I've been watching this thread to see what you all had to say about the Castor Bean (trees), and you've convinced me to grow some. I have a very bare front yard that faces SW, so I have full sun all day and desparately need shade faster than any of the trees I've chosen can provide it. I think these will fill the gap, until the trees are tall enough to provide it. :)))
Wuvie, I wish I'd know you had a site & sold seeds! I just bought some seeds on eBay. But...... I desperately want some of those Burgundy ones, so I think I'll get those from you. ;) I'm a big fan of yours from the Trash to Treasure forum. lol
Castor Bean?
Yes the Castor beans here live as perrenials. I have one in the back garden that is the biggest castor bean tree I've ever seen in person. It has been ther for 4 years now. I picked the seeds off the ground at a local restaurant.
Here in North Texas I have never seen them come back from the roots just from the seeds that have fallen from the plants.
As far as Plant Files tell> http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/371/ it isn't reported above Zone 8, however we have grown it as an annual for many, (about 20-25 years) here. If you start the plants indoors early, and plant them is full sun watering pretty good... you should get blooms by late Aug or Sept. It is worth the try if you ask me.
I finally found the best conditions here in my back yard. It was worth the wait. Just the foliage on this tree is fabulous. The large leaf branches fold together in the evening. It looks wonderful planted along with Castor Bean of Burgundy or Red.
Newby~~It should work good with a SW exposure in SC. Just expect it to die off when it gets under 40 for more than a few days. Hopefully it would have had time to produce seed by then.
My SIL is going to try growing it in Nebraska next year. We are just so in love with the plant, and she misses growing them since she moved away from TX.
Another thing is it attracts several species of Sulphur Butterflies. It is their larval host. I raised 3 good broods off of them this year and it still looked magnificent. I could choose the parts of the plant to prune for feeding the caterpillars.
It was necessary to take the eggs off the plant bc all kinds of predator insects and birds constantly patrol it for the eggs and larvae.
debnes
This message was edited Oct 29, 2007 7:04 PM
Yes, I'm ok with it being an annual here. I'll start the seeds inside early, so I can get the height I need by late summer.
sc....i am wondering if the starting them inside will grow a weak type tree....the reason i am saying that is because i started hyacinth bean vine indoors....it grew...i planted it outside after first frost and it basically sat there.....it seems 'beans' need to be put in the ground to do their best....that was what was explain to me...so i hope someone can tell if castor beans can be started indoors and move to outside and do well??
Cocoa, call the Post Office and ask if it is still on the prohibiting shipment list; it could be they lifted the ban now.
One more thing Newby~
When starting Candletree indoors, the seeds need bottom heat to germinate. Place in the sunniest place possible. My SIL and I have never had a problem with them being weak, in fact the earlier they can come up the sooner they will bloom.
debnes
Newbie ~ the thought that crossed my mind is with full sun and southwest exposure, these will require a good bit of water. Will you be able to keep them watered? Are you still way dry there?
In my particular area, water hasn't been an issue yet; I have no idea why.
Any other takes on starting castor bean inside?
Hi SC and all,
My own experience, though I'm in Oklahoma and not Texas, is that
while they will come up and do gain from an early beginning, seems
they actually do just fine started outdoors. They do require a nice
long growing season for seed harvest, but can be grown quite well
as an annual regardless.
However, in all the years I've grown them, the general rule of thumb is
'the bigger the seed, the bigger the plant'. Please note, there are exceptions
I'm sure, I just haven't experienced them. :-) If I were to start any indoors,
it would be the larger seeds / larger varieties.
In our front yard we have two of the very largest plants we've ever grown.
No fancy soil, no fertilizers, no Miracle Grow, just plain old soil and water.
Deep waterings instead of occasional. Here we are a skip away from a
potential first frost and the seed pods are not even thinking about maturity.
We planted early this year, outdoors, and were seeing fabulous progress.
Suddenly, a cold snap hit out of the blue, and most were killed. We had to
start over, but lost several weeks of growing. Those weeks could have
come in handy now that we're waiting on seeds. What a shame! A case
of 'should have started indoors' for sure!
Loving all the photos, folks, thanks for sharing! :-)
Karen Marie
Newby~ Here are some forums you can look through when you get time..
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/search.php?q=Castor+Bean+and+Cassia&submit=%28%3A+Search+forums+%3A%29
Lot of good info and pics.
debnes
I hear ya Karen Marie!! Some things really need a good head start in our part of the country..
debnes
Oh, cool info - thanks to both of you! :))
I did a bit more searching and it appears that they are not shipped to Texas because TAMU has them listed as an "economic invasive" to pasture lands. I'm certainly around lots of pastures. I'm still going to plant my burgundy (thanks Smockett!!!) if they look to be getting out of hand I'll yank them up.
Wuvie, that's the same pink I saw last night on the seed site....it is sooo pretty!
I have started indoors and right in the ground, I found no benifit from starting indoors and both plants bloomed at the same time and grew to the same size. For me the growing indoors was a big waste of time.
Well it's official,
This Castor Bean is so Big, that it has to lay down!
From underneath. I thought I'd just put my shoulder to it to upright it...NOT, it's so darn heavy it's going to take a couple of people and some supports.
My goodness, that is HUGE!!!!! Must be that fertilizer and fish emulsion you keep giving everything!!!!!!!!! Don't accidentally give it to Pooter! He'd turn into a Lion and attack you!!!!!!!!! LOL!