When should paperwhite bulbs be planted?
Paperwhites can be grown any time of year as long as they aren’t subject to frost. The plants will be more compact and flowers will last longer when kept slightly below room temperature at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Bulbs can sprout at lower temperatures of 45 or 50 degrees. 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.Be sure to water your paperwhites every few days, but avoid leaving them waterlogged since the bulbs will rot. You can expect your paperwhites to bloom 4-6 weeks after planting depending on the temperature of your growing space.All the experts agree: you can’t recuperate a Paperwhite narcissus bulb that has been forced (grown indoors for early flowering). The only choice, we are told, is the trash or compost bin. That’s because blooming indoors is supposed to tire the bulb out, leaving it unable to bloom a second time.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.
What do you do with paperwhite bulbs after they bloom?
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. 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.Answer: Paperwhite narcissus bulbs should be discarded after flowering. Paperwhites cannot be successfully forced again and are not winter hardy outdoors.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!
Is it worth saving paperwhite bulbs?
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. 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 .GROWING PAPERWHITES OUTDOORS In warm climates (zones 8 to 11), paperwhites are a great alternative to daffodils, jonquils, and other members of the Narcissus genus that require a period of cold weather in order to bloom outdoors. Plant the bulbs anytime in the fall or early winter for blooms the following spring.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 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.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.
How do you force paperwhite bulbs for Christmas?
You can “force” the blooms by planting them indoors 4-6 weeks before you want them to bloom. Forcing” a bulb means you encourage a plant to bloom outside it’s normal conditions. You can find paperwhite bulbs in most garden centers this time of year. They can be planted or “forced” in water or soil. 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.Most spring-flowering bulbs should be planted 6 to 8 weeks before the soil begins to freeze. In growing zones 4-5, the ideal planting time is mid to late October. Gardeners in zones 6-8 should wait until November. In warmer areas (zones 9-10), most spring-blooming bulbs must be chilled before they are planted.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.Purchase hardy bulbs in August-September and plant the bulbs as soon as possible. In places with cold climates, like Minnesota, planting time is usually from mid-September to mid-October. Planting at this time helps the bulb to grow roots before the ground freezes.Either chill them in the refrigerator for use indoors as forced bulbs or somehow get them into the ground outside. Because they are so tough and contain a full storehouse of food, your bulbs will try their best to bloom no matter how late it is in the season.
What do you do with forced bulbs after they bloom?
The care after flowering is important if attempting to save forced bulbs. After blooming, remove the spent flowers and place the plants in a sunny window. Water regularly until the foliage begins to yellow. At this point, gradually cut back on watering until the foliage withers and dies. One of the basic rules of bulbs storage is to keep them dry and cool, which helps prevent bulbs from sprouting before you plant. How cold? Make sure your bulbs don’t freeze – This means if you’re still having freezing nights in your area, you won’t want to store them in an unheated garage or shed.General Guidelines: Temperature: Store between 35–55°F (1–13°C), depending on bulb type and whether chilling is required. Ventilation: Use paper bags, mesh sacks, or breathable crates—never airtight containers.If storing the bulbs, keep them at room temperature (about 70°F) in a dark place for up to 4-6 weeks. If you receive one of our 24-bulb collections, consider potting 6-12 bulbs at 2- to 4-week intervals for a staggered display. Bulbs generally bloom 4-6 weeks after potting.How to Store Bulbs. If you plan on storing your bulbs until the next planting season, dust off as much soil as possible, let them air dry for a few days, and then store them in a breathable bag with a dry and sterile material, like sawdust or vermiculite.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.
Can I leave bulbs in pots after flowering?
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. Mike shows us what to do once they are done blooming! 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.It is tempting to leave them in the same pot of spent compost and hope they will flower the following spring, but they are unlikely to perform satisfactorily. After the flowers have finished the leaves are still photosynthesising and sending nutrients back down into the bulb.But don’t chuck them: store them. 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.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!How to Force Paperwhites to Bloom. 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.