How to Force Spring Flowering Branches

You don't have to wait until nature runs it's course and livens up your landscape with the spring flowering branches of fruit trees, dogwoods, and other flowering trees and shrubs. You can force spring flowering branches indoors as early as mid-February and keep a steady supply fresh spring flowering branches all the way through March. Here's how to force spring flowering branches.

Beginning in early February, on a sunny afternoon when the temperature is above freezing, take a few cuttings from the tree you have chosen to force flowering branches from. Choose branches that are heavily laden with flower buds and cut the branches about between 1-3 feet long, using sharp pruning shears or a knife. Some favorite spring flowering trees to force the branches into blooming are apple, peach, cherry, pussy willow, poplars, forsythia's and any spring blooming rhododendron and spireas.

After cutting the branches, submerge them in water for 3-4 hours to soften the hard outer covering of the buds and encourage sap movement in the branches. A bathtub works well for the soaking. If the branches are hard and woody, hit the end of each branch with a hammer a few times to crush it or slit the stem ends about 1 inch. This will help the branches absorb the water, the sap and water movement helps to force them into blooming.

After the flowering branches have had their soak, place the branches in a deep container with water and place the container in a cool, dim location until the buds begin to show color. Gradually increase the light and heat that the spring flowering branches receive after the buds begin to color. This tricks them into thinking that spring has arrived and it's time to bloom and it helps the blooms on the spring flowering branches to last longer.

Change the water in the container daily and mist the spring flowering branches daily. Misting with water will continue to help soften the protective coating on the flower buds. As soon as the buds begin to open, place your forced flowering branches anywhere you like.

This forcing process will take anywhere from 1-3 weeks, depending on the flowering tree or shrub type that you have chosen. To keep a steady supply of forced spring flowering branches blooming, cut new branches each week and put them through the forcing process.

Look around your landscape and decide what trees or woody shrubs you have that bloom in the spring. If it blooms in the spring, you can force the branches into flowering while it's still winter.

Source:

http://www.gardening-advisor.com/forcing-flowering-branches.html