Paperwhites (a cousin of the daffodil) are deeply fragrant and wonderfully cheerful in winter. One complaint, though, is that they get so tall, fall over, and look messy. Several remedies have been suggested:
Plant them deeper
Stake them up
Use a tall container
One Saturday listener had a new one to me – adding alcohol to the water.
I didn’t find anyone with actual experience with this method, but did find several articles on the subject – one from noted Cornell University. Using this method should result in plants about 1/3 shorter than normal, but with normal-sized flowers. I’m going to try it, and keep you posted. Here’s a summary of their method:
Plant the paperwhite bulbs as you normally would. (If this is your first time to plant these bulbs, see below.)
Grow the bulbs until the shoot is about 2” tall.
Pour off the water in the container.
Replace it with a 5% alcohol solution (recipe follows).
Whenever additional water is needed, use this solution.
Alcohol Solution
The alcohol you buy for home use comes in many strengths. Here are some sample conversions to get to the 5% strength you need. Mix the following amounts in a gallon of water.
Careful! If you make it too strong it will damage the plant, instead of just slowing it.
99% alcohol -- 6.5 oz. (3/4 cup+1 Tbsp)
90% alcohol -- 7 oz. (3/4 cup+2 Tbsp)
80% alcohol -- 8 oz. (1 cup)
70% alcohol -- 9 oz. (1 cup+2 Tbsp)
Growing Paperwhites
These pre-cooled bulbs will do just fine in soil, but they are usually grown in a more decorative way. There are even special containers for just one bulb (see photo), using water only.
Place about 2 inches of gravel (or pebbles or marbles) in a container with no drainage. Place the bulbs onto the gravel - pointy side up. Crowding them together helps keep them upright.
Add water to the bottom of the bulb and add more gravel to keep the bulbs in place.
As the water dips below the bottom of the bulbs, add more.
Plant them deeper
Stake them up
Use a tall container
One Saturday listener had a new one to me – adding alcohol to the water.
I didn’t find anyone with actual experience with this method, but did find several articles on the subject – one from noted Cornell University. Using this method should result in plants about 1/3 shorter than normal, but with normal-sized flowers. I’m going to try it, and keep you posted. Here’s a summary of their method:
Plant the paperwhite bulbs as you normally would. (If this is your first time to plant these bulbs, see below.)
Grow the bulbs until the shoot is about 2” tall.
Pour off the water in the container.
Replace it with a 5% alcohol solution (recipe follows).
Whenever additional water is needed, use this solution.
Alcohol Solution
The alcohol you buy for home use comes in many strengths. Here are some sample conversions to get to the 5% strength you need. Mix the following amounts in a gallon of water.
Careful! If you make it too strong it will damage the plant, instead of just slowing it.
99% alcohol -- 6.5 oz. (3/4 cup+1 Tbsp)
90% alcohol -- 7 oz. (3/4 cup+2 Tbsp)
80% alcohol -- 8 oz. (1 cup)
70% alcohol -- 9 oz. (1 cup+2 Tbsp)
Growing Paperwhites
These pre-cooled bulbs will do just fine in soil, but they are usually grown in a more decorative way. There are even special containers for just one bulb (see photo), using water only.
Place about 2 inches of gravel (or pebbles or marbles) in a container with no drainage. Place the bulbs onto the gravel - pointy side up. Crowding them together helps keep them upright.
Add water to the bottom of the bulb and add more gravel to keep the bulbs in place.
As the water dips below the bottom of the bulbs, add more.
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