Summer Activity…
Grow Maple Trees!!!
What you need:
Small paper or plastic cups
(Or reuse flat containers from your mom’s flowers she bought)
Potting soil
Rubber bands or string
Plastic wrap
Foil
A sunny window
A little bit of water
A box (to transport or move all the little trees together)
Instructions:
- This first part is fun and it’s best to take a parent. Hike in the woods or walk the streets to find the helicopter seeds form maple trees. Make sure they have some green on them.
- Once you have the amount you want take them home.
- Prepare your containers by filling them ½ full of dirt
- Very carefully break off the tail of the seed. Do not harm the seed.
- Use your finger and make a shallow hole the seed can sit into
- Cover with dirt the dirt so the seed is just below the surface
- Water, but be careful not to put too much into the container.
- Cover the cup with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band or string
- Put all the containers into a box lined with foil – This helps absorb the heat and also reflect the sunlight.
- Now put into a sunny window.
What you will see:
- In a few hours to day you will see the plastic wrap form fog to droplets of water. This acts as a tiny environment for the seed
- If no moisture forms unwrap and add a few more drops of water
- In about 5 to 10 days you will see a sprout and the first sign of growth.
- At this time you need to uncover them and let them start to grow… After they reach several inches you can plant them into the ground…
Results:
My kids have grown several. They took them to their grandparents and now some of them are huge… That was a couple of years ago… You will enjoy the beauty in the fall.
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