The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 6 - PLAINDEALER-WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28. 1973 A round The Garden By Matthew S. Rosen Instructor - Ornamental Horticulture McHenry County College For any given species of bromeliad, success indoors is keyed solely to your ability to duplicate the plants natural environment. Light, moisture, temperature, fertilization, relative humidity, and growing media are the major cultural parameters. Match these, and success is guaranteed. Proper light has been the factor which, up to now, has been the most difficult to provide. Usually found growing natively in tropical and sub­ tropical climates, even the epiphytic species of bromeliads crave bright, indirect light. "Oh, that is no problem, I have a southeastern exposure. The sunlight just comes pouring into my living room all day long." During the summer months, w|hen the sun sits high in the sky, you are right; however, from autumn 'til late spring, the sun resides so low on the horizon that the quantity and quality of incoming light is diminished to shockingly low levels. To correct this deficiency, many indoor horticulturalists have been forced to rely upon the various types of in­ candescent and fluorescent lights. Unfortunately, even the so-called "daylite" fluorescent tubes provide only a small fraction of true quality, life giving light to plant surfaces. Recently, certain industrial concerns have expended great effort to produce a bulb which closely mimics natural light. The most successful of these has been the Duro-Test cor­ poration, whose exhaustive research led to the develop­ ment of the "Optima", and "Naturescent" fluorescent tubes. Compared to the meager twenty-forty per cent of the sun's rays which come "pouring through" most windows, these bulbs emanate rays that are ninety-one per-, cent true daylight. Tested results in plant growth, par­ ticularly blooming, have been truly amazing. Almost universally, plants grew faster, and flowered freer when grown under "Optima," or "Naturescent" fluorescent tubes. "Optima" now comes in a fluted, twisted tube, which actually delivers ten-fifteen per cent more light from the same wattage, and space covered. For some obscure electrical reason, fluorescent lights are best mounted in fixtures that contain a minimum of four parallel tubes. The fixtures should be so constructed that bromeliads may be placed anywhere from six-twenty-four inches away from the light source. Shorter plants can be set upon upside-down flower pots to raise them closer to the light. Best results are obtained when the lights are left on for fifteen hours a day. "Wait a minute! You said bromeliad culture was easy. Already it sounds pretty complex to me." Are such thoughts running through your head? After reading what I have written so far, I must confess that they are running through mine. Actually, bromeliads will thrive quite nicely on your window sill; however, in order to maximize foliar color, and bloom some degree of ad­ ditional light is necessary. One of the joys of growing bromeliads is that they are almost self-watering, and may be safely left for two or three weeks, as long as their natural reservoirs, cups, are filled to capacity. Remember, in the epiphytic species, the roots function as specialized structures chiefly in the areas of support and nutrient uptake. Water and the majority of nutrient assimilation is ac­ complished primarily through the modified stomata, scale cells, at the base of the leaves. In their native habitat, bromeliads receive a heavy bath of dew at night. Because heating conditions in most homes typically produce hot, dry air, a quick spritz with an atomizer before going to bed at night is much appreciated by the plant. No need to go out and purchase a fancy sprayer, an empty Windex bottle works just fine. It is not necessary to fertilize bromeliads frequently. Assuming all other growing conditions have been met, plants should have their cups filled with a weak solution, (one half the strength recommended on the label), of an all purpose fertilizer. Since fertilizer residue can clog the scale cells, take care to wipe off any deposit that collects on the leaves. Roots should be fed every other month. Temperature is no problem. Bromeliads flourish at ap­ proximately the same 'ther­ mometer readings as their owners: i.e., 68 to 72 degrees during the day, and 55 to 65 degrees at night. Although numerous highly specialized concoctions of growing media can be found scattered throughout the literature, bromeliads are demanding of one factor, and one factor alone - good drainage. The media must be porous enough to permit the rapid percolation of water out of the system, in order to provide sufficient circulation of air around the roots. As a rule, pure soil simply gets too muddy. I have found that a mixture composed of fifty per cent peat moss, twenty-five per cent bark chips, and a like quantity of perlite or osmunda to be just about ideal. Undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect of bromeliad culture is flower bud induction. The Bromeliaceae is the only plant family that can be in­ duced to bloom out of season by chemical means. . Sound complicated? It is not. Many years ago it was discovered that if ethylene gas came into contact with mature, or nearly mature plants, flower buds would be initiated. "Great, but where does one get ethylene gas?" No problem, the gas is emitted by ripening fruit. "Fine, but what do I do bottle the stuff?" Nothing so com­ plicated. Merely drain the cup, and place the bromeliad in a sealed plastic bag with a large apple for four-five days. Lo - and - behold, a flower will appear within four-nine weeks after the treatment. I know it sounds absolutely wild, but fellow gardening enthusiasts it works. Well, our time is about up for this week. Next time we will continue our discussion of bromeliads, focusing our at­ tention on the key ornamental