DIY: Get Your Paperwhites Drunk for Better Blooms - Gardenista
With paperwhite season in full swing, it is important to remember a simple technique to keep your flowers from flopping over in their pot: get them soused. Photograph by John Merkl for Gardenista. Armed with a few narcissus bulbs and a bottle of gin researchers at Cornell University s Flower Bulb Research Program proved a... ...few years ago that adding alcohol ethanol to the water will stunt the growth of stems but not the blooms of paperwhites Photograph by Erin Boyle. Here s the technique Plant bulbs in a pot of stones or gravel After about a week when the stem reaches a height of... ...2 inches pour off the water and replace it with a mixture of hard liquor and water adding 1 part liquor to 7 parts water Photograph by Erin Boyle. The reason it works according to Prof William Miller is probably water stress The alcohol makes it more difficult for the... ...plant to absorb water reducing growth of stems and leafs without adversely affecting the size or longevity of the plants flowers Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for paperwhites with our Paperwhites: A Field Guide.