What to Do with Paperwhites After They Bloom

Growing Paperwhites

• Unlike other bulbs, paperwhite narcissus do not need to be chilled before they bloom. Paperwhites bloom anytime during the winter. They like to be planted in groups of three, five or seven in well-drained soil, stones or gravel. The leaves have a tendency to flop over late in the blooming period, forcing gardeners to tie the leaves with green twine to support them. A Cornell University study demonstrated that a watering solution of one part isopropyl alcohol to 10 parts water keeps the plants up to 50 percent shorter without reducing the number of blooms, size of flowers or length of the blooming period, while reducing late blooming period leaf droop.

Indoors Force Bloomed

• Paperwhites are easy to force bloom indoors during the winter. Planted close together in a shallow bowl filled with decorative stones, gravel or soil or in a tall vase, the plants thrive when well-watered and need no fertilizer. Push the bulbs deep enough into the planting medium to hold the leaves vertical. The roots appear in a week or so and leaves soon after. Move the pot to a sunny place and blooms will appear anywhere from two to six weeks after planting, depending on how late in the season you planted. The later you plant the quicker paperwhites bloom. Forced paperwhites bloom for one to two weeks. If the plant is too warm or in poor light, it grows taller, the leaves flop over and the blooms are poor. After the blooms drop, tie up the leaves so they don't fall over. You can harvest the seed pods once they are fully developed; otherwise, toss the plants out. The bulbs will not come back.

Outdoors

• New paperwhite bulbs are planted outdoors in the fall. They like sun but will tolerate partial shade. The bulb needs time to store the nutrients it needs for it to bloom next year. Adding a little fertilizer will help the bulb absorb energy for next spring's blooming season. Plant paperwhites in bunches with mulch around the base of the plants to create an attractive planting and keep down the weeds. Trim back the leaves about halfway once the blooms turn yellow and drop.

Propagation

• Paperwhites planted outdoors last for years. To propagate new bulbs from the old ones, wait until the plants die back, then dig up the bulbs. New bulbs will be found clustered around the mother bulb. Gently separate them from the mother bulb and replant immediately. Forcing paperwhites to bloom indoors depletes all the energy in bulb and the flowers will not come back. Paperwhites will also grow from seeds harvested from the swollen seed pods after the flowers fall. Planted in a protected area, the seeds germinate in one to two months, but won't produce a bulb that will flower for three to five years. If the original seed was a hybrid, the new flower won't be the same type as the parent plant.