How to Grow Paperwhites Indoors

I have been on a fall bulb kick at the new house. I’ve done articles on How to Grow Allium, How to Grow Hyacinth, and How to Plant Tulips. I’m looking forward to seeing them sprout in the spring—but for now, I have indoor bulbs to tide me over.

While you can force many bulbs to flower indoors, it can be tricky. However, paperwhite bulbs are very easy to grow indoors. In fact, you don’t even need soil. You can do it in just water and rocks (similar to the LECA propagation process I use for houseplant propagation). I’ll be showing the process for both methods in this article.

Paperwhites 101

“Paperwhite” is the common name given to the flowering perennial bulbous plant Narcissus papyraceus. They are closely related to daffodils and are native to the Mediterranean region and parts of northern Africa. It has been naturalized in different places around the world, including some U.S. states.

Paperwhites grow from bulbs, sprouting tall green stalks that reach about a foot tall. They then grow clusters of fragrant white flowers. Unlike some other bulbous plants, paperwhites do not require a period of cold before they can grow. After planting the bulbs, paperwhites grow quite quickly and flower within about a month.

Growing in water

Let’s talk about growing paperwhites indoors in water first. Because that is arguably the easiest way to do it. All you need is a container, rocks, and water.

Step 1: Gather supplies

I didn’t want to buy anything for this, so I decided to use rocks from our yard. This ended up being the perfect activity when my daughter’s school was unexpectedly closed. Gathering rocks was one activity, and then I set her up at the table with soapy water, a towel, and a scrub brush to clean the rocks. Then I dug out a clear glass container.

Step 2: Add a layer of rocks

Next add a layer of rocks in your container. I used one old candle jar and a pretty serving dish my grandmother gave me.

One thing to keep in mind is that these flowers can get tall and floppy. So using a tall, cylindrical container (unlike the containers I used) can be a great way to help stabilize the tall stems. All you really need, though, is a container deep enough for a reservoir of water and the bulbs.

Step 3: Fill around bulbs & add water

Next add the bulbs with the root side down, pointy tip up. Fill in around the bulb with more rocks to stabilize it and hold it in place. All that’s left now is to add water to the container. Make sure you add water only to the reservoir area of rocks below the bulb.

The water shouldn’t actually come up to the bulb. If the bulb is submerged, it may rot. Don’t worry—the roots will grow and find the water! Refresh the water as needed as it evaporates or is used and keep the plant in a bright, sunny spot like a windowsill.

Growing in soil

And if you want to try your hand at growing paperwhites indoors in soil, here are the steps for that. They are pretty similar.

Step 1: Add a few inches of soil

First fill a container with a few inches of a lightweight potting soil. If the soil you use is too heavy, it will likely rot the bulb. Something like a container gardening or houseplant mix works fine.

Step 2: Add bulb & more soil

Next add the bulb with the pointy side facing up. Fill in around the bulb with soil, leaving the tip exposed. Water the bulb thoroughly; paperwhites like moist soil.

Step 3: Place in a bright spot and monitor

Put the planted bulb in a bright spot and monitor. Water deeply once the top few inches of soil dry out. Overwatering the bulb can lead to rot.

Keeping the stems upright

I mentioned that paperwhites can be tall and top heavy, leading to them flopping over. One way to prevent this is by using a tall cylindrical container. You can also tie them together with a ribbon or twine to keep them standing up.

A great trick, though, is to use alcohol. If you’re growing your bulbs in water, ss soon as the bulbs begin to sprout, drain the water and replace it with a solution of 1 part alcohol to 1 part water. Use something like vodka or gin since it’s clear. Ultimately you just need something that has a 40% alcohol content.

This solution stunts the growth of your paperwhites. The goal is to stunt the growth enough so that the stems will be shorter and less likely to fall over, but not so much that it kills the plant or prevents it from flowering.

Another way to stunt paper white growth is to put the plant in a dark spot for 1-2 weeks when they are a few inches tall. I tested this out a few years ago, and the results were great. I still got gorgeous blooms, but the stems were much shorter. See below!

After-bloom bulb care

Once they bloom, paper white flowers generally last around two weeks. After the plant is finished flowering, make sure to let the leaves die off naturally. They will shrivel up when they are ready. In the meantime, they are collecting valuable energy and storing it in the bulb.

Once they are totally dead, you can remove all of the foliage and the old roots. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry place. Beware, though, that bulbs may begin to peter out after a few years. Especially if you don’t let the foliage die off completely before harvesting and storing the bulbs.

Wrapping up…

Paperwhites take about 3 to 4 weeks from planting to flowering, so remember to plant them around Thanksgiving if you want them for Christmas! And if you try out any of the growth stunting methods I’ve shared, let me know how they work out. Enjoy your blooms!

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