Zamioculcas

Zamioculcas, also known as the ZZ plant, is a popular houseplant that is easy to care for and offers several benefits. Some of the benefits of having a Zamioculcas plant include:

• Air purification: Zamioculcas is known for its ability to purify the air by removing harmful toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene.
• Low maintenance: Zamioculcas is a low-maintenance plant that can thrive in a variety of environments, making it perfect for beginners or those with a busy lifestyle.
• Longevity: Zamioculcas is a hardy plant that can live for many years with proper care.
• Aesthetically pleasing: Zamioculcas has attractive shiny, dark green leaves that can add a touch of elegance to any room.
• Feng shui benefits: According to feng shui principles, Zamioculcas is believed to bring prosperity, good luck, and positive energy to the home.
• Health benefits: Some people believe that having plants in the home can reduce stress, improve mood, and boost overall health and well-being.

Overall, Zamioculcas is a great addition to any home or office space, offering both aesthetic and health benefits.

Zamioculcas plant is easy to care for. Although Zamioculcas tolerates drought, the plant prefers moderately moist soil. Outdoors, water the plant deeply enough to saturate the roots and then allow the soil to dry slightly before the next watering; the plant doesn't tolerate constantly soggy soil. Zamioculcas benefits from a monthly feeding during spring and summer, using a balanced liquid fertilizer. Mix the solution according to the directions on the label. To prevent burning the roots, always apply fertilizer to moist soil, and don't allow fertilizer to come in contact with the foliage. Bring Zamioculcas indoors when the temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit in autumn. To keep the plant neat and healthy, remove yellowing and brown leaves by pulling them off carefully at the base.

Zamioculcas plant is a great addition to your home or office as it has many benefits. One of the great benefits of the Zamioculcas plant is its ability to help purify the air in your home or office. It absorbs harmful toxins like nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde and benzene, helping to keep your indoor air fresh and clean. Studies have shown that having a Zamioculcas plant in your living or working environment can help reduce stress levels. It also improves productivity and is easy to care for. The plant has versatile design and can add to your aesthetic theme in your home.

 

Zamioculcas Zamiifolia Plant Varieties

There's are four main varieties and cultivars. The most common is the original all green variety (pictured in the first photo of this post). Sometimes it goes by the name Zanzibar Gem, Eternity Plant or Emerald Palm. It's almost certainly going to be the ZZ you find in most average stores.

 

Leaves from the Original, 'Raven' and 'Zenzi' ZZ Plants.

 

The original one has larger leaves and will grow bigger and bigger stems as it matures and is truly the perfect all rounder. If you're new to houseplants or the ZZ in general, start with this one and you won't go far wrong.

The original can fan out quite a bit and take up space. If you like the look, but have limited room, search out the "Zamicro' cultivar. The same look, but has a dwarf like quality and so doesn't get overly tall.

 

 

ZZ Plant Care Guide

Light

Your ZZ will accommodate a broad spectrum of light conditions including low-light, however deep shade must be avoided if you want it to grow.


Equally too much light can be damaging as it doesn't like harsh direct sunlight found in South facing windows. Early morning or late afternoon sun is acceptable, therefore try to aim for a North, East or West facing window which gets good natural light.

Water Requirements

You should take care here, the number one cause of plant death is too much watering. So please read on to make sure you're doing it right.

The plant is fairly drought tolerant and can survive months without water, so infrequent watering and letting the soil dry out fully is no problem. On the other hand, heavy constant watering without allowing the soil to dry out in between will turn the leaves yellow before rotting the tubers away. Drainage holes in the growing container is therefore recommended to help let excess water drain away.

For productive and fast growth the soil needs to be just moist for the majority of the time between late Spring to early Autumn / Fall.

As a basic guide. In good light and warm temperatures, aim for a heavy watering once a week and no more than once every two or three weeks in poor light conditions and over Winter. Adapt accordingly based on how the soil feels, if it's still damp when you come back a week later don't water again.

Humidity

Not important.

Feeding

If your plant isn't growing, i.e. if it's in one of its "moods" or it's Winter, don't bother with fertilizer. Even when growing, a weak feed once a month is more than adequate. I use a liquid all-purpose balanced fertilizer, because it gives you good control on how much you're providing.

