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9:12 am
May 14, 2005
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This is another good one for this time of year. You can do this to force branches from flowering shrubs or trees to bloom early–indoors.
1 1/2 gallons warm water
1 cotton ball
sudsy ammonia
Set a bucket inside a plastic garbage bag with the bag open. Pour in the warm water. Crush the ends of a branch (that has visible buds forming) from a flowering type bush or tree with a hammer. Put the branches in the bucket with the warm water. Soak a cotton ball in the ammonia and drop it in the bucket. Tie the bag closed over the branches/bucket and keep it inside in a warm place and check it every few days. When you see the buds starting to open, transfer the branches to a vase and you have an early spring bouquet!
Clover made me do it.
9:26 am
May 14, 2005
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By the way–sudsy ammonia is not the same as regular ammonia. Sudsy ammonia is ammonia diluted with water with a sudsing agent added. It's NOT full strength ammonia. Be sure you're using sudsy ammonia for this, not regular! (You can buy it like that. It’s good for cleaning jewelry!)
Clover made me do it.
9:57 am
January 21, 2011
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See, now, I didnt know there was a difference in the ammonia! This is a real helpful!
11:22 am
October 17, 2010
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I wonder what the ammonia does? Would this work without it? Just wondering!
Thanks, Suzanne, for posting all this info for us to try.
Remember, if it rains on your picnic it's also raining on your garden!
11:40 am
May 14, 2005
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Yes, it would work without it, but the water could get gunky and gross. Depending on the type of flowering tree/bush, it could take weeks for them to bloom and the sudsy ammonia helps to keep the water clean or you'd have to be changing it out every couple of days.
Clover made me do it.
3:59 pm
April 1, 2009
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Yesterday I cut some branches from a tree that blooms in the Spring, I am unsure what the name of the tree is, it gets beautiful pink blooms in the Spring, they look very much like a wild rose, I have not seen any quite like them where we live. I cut them and put them into a vase with water about 3 inches deep and change the water daily, they are already starting to open, I don’t add anything to the water.
"Be kinder than necessary, everyone is fighting some sort of battle."
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