arent they INVASIVE in some states??? if so.. it would not be wise to introduce them into the waterways .... seasonal or not ... i would have googled it for you .. but you do not tell us where you are ... check out the link this was at that site.. which shall not be named: Castor Bean is very invasive in my South Florida area. It is a very fast-growing weed that quickly colonizes undisturbed sites around farms such as sugarcane fields and canals. I see them growing in huge, weedy bunches around many of those places as well as others in my area. It is found throughout much of zones 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11 and below through the Keys, mostly in the central and southern parts of the state, Florida. However, it may be a great houseplant indoors in a pot. However, it's bright-red seeds are extremely poisonous if ingested! If you have this plant, don't plant it outdoors, and keep away from young children! ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

newgen Here is answer to your question - Al (tapla) answering someone else on House Plants forum (thread: Watering issues): Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on Fri, Mar 22, 13 at 9:53 One of the most significant benefits of using soils that allow you to water copiously with no concern about potential root problems related to excessive sogginess is the fact that the ability to flush the soil at each watering prevents dissolved solids (salts) from building up in the soil. Ideally, when you water you would allow the effluent passing out of the drain hole to run down a drain or collect in a saucer. When it DOES collect in the saucer, the container should be lifted above the effluent, so after it exits the pot, there is no way the dissolved solids contained in the effluent have any chance of getting back into the soil. I set my pots up on little 1-1/4" blocks that rest in the saucer. I don't need to empty the collection saucer because the water that collects there can't get back into the pot. It evaporates and contributes to the area humidity, but you could empty the collection saucer if you like, or water over the sink. The higher the level of dissolved solids in the soil solution, the more difficult it is for the plant to take up water. So a soggy soil that impairs water uptake combined with a high level of salts in the soil solution is a double whammy for a large fraction of growers who use heavy soils that don't allow them to water so they're flushing the soil. This problem is always most prevalent in the spring, after a long winter of watering in sips, or in your case, of pouring residual salts back through the soil, which ensures a gradual but continual increase in the level of dissolved solids that affect water uptake AND nutrient uptake. If you're using a fertilizer that might not be a problem if you're watering properly, it can quickly become a serious problem if you're NOT watering properly. We know the impact of dissolved solids on the uptake of water also limits the ability to take up nutrients, but when dissolved solids accumulate the ratio of nutrients to each other in the soil can quickly become skewed, which has the effect of one nutrient present in excess making it difficult or impossible for the plant to take up another nutrient. This is very common when using fertilizers with too much phosphorous, and is quickly exacerbated when the soil isn't flushed regularly. Al Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on Fri, Mar 22, 13 at 15:57 If you're using the gritty mix, there is very little possibility that you're over-watering, or that flushing the soil thoroughly would create a problem, so I would do that. If you didn't screen the mix carefully, and there are fines in the soil, then use a wick and tilt the pot after you flush - then water normally. I use a level 1/4 tsp/gal of FP 9-3-6 every time I water, and I've been well pleased with the results ever since I settled on that amount, so I'm thinking you could cut back on the amount of fertilizer you're providing. I'm pretty sure that with the 1/2 tsp/gal + the recycling of the effluent, that your plants are seeing some fertilizer burn. There are some advantages to fertilizing every time you water, and at 1/4 tsp/gal, you get about 800 gallons of fertilizer from a quart of fertilizer. @ $25/qt for the fertilizer, a gallon of solution costs about 3 cents per gallon. Most people would hardly think twice about buying and paying for the electricity augment light levels for their plants - and that's a much more significant outlay than the small amount of fertilizer that might get discarded after passing through the soil. If you want to, collect the effluent in a bucket & spread it on the lawn or your garden/beds. Plants that are fertilized at higher rates (luxury levels) often show symptoms of deficiencies when the concentration of nutrients in the soil returns to the adequacy range, so that's one + of fertigating @ each watering (it won't happen). Another is, even in nature, nutrient uptake is very closely linked (almost directly) to water uptake, the primary modifier being temperature, which isn't a particularly significant factor when houseplants are the topic. I said that so I can say there is some benefit in not having to keep track of what needs fertilizing when. I fertilize and water everything at nearly the same intervals, and at the same fertilizer rates, and for the last 15 years or so, my plants have all been practically free of blemished foliage. You're trying to do essentially what I (and many others) have been doing, so I expect that once you get the bugs worked out & get your dosages refined, you'll begin to see how easy it can be. I'm pulling for you! ;-)

Hi Lori: I feel bad for you! Over-watering plants - one of the signs is yellow leaves (when they should be green). The roots of plants not tolerant of waterlogged soil won't be able to 'breathe,' and they die of a lack of oxygen. Ironically, after the roots 'drown' in this manner, you'll see the 'drying up' that you mentioned -- because the now debilitated roots won't be able to make use of all that water. So rip them up and start them over, I don't know how big the "dead" patch is but I would fluff up the soil and let it dry then lightly water - let dry - re-fluff and repeat several times to try to remove and pool chemicals. If you could find out when and chlorine was last added that would help - proper dosage of chlorine burns off in pool water fairly quickly esp. it it is sunny outside, so you may luck out and just have old dirty pool water instead of old chemical laden pool water.

Hisees, There could be several reasons for the brown stuff. My first thought (from the well water) is minerals. If you're plants are doing fine, I wouldn't think it would be caused by mold or root rot, especially if they don't smell funky. What you are doing when you water is the perfect remedy for anything that's building up in the soil. When you water thoroughly and let the water run freely out of the bottom, you're leaching out the deposits. Too much/many minerals is no good for your plants, either. To test the theory, you could always try watering with rainwater or bottled. If you don't see any improvement after a couple of thorough waterings, I'm wrong and it's not your water LOL