ZZ – Zamioculcas Zamiifolia – One Year Later
It’s been a while since we wrote about the Zamioculcas zamiifolia also known as the ZZ plant.
More and more email continues to ask about this plant so we wanted to cover it again in a little more detail.
Have you ever seen the TV commercial that says – What’s Up. Well, each year new plants are introduced and growers must go through finding out “What’s Up” with these plants.
Interior plantscapers always look for “new” plants they can use indoors which gives a different look. Growers always look at new items to offer customers something different.
Dozens of new plants are introduced every year. Companies that breed new varieties or locate old unusual plants from collectors, in turn propagate them by the 1000′s. These plants are then introduced to the “trade”.
Allow me to jump on my soapbox for just a moment.
As a plant collector over 20 years ago, it would be easy for me to”introduce” 25 new varieties of plants per year.
Here is the problem… would they do well indoors? Would they have enough light indoors to bring out the colors, hold enough leaves and look good.
Don’t introduce just another plant!!! Introduce a plant that the homeowner and plantscaper can use, not one that looks perfect under ideal conditions.
Sometime I would like to write about my real world education on breeding and new plant introduction. I learned this from one of the world’s most respected breeders of philodendrons and a friend who has passed on. He gave me insight on some plant breeding that I don’t see much of today. If fact, his plants are still grown today.
Off the soapbox
I had to write that because the Zamioculcas is definitely a -"What’s Up" plant. It fits just about every need of what a new indoor plant introduction should be.
- Handles low light
- Low water use
- Tough under indoor conditions
- Handles neglect well
The ZZ has been around for decades. In fact I grew it 20 years ago but wasn’t smart enough to introduce it 
.
It is a member of the aroid family along with the philodendron, spathiphyllum and aglaonema. You would never know it though. It looks and resembles the cycad – Zamia furfuracea or cardboard palm.
The base of the plant stalks are swollen from which the stem host dark green, naturally shiny leaves. It’s easy to think that the plant has had leaf shine put on it. Remember, we don’t recommend leaf shine.
One rule that almost all of the BEST indoor plants have is – they grow slow. The ZZ is no exception. It is easy to propagate but develops slowly. Most of the plants are grown from leaf cuttings just as you would a jade plant.
Plants are grown in 4 inch up through 14 inch pots. Large plants can reach 3 feet in height and I have seen a very old plant of 4 foot. The average height of most of the plants grown is about 16 – 28 inches, and the plant can have a wide spread on it. It works well as an accent plant in areas where it can"spread its wings".
Zamioculcas can be put right along side the sanseveira and aspidistra – tough. It handles low light well and the plant even grows.
Even though the plant does well in lower light levels, by placing it in brighter light it performs even better. Keep the plant away from any hot direct afternoon sun as the plant can burn. A good bright filtered afternoon sun would work well.
Don’t let this plant sit in water or stay wet. This plant is better to keep on the dry side. If you water it too much or the plant sits in water you may find yellowing leaves.
A little more about watering from my side. I purposely neglect plants to test their toughness. In my office I have a ZZ which has been inside for about 16 months. Let me tell you – I don’t do anything to it. It looks pretty good considering that I have watered it… Ready for this – drum roll please – 6 times. I’ll try to get a picture of it this week for you.
The best part of the ZZ may not be its toughness, or low light ability or low water requirements – but no insect problems. Or none that anyone has been able to identify.
Eliminating this one element makes caring for your plant much easier. The plant has left you with only a couple of things to manage – light and water, what could be easier.
The downside, yes there always is a downside, is that because the ZZ is slow growing the production is slow. Ask at your favorite plant outlet about the ZZ.
Similar Posts:
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia – A Tough New Plant
- Low Light Houseplant Care – Is It Different?
