How to Replant Paperwhite Narcissus

Fill the pot with potting soil. Moisten the soil until it is evenly damp but not soggy. A 5-inch pot can accommodate 3 to 5 bulbs, but you can plant in a larger pot for more bulbs and a bigger display.

Divide the bulbs if necessary. Older paperwhite bulbs will "naturalize," which means they will produce offset or daughter bulbs. Simply pull these off the mother bulb. All the bulbs are useful and may be planted.

Remove a plug of soil in the potting soil with a small trowel or bulb planter. Core out enough soil to plant the bulbs at twice the depth of the widest point of the bulb. The hole for the bulb only needs to be as wide as the bulb. For instance, if the fattest point on the bulb is 1 inch, plant it 2 inches deep.

Push the bulbs into the potting soil with the pointed end up. Some may already have begun to sprout, which is fine. Just be careful with the tender sprouts as you handle the bulbs, and allow some of the sprout to stick up out of the soil. Cover the bulbs with a thin layer of soil of 2 to 3 inches, and lightly compact it around the sprouts.

Place the pot in a cool, well-lit area inside. Do not allow the pots to dry out, but also ensure that they are not drenched, which can cause the bulbs to mold or rot. Expect sprouts within three weeks and flowers four weeks after.

Move the flowers to a cool location at night. The basement or garage are ideal if temperatures do not drop below freezing. This will extend the bloom time and keep the stems from getting leggy and falling over.

Cut off the spent flower stems, and grow the plant as a houseplant until the foliage begins to yellow. Cut off the foliage, and dig out the bulbs. Brush off the excess soil. Store the bulbs in a bed of sphagnum moss inside a paper bag. Put the bag in a cool, dark location with no moisture.