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3 Reasons Why You Need A ZZ Plant in Your Life

ByNell Foster Published on

This houseplant shines—literally! I love the ZZ Plant because it’s gorgeous, tough and so easy to care for.

ZZ plant is also known as Zanzibar Gem, Welcome Plant and its tongue-twisting botanic name Zamioculcas zamifolia. I just repotted mine so I’m sharing that project with you along with tips for keeping your ZZ healthy and looking like its fabulous self.

Here are 3 reasons why I love the ZZ plant!

  • It tolerates low light
  • It doesn’t need to be watered frequently
  • It’s a stunning addition to any home
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I’m always interested to know where plants are from and which others are in the same family and/or genus. This shiny beauty shares the same family with these other popular houseplants: pothos, spathiphyllums, agloanemas and diffenbachias.

You can find these plants in my book Keep Your Houseplants Alive if you’re new to the wonderful world of indoor plants.

Some Of Our General Houseplant Guides For Your Reference:

ZZ Plant Care

Here is everything you need to know about how to care for a ZZ plant.

Size

They get about 3-4′ tall & 3-4′ wide.  Many consider it to be a slow grower but mine has been growing at a moderate rate.

Exposure

Here’s 1 category where the ZZ Plant really is at the top of the list. It tolerates low light conditions just fine. Your plant will grow much slower but it’ll hang on in like a trooper.

The ZZ prefers natural, bright light which mine gets & that’s why I had to transplant it—it was growing! Mine is spending the summer into fall outdoors here in Tucson but is in the bright shade. Head’s up: no direct sun for this houseplant.

Watering

Easy does it when it comes to watering the ZZ Plant. They grow & spread via swollen rhizomes which are basically underground organs with store nutrients & water. Massive amounts of thick, fleshy roots grow off of these rhizomes & both they & the spongy stems will rot out if you water this plant too frequently.

You want to water it thoroughly, let all the water drain out & let it go dry before you water it again. I water mine here in the desert every 3-4 weeks & when I bring it indoors for the winter, that’ll probably drop to every 8 weeks. Of course, the smaller the pot the more often you’ll need to water the plant. Head’s up: never let this plant directly in water.

Fertilizing

This isn’t always necessary but your ZZ Plant would enjoy a feeding with an organic houseplant fertilizer once in the spring.  I top dress mine with worm compost in late March or early April when the roots are really starting to wake up.

Pests

Mine has never gotten any nor have I heard that they’re subject to any. Please let me know if yours has.

Propagation

This is easy to do by either division of the root ball or leaf cuttings.

Flowers

The spathe like blooms are insignificant & appear infrequently. They open close to the base so there’s a chance you could miss them.

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Here’s another thing that’s good to know: this plant is shiny on its own. Never spray it with commercial leaf shine because it clogs the pores of the plant.

Because the ZZ Plant tolerates low light & dry air, it makes an excellent office plant.

To sum it all up: ignore this plant and it’ll be happy.  Of course, shower it with admiration and praise but no babying is needed with this 1.  Water your ZZ Plant infrequently, don’t let it sit in water, keep it out of direct sun and never use leaf shine.  Sounds like a winner of a houseplant to me!

Happy (indoor) gardening,

Signed by Nell Foster

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54 Comments

  1. My zz plant lasted 9 months before I over watered it. Just as you described the stems turned brown and leaned over. I want to know if I can repot the tubers will they grow again?

    Thanks very much!
    Linda

  2. Hi Linda – You can give it a try. If the tubers aren’t “mushy” they might be fine. It’s hard to tell if a plant will recover from over watering especially the ZZ. They store water in their stems, roots & tubers. Nell

  3. I brought my ZZ plant to my office, it has been growing beautifully. People always ask me if it’s fake, the leaves are so shiny and there is consistently new growth. I think it is the best plant I have have ever had.

  4. Thanks so much for this article! It was super informative and fun to read. I’m excited to go find a ZZ plant in a store near me!

  5. I received a ZZ plant as a gift and really enjoyed this article. I live in Tucson also so it was great to learn when to put the plant outdoors. I have mine sitting on a table that gets good light but no direct sun. Appreciate the info here.

  6. They’re such great plants Kelly! I have 2 ZZ’s & both are healthy as can be. I’m sure you can find one because they’re very popular. Nell

  7. Hi Lucia – They are tough indeed! And not only that, ZZ’s are gorgeous plants. Nell

  8. Hi Janet – Good to hear! My 2 ZZ Plants are doing great here in Tucson – both are inside now. Nell

  9. Thank you Nell! My ZZ plant is just one year old, your post was so useful for me!

  10. Oh good to hear! I’ve done a few more posts on ZZs so be sure to check them out. Nell

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