Kleshchevina. Cultivation from seeds: easy and beautiful

One of the favorite plant growers is castor oil. Cultivation from the seeds of it is available to any person who is able to stick a seed into a pot of earth and water it - more and is not required.

No matter how small the site, every owner wants not only to grow useful products on it, but also seeks to decorate with decorative plants. It is desirable that the selected species was unusual, grew quickly, had beautiful foliage and interesting inflorescences, attracted attention and stood out against the background of the remaining plantings. All of these requirements are met by castor oil.

Strokes to the portrait

Usually this is a bush of impressive size, reaching a height of 2-3 meters in the Russian climate. At home, in the tropics, the size of the shrub can reach 10 meters, but there this plant lives for many years, not 1 year, as we have. Large leaves, similar to maple, reach 80 cm in length. They have jagged edges, are located on long petioles, which, however, are strong enough to maintain the horizontal position of the foliage.

Seeds of castor oil ripen in spherical testes covered with needles. Collect them better after the fruit-hedgehog is fully ripe and dried. You can crack the skin with your fingers, pre-wearing household gloves made of dense material. Having extracted a castor seed, similar to a blood-sucking insect, from which the name of the bush came, keep it in a cool dry place until next spring, so that next year you can decorate your plot with this colorful plant.

Kleshchevina: growing from seeds

For seeding, select seeds of medium size, without damage. If you do not have your own material for planting, you can always find a seed of castor oil of various kinds on sale, it's not such a rare plant. In extreme cases, the point of Internet commerce will come to the rescue. In the packaging there are usually only a few seeds, so everyone has value. Soak them is not necessary, it is enough to dig in a pot with moist soil or in a previously soaked peat tablet and ensure watering. As soon as the sprouts appear, move the dishes to a sunny place, otherwise the seedlings will stretch out and look unhealthy. Do not interfere and feeding. Due to the fact that the walls of the seeds are quite strong, when unfolding the leaves, the shell must be removed manually, trying not to damage the plant. Most often this operation passes without problems, the released leaves immediately unfold and begin to function.

Is castor poisonous? Cultivation from seeds makes you think about it, because the fruits of tropical plants often contain dangerous substances. And not in vain: these seeds can not be called healthy, although they are the starting material for the extraction of castor oil, which is used in medicine. If swallowed, poisoning is possible, so the planting material must be stored in an inaccessible place for those who can try it on the tooth.

Seedlings with one large real leaf can be planted on a sunny place, providing a bush regular watering and loosening. The plant after the transplant slows down the growth, but after a while, starting, begins to rapidly unfold one sheet after another, and bloom. The main thing is not to injure the roots during transplantation, therefore it is better to plant each seed in a separate pot, and then dig into the ground the entire earth clod together with the root system. At the same time, it is possible to pour wood ash into the hole as a mineral fertilizer.

One of the most unpretentious plants used in gardening is castor oil. Cultivation from seeds is not difficult, so it's worth trying to plant at least a few bushes. With them, low flower crops will look good, for example, marigolds, asters, gerberas, etc.