|
| |
Paperwhite Narcissus
Paperwhites are ready to plant indoors when you get them. They need no cooling period to bloom. In four to six weeks they will give you cheerful, fragrant flowers. You may plant them as soon as you get them or store them for up to eight weeks in a cool dark place. Our eight inch basket kit comes with fourteen bulbs so you can plant them in two successive batches of seven.
To pot in soil. To plant your paperwhites in potting soil, first moisten the soil until it is just damp to the touch. Fill your container with at least two inches of potting soil and place the bulbs on it, root end down, and close together but not touching. Bulbs that are touching may rot. Cover the bulbs with the remaining potting soil, leaving just their green necks sticking out. Now water your bulbs, making sure not to water so much that the soil in the bottom of the pot becomes soggy. Water again only when the top inch of your soil is dry. If you are unsure of when to water, we sell an inexpensive water meter that takes the guess work out.
To pot in stones. Paperwhites may also be grown using pea gravel or marbles as a medium. To do this, choose a container that doesn’t drain. We have a whole selection of them, but even a soup bowl will do. Put at least 2” of gravel or marbles in your container and arrange your bulbs on it root down and not touching each other. Now nestle the bulbs into the medium evenly to a depth of about ¾ of an inch with the top third of the bulb uncovered. On the first watering fill your container until the water just kisses the bottom of the bulb. Within a few days white roots will emerge from the bulbs and grow down into the stones. From then on, water so that only the roots are touching the water. Wet bulbs will rot.
Let your potted paperwhites root in a cool place out of direct sun. In most homes it’s cooler by a north window. In two or three weeks, green leaves will be shooting up and your bulbs will be ready to move to a sunny window. Plants that don’t have enough light tend to get “leggy” looking for light. When your paperwhites have just been started they may need water as little as once a week. But as they grow more leaves and produce buds they drink more and may need watering three or even four times a week depending on how dry your home is.
Paperwhite blooms can last up to three weeks if your home is cool, but once they have bloomed indoors they won’t bloom again.
Suggestion: Paperwhites tend to get leggy and flop over when the blooms get heavy. A new study from Cornell University shows that using water for your bulbs with 7% alcohol in it will keep them 33% to 50% shorter but not diminish the size or duration of the blooms. Mix one part isopropyl rubbing alcohol to ten parts water and you’ll have the right ratio. Otherwise, we sell plant support hoops and our kits come with them. You can also stake up your paperwhites with green twine.
|
|
|
|
