Don't Settle for Floppy Paperwhites!
Caroline Emmet
My love of paperwhites came from my father who grew them every holiday season. To this day, I use some of his pots. At our workshop at Jennifer Hartford’s house, I was very happy to hear Suzy Hartford mention a method to help paperwhites not grow too long and “floppy”.
I first learned this trick from my dad and Suzy shared an article about a 2006 Cornell study about the effects of alcohol on the growth of paperwhites. That article can be found on the Cornell website. In order to stunt their growth, the use of alcohol interferes with water uptake.
Start your bulbs in water.
When roots have formed and the green shoot is 1-2” long, pour off the water and replace with a solution of 4-6% alcohol. (I use vodka!)
If you are using 80 proof liquor, that ratio is about 7 parts water to one part alcohol.
If using rubbing alcohol, dilute it more.
Some other tips:
Do not use beer or wine
Don’t use too much alcohol! Keep it in the 4-6% range.
And definitely keep the solution below 10%. The higher the alcohol, the shorter the plant.
Happy Growing and Happy Holidays!