The "Roots" of ZZs
If you go onto Pinterest, the ZZ plant is at the cover of every "Top Houseplants for Beginners" post, and there's a reason for that. It truly is a fuss-free plant, with impeccable recovery and capability of surviving in a low-light environment.
At first glance, I didn't care for the ZZ plant. It wasn't as elegant or dramatic as the Monsteras flashing all over the Plantstagram world. Slowly, it grew on me. When I spotted it for the tenth time at my local nursery, something clicked and I had to buy it! It does have its own elegance and the design aesthetic is lovely. It's a geometric and modern type of plant that's perfect for sprucing up an empty room.
In terms of plant care, ZZ plants can go a couple of weeks without watering because of their root storage structure. The roots are bulbous and can store water during long periods of drought (so basically perfect for people with busy schedules or people who forget about their plants easily).
A major pro to these plants are that they have a waxy cuticle around their leaves which makes them excellent fighters against spider mites! A minor con is that they are notorious for taking months and months to root, so if you're thinking of buying this plant just for propagating you might want to look elsewhere.
Introducing ZZ 1 and ZZ 2
I have two ZZ plants: one I got from a nursery and the other as a gift from a friend. Both have been moved back and forth across my room in low light, bright light, low humidity, high humidity, basically any conditions you can think of. They've survived a vacation, finals week, a move, and a nearby spider mite infestation. They are warriors!
As of now, they are sitting below a windowsill with an air vent below them (I know *gasp*), but they seem to be taking it very well. In fact, they've been pushing out new stems left and right this season! I've only ever fertilized them once, I water them about every two weeks, and I've only wiped their leaves once.... there's even still calcium residue on them... I know, I'm just lazy.
For the soil, I used a 2:1 ratio of Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm, and Citrus Potting Mix to Ecoscraps Natural + Organic Potting Mix from Target. It's worked great and both plants are in terracotta pots that help to combat over-watering (of which I am very prone to. Can I get an amen?).
Here's a video of the re-potting I did for the larger one. It had a tie around the base of the stems that I chose to cut off. Some people choose to wrap the stems closer together as ZZ's can get a little whacky and big with their growth. I like how they look when they are natural and spread out, but if you need to make more room for other plants, grab some twine and gently tie the base of the stems together!
If you are struggling with your ZZ plant, or anything else, please feel free to email me or even leave a comment in the section below for others to chime in! It's most likely a simple fix and no reason to be worried. :)
If you don't already have one, I hope you will someday be able to buy a Zamioculcas zamiifolia and enjoy it as much as I do!
Happy Planting,
