Method:
cut a thin section of tissue from the tip of a growing root
pipette a set volume of 1M hydrochloric acid into a boiling tube and place in a 60∘C water bath place the plant tissue in the boiling tube and leave for five minutes
rinse the root tip with cold water and dry using a paper towel
cut the root tip so that you have a thin layer of cells an spread out onto a microscope slide using a mounted needle
add a drop of toluidine blue O stain to the tissue and place a cover slip on top
push down on the cover slip to squash the cells and allow light to pass through (be careful not to push sideways otherwise the chromosomes will become damaged)
use a light microscope to visualise the cells and identify the stages of mitosis, any cells with visible chromosomes will be undergoing mitosis