If you are looking for indoor bulbs for winter, Indoor Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs (Ziva) are an excellent choice. This highly fragrant Daffodil with large sprays of pure white flowers looks beautiful in any home. But what do you need to do with Paperwhites after they bloom? We will tell you in this article.
What To Do With Paperwhites After They Flower
Paperwhites are planted indoors and flower during winter. After this period of time, when the Paperwhites flowers have finished blooming, most people discard the bulbs because they don’t rebloom well indoors the following year. After the flowers fade, remove the plants and bulbs from the pot and compost or dispose of them.
Planting Paperwhite Bulbs Again
Do you want to try to get fresh flowers? Follow the step-by-step plan below to plant bulbs again. This is only possible in warm climates (not colder climates), but even this is still being determined.
- After the flowering period, you can remove the dead flowers.
- Don’t cut the foliage straight away. Through photosynthesis, the leaves will create nutrients that the bulb will need for its next growing season.
- Wait until the foliage has turned yellow and died back, usually a few weeks after the end of flowering. Then, you can remove the foliage.
- Store the bulbs in a dark, dry, and cool place, such as a garage or basement. Avoid bright light.
- The bulb will go dormant, and you won't need water until the next flowering season. Now, you can plant Paperwhites again.
Extra Tip: Give Your Paperwhites A Strong Drink When Topple Over
If Paperwhite flowers are grown indoors, they will continue to grow if it's too warm outside. Are your plant's flower stems too long and topple over? Give the Paperwhites bulbs some strong alcohol, such as vodka, to keep them short (source: Cornell University). One part vodka to seven parts water, stunts them slightly.
- Tall glass vase: Replace the water with an alcohol-laced drink if you’re growing them in a vase.
- Pot: If you’re growing them in pots, add some alcohol to the water to keep them growing merrily, but not too enthusiastically.
Learn more: How to Grow Paperwhite Bulbs
Choose The Indoor Narcissus Paperwhite Bulbs From DutchGrown
You have finished this article and now know exactly what to do with Paperwhites after they bloom. Are you looking for beautiful Paperwhites you can grow yourself? DutchGrown sells top-quality Paperwhite bulbs, which are around 16 cm (6.3 inches) in size, for the best performance. Buy your Paperwhites bulbs during fall and enjoy beautiful flowers in your house during winter. We ship the bulbs all over the UK.