You may recall that I bought a PaperWhite narcissus at Trader Joe's because they had no amaryllis. Given my black thumb, that probably wasn't a very wise decision.
The leaves grew by leaps and bounds until most of them flopped over. I tried attaching them to a narrow stake, but that hasn't been very helpful. I know one of the reasons for the growth is because the plant prefers a cool room. I have read the temperature should be below 65 degrees. There isn't any room in my house that I would let get that cool; and the den where the plant receives plenty of indirect light warms up quickly on a sunny day. (Which we have today on the winter solstice).
Looking for a "fix" I searched the internet. If I had done this when I first brought the plant home, there might have been a better outcome. The best way to keep the leaves at a reasonable height is to make it tipsy. Adding diluted gin, vodka, whiskey in small amounts suppresses the leaf growth. However, it has to be diluted because straight alcohol will kill the plant. If ones does not have that kind of alcohol, rubbing alcohol will work. Who discovers these things I wondered.
Today I trimmed the leaves by half. They oozed liquid, either water or sap, I don't know which. Since my alternative was to throw the plant out, I decided a drastic rescue effort was OK. I gave it fresh water, then added a bit of rubbing alcohol. I haven't seen any sign of flower stalks. If those don't appear in the next few weeks, the plant will be tossed out anyway. Proving once again that it would be a kindness if I stayed away from live plants.
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