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.