- African Violets – Cleansing Foliage
I have 2 ZZ plants and they are the best. They do like a drier soil and I have not watered mine in 2 months and they have 2 new shoots on each one. I have them in my dining room that has a south window and sheer curtains so the light level seems right for them. the leaves always seem to be shiny just like you say and I don’t use anything on them. I have mine next to a mother in law tongue and the contrast is nice. I recommend this plant as a keeper to any home or ofice environment
I recently spent time at the Westward Look Hotel/Resort in Tucson, AZ and saw these plants everywhere. They had plants in the hotel rooms, in the lobby, and so on. They were artfully displayed in wide pots with rocks covering the soil. Each pot only had a few long healthy stalks, that appeared to have been trained to grow in certain directions. They were beautiful. I copied the name of the plant and was resolved that I really wanted one in my house. Many calls to nursery and plant stores yielded no results, but Home Depot told my husband they could order one. It now sits on my kitchen counter. It came, however, with many, many stalks, all planted pretty tightly together. Some are taller and older looking; some are smaller, more delicate and lighter in color.
My question is. . . can I break this plant up and plant parts of it separately? I want to recreate what I saw at the hotel, which means that I want to have only a few stalks in each pot.
Also, is there a way to “train” it? And what would happen if I nipped off a few of the lower leaves? The ones I saw in Tucson had leaves only about two thirds of the way down the stalk, which added to the elegant look. My plant stalks all have leaves almost all the way to the bottom.
Thank you for any help you can give me. I truly appreciate it. Although I love live plants in my house, I do not necessarily have a green thumb
I have ZZ and some shoots that are growing slowly. I looked up because some of
the leaves were yellowing. I guess once a week is to much water. Thanks for the information. By the way mine did bloom;I hear that don’t happen often. Not a showy bloom but kind of neat any how.
I have a question about my zz plant. I haven’t had it long, but it must be VERY happy with where I have it and how I’m treating it. i think in the 6 months since i’ve had it it’s probably grown at least a foot in overall height and it has sprouted 2 new tubes. The first new tube grew at a rate of about 2+ inches a day (no I’m not kidding) and the second one is doing the same. I would estimate the first tube is about 3.5-4 feet tall!! crazy. Anyway, here’s my question. I would like to give a start of my zz plant to a friend, but I have no idea how to best go about it. Is it best to separate a new tube from the plant or is it better to separate one of the “old timers”? Maybe I shouldn’t do it at all? Please advise. Thank you.
I was lucky enough to purchase my first zz plant a few weeks ago. The container is about 1-1/2 gal. There are 3 plants in this one container. I’m thinking of dividing them.
Any suggestion?
Thanks
I have had a spectacular ZZ, 5 feet wide and over 4 feet tall, for a couple of years on my front porch. It gets watered every two weeks. Low light. Moderate climate (Hawaii) . It has started to loose leaves and does not look so healthy now. Some of the branches only have two or three leaves. I would hate to see it die, but I am at a loss as to what to do. It was fine for two years. It has never been fertilized. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
It looks like my zz is sending up another flower spike. Was going to give it fresh soil but maybe I should wait a bit. What do you think Vicki? You and I seem to be the only people on this site. May hap we should toot the zz horn a bit more; right?
I have this plant in my room at university, and it’s going well. However, a few of the stems have fallen over, so to speak. I’m not sure whether this is normal, or I’m doing something wrong with it, or what’s going on. Can anyone with any info on this please contact me on keijimail-web@yahoo.com.au? Thank you!!
does the ZZ need to be replanted?
where do the answers go? I need to know why the ZZ falls over and looses leaves. Please answer if you know -
Snuuanu1@aol.com
Well; guy and gals I will try to answer all the question above without sounding like a know it all. All plants need to be repotted . The most common reason for leaf loss and stem death is over watering. If you have a catch tray under your plant make sure to drain off any extra water. I learned this from;this site. You can give your friend a clone by taking leaf off one of your plant stalks and putting it in damp soil. The leaf will most likely die but fear not a new shoot will appear (they grow slowly). If a stalk has died cut it off at the base and lay it down on it’s side it will send up a new shoot; it might take awhile like a month or two. A little rooting compound on the side touching the ground may speed things up a little. Dividing should be OK zz; are really tough but I have never divided mine sooo… hope this helped onyxhalforc@aol.com