Forcing Branches

 Blooming branches are one of the categories for next month’s Horticulture competition – and here’s a quick refresher on how to do it.

While there is some concern that this year’s lack of really cold weather may affect this project, two of our more common yard plants are great and vigorous forcers that should still work well. Forsythia (especially) and Flowering Quince are about as dependable as you can get. All you need to do is cut several branches that show lots of plump flower buds and put them in a container with warm (100 – 110° F) water in a somewhat cool location. Bright, but indirect, light is best. Wait about 7-14 days for the flowers to open. (Since you won’t know in advance how long this will take, consider starting new branches every other day during this period so you’

ll have a prime specimen to show!)

Branches from fruit trees (including crab apples) are almost as easy to force as those from the shrubs above. (This is a great time to prune them, anyway!) Give them a little more time (up to three weeks).  Azaleas and Rhododendrons, and other woody plants (honeysuckle, dogwood, spirea, redbud, magnolia, etc.) may well take even longer (up to a month –

or more) to encourage them into flowering. (Do remember to start forcing branches over a period of time, as suggested above.)

Some special treatments (see below) for your long-term and/or recalcitrant bloomers may be necessary, but success is well worth it. Good luck!

————

– Cut (or recut) your branches on an angle. You may cut very long or shorter branches. However, if the stems are larger than ½ inch in diameter, split open their bottoms with a sharp scissor up to about an inch (or gently mash them with a hammer.) This helps the branches absorb water.

 – If it was below freezing when the branches were cut, immerse them (full length) in cold water overnight. (You could do this with any cut branches, but they don’

t always need it.)

 – Cover the branches in the vase (loosely) with a plastic bag to prevent them from drying out.

 – Remove any buds that might be under water and change your water regularly to prevent rot.

 – If you are trying to force a branch that you expect will take more a long time to show results, add some kind of floral preservative (recipes vary, but usually about 1-2 T sugar, ½ t chlorine bleach or Listerine, and some (3-4 T) acidic solution – such as lemon juice, vinegar, or 7-Up –

to 1 quart water.)

 – To speed up flowering (at the expense of how long blooms will last) put them in a location that is somewhat warm (over 70°). (Make sure to check that they always have plenty of water.)