How to germinate castor bean seeds???

Question

I placed them between a moistened paper towel in a dark place - nothing happening. I also placed a couple in a moist peat pot - nothing happening.

Answer 1

Check the seeds to see if they are mature, ,,,,brown, with white speckles,,and the skin is not wrinkly, or falling off. Try refrigerating them, for awhile, to give them their needed dormant cycle. Then, plant. They are a hardy plant,,,just about a weed, only needs to touch moist ground, and they will grow. Remeber,, castor bean plants are bad poisonous, containing TOXIBALM, a mild poison, that can kill children, and animals. They tend to grow incredibly fast, with huge, beautiful leaves, and will shed thousand of seed clusters,leaving a mess to be discarded, as it is all posionous.

Answer 2

Your castor beans may be dead, or there is not enough moisture. Try putting the paper toweled ones in a shallow dish with some sun. Don't let them dry out. You may not have left them long enough. They take a long time to germinate.

Answer 3

I thought that I had seen it all! You live and learn.

Here in the tropics we work overtime removing castor seedlings that seem to come up overnight. The dried fruit explodes like a grenade, propelling the seeds every which way. Every one of them germinate.

Patience. Just you wait Henty Higgins, you will rue the day you asked for help to grtminate castor.

Answer 4

Do you know how much of a bother it is to get castor beans out of a garden? Come and visit those of us that live in the tropics!

Answer 5

Why on earth would you want to germinate castor beans? If you don't know what you're doing you could end up with Ricin!! You do know what that is right? Possible death for you and everyone around you.

check it===>http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp

Answer 6

like a lot of large, hard seeds they need to be soaked in water 24 hours before planting. Then they grow, no problem have fun and save the seeds from this years plants for next year.