genera. Should you have a question on the material covered, or just a horticultural point of in­ formation you would like verified, why not drop me a line? The address: McHenry County College, 6200 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014. Suggestions on future topics are always appreciated. TAX FACTS The Internal Revenue Ser­ vice has a form for individuals reporting income from farm rental, Roger C. Beck, district director for northern Illinois, said this week. By using Form 4835 in­ dividuals can report farm rental income based on crops or livestock, produced by a; tenant, where the landowner does not materially participate in the operation or management of the farm. "With this new form, in­ dividuals can easily report farm rental income," said Mr. Beck. "Many individuals have been reporting this type of income on a Schedule F and, if they do not clearly indicate that it is farm rental income, have been assessed for self em­ ployment tax. "In addition to Form 4835, individuals should report this income on ~ Schedule E under rents. In the case of lan­ downers, however, who report cash rent received for pasture or farm land where the amount is based on a flat charge, this income is not considered farm GtTfHS- CHRtsf toft mm LRDSTDNE 1219 N. GREEN ST. 385-0182 GREEN STREET MALL McHENRY, ILL. HOURS: v SUN. 9-2 \ MON. thru THRUS. 9-6 FRI. 9-9 SAT. 9-6 Give your home (and your wife) a carpet for Christmas ̂Cabin Craft' [fy Wfsl POII I I I • Solarium 2 Si? Solarium is one of the splushiest, plushiest carpets available today. Choose from 19 exciting decorator colors in stock,,,colors like Honey Gold/ Greenleaf, Frosty Dell, Blue Rhapsody, Vanilla, Day Light Mist, Glazed Pink and many, many more. This special offer is good until Christmas Day (from inventory only)---delivery in tiipe for the holidays. Gift certificates are available. $795 M SQ. YD. INSTALLED O VER HE A VY FOAM PAD EXAMPLE OF SPECIAL SOLARIUM PRICES Installed over wood floors with heavy foam pad 9 ft. X 12 ft $96 INSTALLED 12 ft. X 12 ft $128 INSTALLED 12 ft. X 15 ft .$160 INSTALLED Plus sales tax HDY CARPETS & RUGS 200 WASHINGTON (JUNCTION RTS. 120 ft BUS. 14) (815) 338-1000 WOODSTOCK MOW OLD |S YOUR. MOTHER-IN LAW ? West Shore Beach Connie Schmidt 385-7841 Women's Auxiliary Plans Christmas Party December 5 On Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. the ladies of West Shore Beach will hold their annual Christmas get-together. All ladies are invited to attend and are asked to please RSVP to Connie Schmidt. This year the women are also urged to bring their husbands or a guest. A grab bag is planned in addition to en­ tertainment and refreshments. For those who wish to par­ ticipate there is going to be a cookie exchange. Bake six dozen cookies and go home with a whole variety. Come to 5407 Highland and make our Christmas party a fun filled evening. MEETING The property owners hold meetings the second Saturday of each month. Keep Dec. 8 in mind and attend your association. WEDDING BELLS Congratulations to Steve and Linda Kidd now residing at 5425 Highland. The newlyweds had a beautiful wedding day on Nov. 17 at St. Mary's church and an evening reception in Wisconsin. We're so happy to have you as neighbors in our subdivision and hope you like your new home. Best wishes for a happy life together. POST REPAIR Sign posts that were knocked down or unreadable were repaired by Joe Finicllo. Residents wish to recognize these efforts and want others to appreciate the sacrifice of his time. We all know the value_of TURN ONS income and is reported on Schedule E only and not also on Form 4835," Mr. Beck added. Additional information on this subject can be obtained by contacting your nearest In­ ternal Revenue Service office. volunteer work and hope the people of West Shore Beach can contribute in the future. PERSONALS May the residents who have' been ill for the past weeks feel much better and have sunny! days ahead. Welcome the Jensens noun making their new home on Orchardway Drive. r\ Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving vacation! Bonds are for , cashing in >•; on an educations It takes more than brains to get an edi cation. It takes money, too. And that's where U.S. Savings Bonds come in handy. For a lot of people, Bonds can make the difference between going to college or going to work. U.S. Savines Bonds Buy U.S.Savings Bonds WUYUlgO J-rVAllVAO. Now E Bonds pay 5K% interest whan held Q _ _ , 5° maturity of 5 years. 10 months (4% the bee. . . you re * learning alreadv ~ * ** *uu * Clil XZCXKAy jrr ta« tn«y be deferred until redemption. . stock . mAmenca- We've given away over150,000copies of this booklet. . We want to give away more. *8 rmmrmfwa «wiimi))t Tkk-'i <* urat •*> <K» t» w tttm <* cool me 1 ^ WMINdMlta) The 1 « « v o x * D a m m «K»fttwil«A mtwwb, - ~ w* at wmfcMit, »k the MKMftnrv e«M«tty «t. cooitn# equipment. ThftMMNtt* k " Till*! (till* tiwrrtM u«-t*> am hour i o x e m r t d h t a f t q g r«j,t rtdov* «wmrt> .... ~ - to your ttvtt# fm wrtem t» Imp onautfl tt mMwXhwi «wr riwirert m|ig> < « « < < - S i f <r«wr mt c&vtmon** it tejk. il wit) cent the tm too mitktf M ott Ww h h« tlw *KK*. ActMrty « H mar* efficient M w feJMNi kiiiMlo iimitllM curxhtoom pt your Aft t»,000»w urwf ma mm m m mum, • «w», mmA* •iimmk •*»» vm The more booklets we give away, the more peo^.„ will know about helping to conserve our natural • resources. And how to save on their electric bills. " 101 Ways to Conserve Electricity at Home" explains how things like proper insulation, choosing the right heating and cooling systems, ' and practical day-to-day use of appliances I can make living easier and more comfortable. I To get your free copy, send in the coupon. I Commonwealth Edison concern for your total environment I ?^4f.,send me V°ur free booklet 101 Ways to Conserve Electricity at Home." 7 Name Address Mail coupon to: Commonwealth Edison Department AV, P.O. Box 767 Chicago, Illinois 60690