Effect of Castor Bean oil products on plant growth
AnnieR
| Posted in Northeast Gardening on
In my efforts to stymie persistent voles who were marauding my forcing-bulb pots (in my unheated greenhouse), I sprinkled Vole-Max – a deterrent product – over the top of the soil when I planted last fall. Now I have noticed that the bulbs don’t seem to have come up as vigorously as they usually perform. Does the active ingredient in VoleMAx (10% Castor Oil in a Fuller’s Earth base) have an allelopathic effect on other plants? Thank you to gardeners – or horticulture experts – who have experience with this.
Replies
The castor plant itself does have allelopathic properties, according to this study https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjmp.2020.79.87
so it's possible the oil, derived from the seed, could influence the growth of your bulbs. What I suspect is that any allelopathic effect is amplified by the plant and granules being confined together in pots, though I have no personal experience with this. Perhaps the VoleMax maker could advise as to use in pots, but I do see they recommend using in beds or lawns. Maybe remove any granules remaining and flush well with water?
Thank you! That makes sense to me.