Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 by admin in Garden Tips |

These bare branches may not look like much now, but in a few weeks, they’ll be blooming beauties. With a technique called “forcing,” we can actually trick the branches into believing it’s spring, even though the calendar says it’s not time.

Lilacs and plum are beautiful to force, but can be tricky. The best time to take your cuttings is between February and March during the warmest part of the day, when temperatures are above 32 degrees.

Once you get your cuttings indoors, get your pocketknife and remove 1″ from the base. The reason why we’re doing this — this is going to help the branch absorb more water. But just to ensure the uptake of water, get out the hammer. We’re going to smash the end.

Once you’ve prepared the stems, put them in luke-warm water, add a splash of hydrogen peroxide, and change the water every 2 days. This will help keep bacteria away. For the first few days, the stems need moisture, so wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them wrapped for 3 days. Keep in a cool location and when the buds swell, move them into indirect light… and you’ll have beautiful blooms in no time.