Temperature

This plant needs an average temperature between 13°C (55°F) - 26°C (79°F). Warmer temperatures in the upper range will give an increase in growth output.

  Repotting

Only repot if it's needed and do it in Spring or Summer. This would normally be when you can see a lot of roots coming out of the bottom of the pot or if the pot is very badly shaped from rhizome growth.

A general all purpose potting mix is perfect. Avoid anything with heavy enrichment and you can also use a soil mix designed for succulents.

 Propagation

ZZ Plant propagation is commonly done in one of two ways. The first is division which means you divide a mature plant once it's an enormous size and too big for its pot. This is the easiest way to propagate, because It's just a case of removing the entire plant from the existing container and gently separating some of the tuberous rhizomes.

You could half the plant, split into thirds or divide even further if you have a very congested root system.

There are a few other less common ways to propagate ZZ Plants such as rooting stem cuttings in water. This is handy if you have an accident and an entire stem falls out of the plant and you would rather try and get it back in with the rest of the plant in the future instead of stripping it's leaves and trying to create multiple plants

 Simply put the entire stem with all the leaves as they are, into a container or tall vase. After a few months, you should see roots forming at the base. Wait until the roots are reasonably substantial before either putting back into the pot with the original plant, or pot it up on it's own. When we did this we waited 6 months for enough roots to have formed before transferring from the water vase to soil.

 This entire ZZ stem has been rooted in water

It took a while - but there are now enough roots to plant this stem up in soil

 

If you don't want to lose the overall size and bulk or your plant isn't that large yet, it's also really easy to propagate more through leaf cuttings, which is the second commonly used method of propagation.

 

If you choose to propagate by leaf cuttings, then it will be a while before you'll see results. You could be waiting up to a year before anything substantial happens above ground. If you have the patience and love a challenge, give it a try.

All you need to do is gently pull off a leaf from the stem, allow the raw edge to dry slightly (few hours to a day) and then pot it up in a free draining compost mix with the raw edge going in first. Only a few centimeters of the leaf needs to actually be in the soil, just enough to hold it in place.

Most of the leaf needs to be above the ground which prevents rotting, and allows for photosynthesis to take place which in turn helps grow underground rhizomes. Keep warm and water very occasionally.

 

After you've done this one of three things will eventually happen:

Ø  A new stem will emerge by the side of the leaf you planted (always leave the leaf where it is, as it is fueling this new growth). Congratulations you have a new plant on the way!

Ø  The leaf will suddenly die. If you gently pull it out of the soil you may notice small tubers at the raw edge. This is the plant's energy store, put everything back into the soil and the tubers will hopefully push up new growth.

Ø 
The leaf dies and when you pull it out there is nothing to see. The attempt has failed this time. It's easy to feel disappointed when this happens especially if you have been caring for this sole leaf for a long time, but that's how it goes sometimes. Don't take it personally and give it another try!

 

Speed of Growth

Slow to moderate and very sporadic. Warmer temperatures tend to result in more growth overall. When it's ready, the new stems emerge out of the soil at rapid speed and get taller before opening up, just like a cocoon.

 

Inside are all the new glossy light green leaves that will gradually emerge and fan out. The leaf colour will darken to look like the rest of the established stems after a few months.

 

New shoot emerging

Height / Spread

The stems can grow to 60cm / 24. Its spread however is limited only by the size of the container it's in. Wide containers will result in a bushy plant as it spreads out (after many years).

 

Flowers

The ZZ does grow flowers from time to time, but they're basic and not very exciting 

 

Is the ZZ Plant Poisonous?

Due to the calcium oxalate crystals within the leaves and stems, all parts are mildly toxic to the majority of household pets including cats and dogs as well as people. These crystals can also cause some skin irritation so keep the plant away from curious animals or kids.

 

Anything else?

The leaves are naturally glossy, so if they become dusty the leaves will lose their shine. Popping it into a tepid shower will help wash all the leaves quickly. Don't use leaf shine products as this can be harmful and once washed, the natural gloss will come back.

 

The leaves have a naturally glossy look. If this dulls from dust you might need to wipe them over with a damp cloth to bring back the shine.

 

Follow me for more updates