annual or perennial, depending on your climate. Native to tropical Africa, the castor bean plant boasts attractive large, star-shaped foliage and spiny, red seed capsules. Planting a castor bean plant is a great way to add a bit of inexpensive tropical flare to your home landscape. Grow this plant as an annual in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 2 through 7. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Castor bean seeds
- Water (spring, filtered or purified)
- Shovel
- Spade
- Peat moss
- Perlite
- Garden hose or watering can
Instructions
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1
Purchase castor bean seeds from your local nursery or garden center. Order them from a reputable catalog or online garden center if you are unable to locate them in your area.
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Select and prepare and planting location by choosing a location that receives six to eight hours of sunlight per day, and offers fertile, well-draining soil. Clear the selected planting area of grass, weeds or other vegetation. Till peat moss and perlite into the top 1 foot of soi to enrich less fertile soils before proceeding.
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3
Soak your Castor beans in a glass of water for 24 hours before planting them. Use room temperature spring, filtered or purified water, rather than tap water, when soaking your Castor beans.
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4
Plant the castor bean seeds in holes 1 inch deep. Space the seeds at least 3 feet apart. Fill the planting holes with the displaced soil and then tamp down the surface.
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Water your castor bean seeds generously after planting to thoroughly moisten the soil. Continue to water regularly to promote vigorous growth.
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Tips & Warnings
Spread a 3-inch layer of mulch over the soil around the bean plants once they sprout to retard the growth of unwanted vegetation and conserve moisture. Use a natural mulching material like pine straw, wood chips or bark pieces.
Castor bean seeds contain a poison called ricin that is 1,000 times more toxic than cobra venom. Though fatalities due to accidentally ingested castor bean seeds are rarely reported, you may want to reconsider planting them in your home landscape if you have small children or pets.
