Can I grow paperwhites indoors?
The most common way to grow paperwhites is to plant them in pots indoors. They are especially popular for decorating at Christmastime. If you want flowers for Christmas or winter, plant paperwhites in late fall to early winter. Paperwhites can actually be planted indoors any time of year, but the bulbs typically don’t start to become available until September if you’re keen on a Halloween bloom, and you’ll only really start seeing them available in large numbers in October so they can be planted up in early November and bloom in time for .And if you thought it was too late to plant bulbs, think again. Tulips grow well when planted between September and December. The key is to plant as soon as you can after buying or receiving by mail order so the bulbs don’t deteriorate before they go in the ground.Answer: Tulips, hyacinths, and most other spring-flowering bulbs that have been forced indoors are usually discarded after flowering. Most won’t bloom again when planted outdoors. Daffodils are an exception.What happens if you don’t dig up tulip bulbs? If you don’t dig up tulip bulbs, they can often remain in the ground and bloom the following year, though the flowers may become smaller and less vibrant over time.Answer: Paperwhite narcissus bulbs should be discarded after flowering. Paperwhites cannot be successfully forced again and are not winter hardy outdoors. Learn more about growing paperwhites in this article: Forcing Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs.
Do paperwhites come back every year?
Even in warm climates, paperwhites are usually treated as annuals. The bulbs require hot, dry summers in order to produce a good show of flowers the following year. For this reason, they are considered perennials only in Southern California and parts of Texas. Tips for Forcing Paperwhites Watering your paperwhites with an alcohol and water solution can keep foliage stunted but with full-sized blooms. You can also use short bamboo stakes and twine to support the stalks. Once they’ve bloomed, discard the paperwhite bulbs. They will not bloom again indoors.Carefully remove the bulbs from the potting soil, allow them to dry for 1 or 2 weeks, then store the bulbs in a cool, dry location.Take them out of the soil, put them in a paper bag, and keep them in a cool, dry location until the fall. Then you can re-pot your Paperwhite bulbs all over! This process usually only works for three or four seasons before the bulbs become unviable.With potted hyacinths, the easiest way to do this is to store the bulbs pot and all until autumn. The soil can dry out completely. However, you can also lift them and store the bulbs on their own if you want to use the container for something else meanwhile.How to Force Paperwhites to Bloom. After planting, keep the bulbs in a cool, 18 °C (65 °F) dark room for several weeks until the roots take hold and shoots start to sprout from the bulbs. Then place the containers in a cool, sunny location. In 4-6 weeks, you’ll see tiny blossoms on the flower stems.
What to do with paperwhites after flowering indoors?
When they’ve finished flowering, leave them in their pots for the following year, or dry them off, leaving the leaves to shrivel on the bulb, and re-pot them again late next year. You can either keep the bulbs in the refrigerator over the winter months or pot them in a container and place them in a sheltered location in a garage, insulated shed, or porch. Come spring, move the container outside and its first shoots will emerge.After planting, keep the bulbs in a cool—about 65 °F—and dark room for several weeks until the roots take hold and shoots start to sprout from the bulbs. Then place the containers in a cool, sunny location. In 4-6 weeks, you’ll see tiny blossoms on the flower stems.Steps: 1) Stop watering them and let them dry out! Cut the roots of the bottom and the leaves off the top. Store in a dark, cool space. Plant them in the Spring!After flowering indoors, move the containers to a sheltered spot in the garden and feed as directed below to encourage flowering next year. Alternatively, tip them out and plant them in the garden in a sunny spot.
How to force paperwhite bulbs indoors?
Paperwhites are very easy to force in either moist potting soil or water. The water trick is the simplest: Stick bulbs part-ways into clean gravel, glass beads, or other loose material in which roots will grow and intertwine to support the top-heavy growing plants so they don’t tip over. When you are ready to start a new batch of bulbs, just bring out a pot and add water. Try growing paperwhites in water rather than soil. It works just as well.Spring blooming bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses, as well as bulbs typically associated with the winter holiday season, amaryllis and paperwhites, are all great choices. To ensure beautiful indoor blooms at the time you would like them, you will need to employ a process known as forcing.Unlike some other flower bulbs that require a period of cold dormancy, paperwhites do not require pre-chilling, making them a popular choice for indoor forcing.Once they’ve bloomed, discard the paperwhite bulbs. They will not bloom again indoors. In mild climates, they sometimes can be planted in an outdoor garden after they are finished with their indoor blooming. If planted outdoors, paperwhites might require a full season before they resume a normal bloom cycle.
How long do paperwhites last indoors?
Paperwhite bulbs are a traditional indoor holiday garden must. Their bright white, star-like blossoms illuminate any room and bring a heady springtime fragrance in the middle of winter. With proper care they will bloom for two weeks, and if stored properly you can plant them over and over for several years. Paperwhite narcissus bulbs should be discarded after flowering. Paperwhites cannot be successfully forced again and are not winter hardy outdoors.Deadheading Paperwhite Flowers There’s no need to deadhead forced paperwhites, but if the flowers on some stalks begin to fade before others, you can cut them back at the base of the plant to keep it looking tidy. Spent flowers on outdoor paperwhites can be removed for the same reason.