Volume 37, Issue 1 January/February 2004 Julie Muhilly, Editor

Happy New Year!

Gardening Tips

2004 Saturday Seminars

People on the Move at Moana

New Winter Hours Begin - December 26

From the Florist

Valentine’s Day – Saturday Feb 14

moana waterworks

Moana Nursery proudly introduces its two "Plant Doctors." Each store and their customers will benefit from the full time presence of Moana Nursery’s two spokesmen, Ron Gustafson and Steve Packer. Ron began this service last year and now we are adding Steve so that we can fully cover the customer needs and requests from both nursery locations. Steve will be full time at the South Virginia location and Ron will be full time at the Moana Lane store. They are available Tuesday through Saturday.

Steve, with 20 years managing our first nursery, brings a wealth of knowledge accumulated from his extensive education and training in the nursery industry and his own gardening experience in Reno. Ron and Steve will provide at-your-site assistance for local homeowners and businesses desiring a professional and knowledgeable evaluation of their unique landscape needs.

For the "do-it-yourselfer" and the "new to Reno gardener" we believe this assistance will be invaluable and has proven so according to the many customers who have utilized this service during the past nine months. Ron and Steve will serve as Moana Nursery’s experts on water gardening, moana waterworks (custom waterfalls and ponds), be the permanent plant doctor at each store, coordinate our bi-weekly customer seminars and provide expanded customer service through employee plant education.

To replace Steve as the manager of our Moana Lane garden center/nursery, we are pleased to announce that Bob Frische has joined our team as General Manager of the Moana Lane Operation. Bob was most recently General Manager for SummerWinds Nursery in Campbell, California. He has held a number of retail management/store manager positions and we are fortunate to get a retail professional with nursery experience. Bob said he wanted to be part of the best operation in Northern Nevada and is eager to help us improve the services we provide our customers. We are excited about the energy and experience he brings and what that means to our customers.

Have the pond, waterfall or stream you’ve always wanted to enhance your landscape! Can you imagine the sounds of water flowing across rocks, sunlight dancing and reflecting off sparkling water, and the beautiful colors of fish and water plants in your own pond? moana waterworks can make that dream come true for you, providing years of enjoyment while enhancing your property values.

We will work with you to design the optimal water feature to meet your expectations and your budget. Your water feature could be a disappearing waterfall, a pond and stream combination, or other element to complement your landscape. moana waterworks ponds feature ecologically balanced, low-maintenance systems incorporating:

To discuss how we can make your water feature a reality, please call or email Bart Throop at our Moana and Lakeside Nursery, BartT@moananursery.com (825-0602 ext. 108)

Although dormant roses may look like lifeless sticks, they will provide years of color and beauty when planted correctly. So planting them out while still in a dormant stage as soon as the soil can be worked, will help these roses to thrive. Come into our store for a fact sheet on ‘hows and whys" or visit us at www.moananursery.com.

Be sure that your roses do not run out of preservative solution in their vase. Check daily and add water to keep the vase full. Any floral foam used must be kept submerged by adding water. To make preservative solution, mix the contents of a flower preservative packet with tap or distilled water according to the directions on the package.

	Prepare a clean vase full of flower preservative solution.
	Remove any foliage that will be under water after the roses are arranged.
	While holding the stems under water in a sink, cut about an inch off each stem with a sharp knife or shears. Cutting stems under water helps eliminate air trapped in the stems and improve preservative solution uptake. Immediately place the rose in the vase of preservative solution.
	After arranging, if possible, place the arrangement in a cool, dark room for 2-3 hours.
	When picking a place to display your roses, choose a cool spot that is out of the sun and away from any drafts or heat sources.
	As with roses received in a vase, check the container daily and add preservative solution as needed to keep the vase full and any floral foam submerged.

The winners of the Christmas Open House drawing were Margarito Ontiveros, Venetia Gray, A.H. Aldrich, Cynthia Pate and Claire Tupper; each received a holiday arrangement of their choice delivered.

Did you receive a blooming plant for Christmas? Maybe a poinsettia, Christmas cactus, or cyclamen? Well, here are some tips to help you get to know your new plant better and have it looking just as good next Christmas. For further information, visit our web site at www.moananursery.com and click on What’s New.

Indoors, give it bright light and medium to high humidity. From April to mid-September, the room can be warmish and the growing medium should be kept moist but not wet. Beginning in mid-September (if you want it to bloom for Christmas), provide cooler temperatures (60-65˚F.), discontinue fertilizer and allow the soil to become dryer between regular waterings -this slightly stresses the plant, making it reproduce via flowers. Provide 12 hours of darkness every night until mid-October. As soon as flower buds form, resume normal watering, light and fertilization (and a slightly warmer room may be tolerated). Provide warm temperatures while actively growing, cool while setting flower buds.

June - Remove the plant and check for an abundance of roots, which is indicative of the need to repot. Use commercial potting soil and a slightly larger pot, placing the pot outside in light shade provided the temperature doesn’t drop to less than 55˚F. Fertilize with 1 tsp. of fertilizer per gallon of water every other time you water.

	Keep it cool. 55-60° F. is ideal, but it can tolerate temps down to 40° F.
	Give it bright indirect light while in bloom.
	Set the bare pot on a plate of wet pebbles to provide extra humidity.
	Keep the soil moist while in bloom; don't allow it to dry out.
	When watering, use tepid water and don't dampen the crown; water all around the inside of the pot instead of directly over it.
	Remove faded blooms at the point of their origin.
	When the flowers have faded, pinch them off and begin fertilizing with a dilute solution until new leaves appear.
	When leaves begin to fade, stop fertilizing, and gradually reduce water, allowing the corm (bulb) to go dormant.
	When the soil has become completely dry and all of the leaves have died down, allow it to rest for 6-12 weeks in a cool, dark place. Ideally, plants should be allowed to stay dormant during the warmest weather and flower in winter and spring.
	Remove the corm from the pot and replant in fresh potting soil, with 1/3 to 1/2 of the top portion of the corm protruding above the surface of the soil.
	When a new leaf forms, begin watering again, and fertilize once a month until flower buds form.

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