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Ricinus Communis (castor bean)

Though technically perennials, most of us grow Ricinus c. as annual plantings, so I thought I'd post a picture here of a couple of castor beans that grew in my garden this summer. I planted them in late May, but spring was so late (regular freezes right up until Mem Day weekend) and our ground so cold they didn't emerge until the end of the first week in June. The photos were taken at the end of August (28th), so all of the 15+ ft of growth you see occurred over approximately an 11 week period. The stems were about 4.5 inches in diameter a couple of inches above the ground, and you can see that some of the leaves were nearly 4 ft across. I only watered the plants 2 or 3 times during the summer, and the only fertilizer I applied was a ring of Milorganite around each seedling, using about 3/4 cup each, shortly after emergence. They were shaded in late afternoon/evening by a huge water-sucking maple, so I'm left wondering what they would have looked like if not for the partial shade, and I was actually attentive to the water/nutrient needs that would have maximized their height/mass? ;o)


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