365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Grow A Depression Plant
Day 17: Here's a simple and fun science project for you to do! I think I was about five when my mother guided me through growing my first Depression Plant (so named because the recipe was printed on Mrs. Stewart's Laundry Bluing during that era). Young kids should have adult supervision when using these household chemicals.
Mix together in a glass cup
2 Tbsp. non-iodized salt
2 Tbsp. liquid bluing (Mrs. Stewart's is available through Amazon and some retail stores)
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. household ammonia (non-sudsy works best)
Set a piece of brick or lump of coal in a glass dish at least one inch deep. Pour the solution over the brick, and over the next 24 hours, you will be able to watch the crystals forming into puffy mounds. If your dish is too shallow, the crystals may crawl over the edge, so check it hourly to be sure they're not escaping. They're very fragile, so be careful when moving the dish, and if you want to look at them under your microscope, transfer them carefully to your slide with the point of a pocket knife. If you want to grow red ones, you can add a few drops of mercurochrome to the solution.
Labels:
crystal growing,
Depression Plant,
science project
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