I have to add this caveat about the fragrance because some people really love the fragrance and others think it’s more of an odor!
The downside to paperwhites is that as they grow, the stems tend to really stretch and by the time the flowers start to bloom, they are flopping all over the place.
A few years ago, I started hearing about people using gin or other alcohol in the water of the paperwhite bulbs to keep the stems shorter.
As a firm believer in research-based information and science-based gardening, I was a little skeptical and curious as to why or how this might work and if indeed it was based on science.
After doing a little research myself, I found that back in 2006, a student of Dr. William Millers’s at Cornell University in the Flower Bulb Research Program took this on as a research project. The question was just how much alcohol was needed to do the job and what type of alcohol.
Alcohol or ethanol could promote short, sturdy stems as long as it was applied in the right amounts. Basically, alcohol would interfere with water uptake. Less water pressure on the stem cells results in less cell-stretching which leads to shorter stems. The flowers would not be affected.
The Cornell research discovered that alcohol did inhibit stem growth and the horticulture student found that the following solution worked best.
Start the bulbs in plain water. When the roots have formed and the green shoot is 1-2 inches long, pour off the water and replace it with a solution of 4 to 6 percent alcohol.
Now you will have to do a little math to get the solution right. If you are using an alcohol that is 80 proof liquor, this is equal to 40 percent alcohol. This works out to one part gin or similar alcohol to 7 parts of water.
Rubbing alcohol can also be used. It’s usually 70 or 100 percent isopropyl alcohol and would need to be diluted more. If you have a 70 percent rubbing alcohol, use 1 part to 10 to 11 parts of water for best results.
Use this solution the rest of the time until the bulbs bloom. This formula resulted in paperwhite bulbs with stems that were roughly a third shorter than normal.
Do not use wine or beer or other alcohol with sugars in them; this causes damage to the plants.
Pam Bennett is an Ohio State University Extension horticulture educator and the state Master Gardener volunteer coordinator. She can be contacted at
bennett.27@cfaes.osu.edu.
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