Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs For Indoor Blooms All Winter Long

To get your paperwhite bulbs started, get a shallow bowl or flowerpot about four inches deep and light sandy soil or pebbles. A clear container works best if you want to keep the water at the proper level. The container you choose for your paperwhites should not have drainage holes.

You can buy containers made especially for growing paperwhites but this isn't necessary. Any shallow clear glass or plastic container will work fine. If you don't have an attractive bowl you can just use whatever you have and put it in a pretty larger pot after your bulbs are planted.

Add a two inch layer of soil or pebbles. Then set the bulbs right on top of this first layer. The pointed ends should be sticking out of the soil when you're finished. An odd number of five to seven bulbs makes a nice bold display. After the bulbs are arranged the way you want them add just enough soil or pebbles to anchor them in place. Make sure their necks are not covered.

You want the roots to grow downward towards moisture. You do not want the bulbs to be sitting in water. The reason a clear container helps is so you don't add too much water. You always want the water level to be just below the base of the bulbs.

Keep your planted bulbs in a cool, unheated (but not freezing) room. As soon as you see the green shoots move your pot to a warmer room and give it some sun. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out during this time.

If you put the container in a sunny window you will probably want to give it a quarter turn every day to keep the stalks from growing lop-sided. You should see the flower stalks emerge in about a month.

If you've used soil as your planting medium the bulbs will sometimes push their way to the top when the roots start growing. This normal and nothing to worry about.

You can store your extra bulbs in the fridge or your basement to keep them cool until you're ready to plant them.If your budget allows it's nice to plant a new pot of paperwhite bulbs every week or two to have blooms continuously for the rest of the winter.

*Photo by the bittenword.com on Flickr

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One of the most annoying things about growing paperwhite bulbs is the need to stake them. When they are grown in a warm sunny area they tend to have long spindly leaves and flower stems that flop right over if they aren't tied to a wire or wooden stake. There is a way around that though. It's called the pickling method.

For the pickling method you need to use a clear container and pebbles,stones or marbles as your planting medium. Add just enough water at planting to give the roots some moisture to reach for. Don't fill the container with water. This will cause your bulbs to rot. If the water evaporates add more until you see roots growing from the bottom of the bulbs and the green shoots growing from the top.

At this point you want to empty the water from the container and add a new solution to the pot that consists of seven parts water to one part 80 proof liquor. Yes, liquor. You can add any hard liquor to the water and your paperwhites will grow short stout stems instead of tall skinny ones that flop over before the blooms open. This doesn't harm them in any way. In fact it doesn't affect the flowering at all.

This water and booze solution is what you'll give them every time they need water.
This has been a well documented way to keep paperwhites short without the need for staking. No one seems to know why this works, only that it does. It doesn't really matter what type of liquor you use but I would recommend a clear liquor such as gin, vodka or everclear rather than a dark strong smelling liquor like rum or whiskey. *Do not use beer or wine. It will kill your paperwhites.*

You can also use isopropyl or rubbing alcohol but you'll need to increase the dilution rate to one part alcohol to ten parts water.

If you want to grow your narcissus bulbs in soil and stake them this is okay, too. You can use wire,bamboo stakes or wooden sticks. You will need one stake per bulb and you'll need to add it at planting time to avoid piercing your bulbs.

Obviously, you shouldn't use the pickling method with children or pets around.

Photo by tellen in Virginia on Flickr

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As you can see the paperwhite is a beautiful and easy to grow flower bulb even for amateurs and kids. If you follow the simple directions given here you can have paperwhites blooming in your home all winter and into the spring.

If you're an experienced gardener you'll look forward to the cold months every year because it will be time to start your paperwhite narcissus bulbs.

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