This is another indoor nature activity.
A good time to do this is late winter, before the trees wake up.
Materials:
- pruner
- hammer
- twigs from forsythia, magnolia or horse chestnut trees
- jar or glass tall enough for each species
- water
Procedure:
- Select twigs 10-12 inches long, with swollen bugs
- Use pruner to cut twigs at an angle
- Fill a 5-6-inch tall glass jar with cool water
- Gently crush cut end with a hammer
- Immediately put cut ends in water
- Place away from sunlight at first
- Keep upper ends moist. Cover with plastic or mist daily
Things to look for
- Depending on the type of twig, you should see the buds swell in 1-4 weeks. Once the buds swell, you can move twigs to sunlight.
- Make sure the water is clear. If it gets cloudy, change the water, making sure your twigs never dry out.
- Keep a journal or drawings to help you see the changes. Include sketches or measurements of:
- leaf scar from last year’s leaf, girdle scar
- size and shape of the scales that cover and protect the bud
- if the scales are sticky or smooth
- size and shape of new leaves emerging from buds
- if emerging shoots are covered with fluffy down
- how bud scales curl back and drop off (leaving girdle scar)
- shape and size of girdle scar
- rate of stem growth
- rate of leaf growth and amount of available sunlight
- first emergency of flower (covered in down)
Compare the growth in your experiment with the way the same plants are growing outdoors. What are the similarities and differences?