Palma-christi

Palma-christi Care

Ricinus Communis

What is the plant

With oversized, tropical-looking leaves and bizarre seed pods, castor bean is an exotic addition to the ornamental garden. The only member of the genus, Ricinus communis is in the Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae). The word ricinus is Latin for “tick”, used for this plant name because of the superficial resemblance of the seeds to a particular species of European tick. Castor bean is native to tropical east Africa around Ethiopia, but has naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas around the world to become a weed in many places, including the southwestern U.S. Plants are typically found in moist, well-drained soils in disturbed areas, such as along river beds and roadsides, and in fallow fields or at the edges of cultivated lands.

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Lighting

Full Sun

Difficulty

Medium

Toxicity

Poisonous

Invasive

Weed

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Castor bean plant prefers slight moisture, so it needs to be watered regularly in summers.Reduce watering in winter. The plant cannot tolerate waterlogging, so be careful not to overwater the plant.
Pruning
Castor bean plant grows quickly, so it can spread out of the area.Hence, it needs to be regularly cut and trimmed to prevent the plant from spreading too much.
Fertilizer
Add an all-purpose liquid fertilizer to the plant once a month and spread 1″ inch layer of aged compost at the base when the plant starts to produce buds.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
Castor bean plant prefers full sun, but they can grow in partial shade. However, it cannot tolerate full shade and frost.
Soil
Ricinus communis grows best in deep, well-drained, moist sandy loams within the pH range of 5 to 6.5.However, it can tolerate and grow in soils semi-arid, arid, low nutrient, acidic, or alkaline.
Temperature
50° – 64° degrees Fahrenheit (10° C – 18° C) is the ideal soil temperature range for the germination of Castor seed capsules whereas 68° – 79° degrees Fahrenheit (20° C – 26° C) is the range of average daily temperatures for proper growth.