What do you do with paperwhites after they bloom?
Like most bulbs that are forced for indoor flowers, paperwhites should be discarded after they finish blooming. In warm climates, where temperatures don’t go below 20°F, paperwhite bulbs may be planted outdoors in late fall for blooms in late winter. Plant the bulbs about 6 deep and 4 apart. Paperwhites are fantastic indoor or outdoor plants that fancy well-drained soil but can also be grown in water and pebbles. Place them indoors near a bright, sunny window or outdoors in a spot that receives full sun.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.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.Water paperwhites when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil is dry, or keep enough water in shallow containers to cover roots but not the bulbs. Use stakes with twine, ribbon or string to support flowering stems. Paperwhite bulbs can also be planted outside in the fall in warm climates.
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. Maintain your paperwhite greens like you would a houseplant until the foliage dies back, usually around mid-July. 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!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 .Paperwhite Re-Blooming Once the blooms are spent, you can cut the stalks down at the base of the plant and leave the foliage. Maintain your paperwhite greens like you would a houseplant until the foliage dies back, usually around mid-July.Once the bulbs have flowered, it can be difficult to get another bloom in the same season. Sometimes if you plant them outside in USDA zone 10, you may get another bloom the next year but usually, paperwhite bulb reblooming will take up to three years.To force paperwhites to bloom in the winter, place the bulbs, root side down, in a pot filled with potting soil and keep the soil moist but not soggy. Place your pot near a sunny window, and then go about your holidays. They grow quite quickly too.
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. Most flowers lose their attraction as they fade. Snapping or cutting dead flower heads can enhance the flowering performance of many plants. Deadheading is an important task to keep up with in the garden throughout the growing season because it results in healthier plants and continual blooms.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.
What do you do with paperwhites once they bloom?
Maintain your paperwhite greens like you would a houseplant until the foliage dies back, usually around mid-July. 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! You have several options. You can continue to store the bulbs in a cool location where the temperatures remain above freezing. Then plant the bulbs outdoors as soon as the soil is thawed and workable. If the plants received sufficient cold in storage, they will eventually flower for you this spring.After the foliage has died back, you can either leave the bulbs in the pot for next year or lift them and store them in a cool, dry place. If you choose to leave them in the pot, replace the top few inches of compost with fresh soil to replenish nutrients.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.We advise leaving the bulbs in soil over winter. They like a cold dormant phase, so your barn sounds perfect. Give them a fresh top layer of compost each year. After 3 years you will need to divide your bulbs and break off the bulblets and replant them all.Tulip bulbs can be overwintered in garden soil or a container at temperatures down to -23 ° C. They should not be stored indoors, as they need a cold stimulus to form flowers, and warm temperatures can because early budding.
Will paperwhites come back every year?
Sometimes if you plant them outside in USDA zone 10, you may get another bloom the next year but usually, paperwhite bulb reblooming will take up to three years. After the flowers fade (remember to deadhead them so they can’t set seed – that will take a lot of energy away from the bulb), wait until leaves have gone yellow and wilted (typically at least 6 weeks after flowering).Once the bulbs have finished flowering and the leaves begin to die down stop watering and place the pot in a cool place to die down. Once dry, remove the bulbs and store as you would those from the garden.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.After the flowers have faded, it’s essential to let the foliage die back naturally. Their leaves should be left in place, ideally for around 6 weeks after flowering, so they can carry on feeding the bulbs and recharge the energy store for next year.
How cold can paperwhites tolerate?
Once buds are visible, the cooler you can keep the plants the longer they will last. They will tolerate temperatures down to 35 degrees without damage. Moving them out of direct sunlight after buds are visible will also prolong bloom. Paperwhites grown indoors often need support. Place the vase in a sunny, warm location. Paperwhites are tropical bulbs and prefer temperatures around 70°F. If you place your paperwhites in a cooler sunny spot (40-55°F) directly after planting for 3-4 weeks, the stems will stay shorter, which prevents them from falling over when in full bloom.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.A: Paperwhites are one of the easiest of all spring-blooming bulbs to force in the house. All you need is a watertight container and some decorative stones or marbles. Place the bulbs on the top of the decorative material, pointy side up, and use the same material to cover all but the top third of the bulbs.
Can paperwhites grow in just water?
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. Unless there are drought conditions, adding additional water can cause the bulbs to rot. The exception is lily bulbs left in a planter that is not exposed to natural snow or rainfall over the winter. Water the planter lightly once a month if the soil is completely dry.Store the bulbs in a dark, dry, cool place like a garage or basement. Avoid bright light. The bulb will go dormant, and you won’t need to water until the next blooming cycle.Set the pots in a cool, dry place in a basement, garage, or shed. Alternately, remove the bulbs from the soil, clean off dead leaves, and allow them to go completely dormant in a paper or mesh bag full of bone-dry coir (coconut fiber) or vermiculite if you have it.If your potted bulbs are outside, you may need to protect them from getting too wet in the winter. During extended wet periods, cover the pots or move them to a sheltered spot. Bulbs that stay too wet for too long, especially tulips, will die. Don’t water when the soil in your pots is frozen.After your lilies have flowered, you need to…. Leave the bulbs in the ground or in your pots as they like a cold dormant phase throughout the winter (they can tolerate -20c). Ensure they have plenty of drainage so they don’t get waterlogged as this will cause the bulbs to rot.