The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your ZZ Plant
Caring for a ZZ Plant
One of our more popular plant selections here at PLANTZ is the ZZ Plant! Often misspelled as ZeeZee, its technical name is the Zamiculcas zamiifolia. This one is a fan favorite because of its easy-care regimen and its ability to withstand harsher climates and variables within your home. Even though the ZZ Plant is an easy to maintain plant it still needs some attention and love, and we are here to tell you how to do that. So, let’s talk ZZ Plant Care.
If you are new to caring for plants or are a regular green thumb looking for a simple project, the good news is that the ZZ plant can tolerate little attention, low light conditions, and irregular waterings. This plant does not commonly grow very fast in height, but it will grow in width, so you will not have to quickly repot or move around this plant; it remains the same for the long haul. This plant is also known to be a great air purifier and is commonly mentioned by researchers at NASA to be one of the plant most efficient at removing toxins in the air.
We have nicknamed this plant ourselves the EZ-ZZ because it is literally soooo easy to take care of. This plant is one we often recommend for apartments, college dorms, hey… you could even keep it in a jail cell and have it will survive – not that we have seen any indoor plants in the prison system! Its need for water is minimal, and light is not a huge factor as well. Basically, you can give this plant zero attention, and killing it would still be difficult. A plant truly made for the brown thumb friends in the group. So, we often advertise buying this plant to our new plant family members with less indoor plant experience.
So, it is time to dive into ZeeZee Plant care and how we can help our new plant friends navigate being a plant parent.
This plant sometimes gets mistaken for being fake, purely because of its plastic-like texture and ability to live unnoticed or messed with. Let’s talk, watering. This plant does not need much water. Once a month, waterings will do just fine. Invest in a reliable sub-irrigation system as well, and your plant can go up to 45 days without being watered. We highly recommend utilizing a soil probe like our very own Soil Sleuth. This will definitely narrow down the amount of watering you do for this particular plant. Want to know when it is time to water? When you see the soil get really dry… wait TWO WHOLE MORE WEEKS and then you can go ahead and give it a good dose of H2O. It could not be any easier.
Although we recommend placing this plant in medium light, it can do well sustain in low light options as well. Try to find a nice spot with filtered light, and you will see this plant do just fine when it comes to lighting situations for growth and sustainability.
Something to be mindful of with any of your plants is pest control. Yes, we are talking bugs. ZZ Plants are not known to have a bug issue, in fact, we have never even personally heard of one, but IF on the off chance they do show up, it is an EZ-PeaZZZy fix! Just take a damp rag with a mild soap solution and wipe it down! That’s it.
Tips for ZZ Plant Propagation
ZZ Plant Propagation is a hot topic that we would love to have a conversation about with our plant people. Let’s start with what propagation is. Propagation is when cutting your plant or a part that you are intentionally removing, and then using this piece to grow a new plant from it. Many people use the excess plant cuttings that are created from pruning for propagation. Cut off two healthy leaves that contain a little bit of stem at the bottom, and then propagate from there! Pruning is primarily done on a ZZ Plant to keep your plant from growing too fast or too large. Essentially ZZ Plants grow from a that stores water – hence why the ZZ Plant performs so well without water for a long time – so what you do is separate the rhizomes to propagate it. This is just one of the ways we can propagate and make more baby ZZ Plants!
Are ZZ Plants Toxic to Cats?
The one downfall to the ZZ Plant is they are, in fact, poisonous. We commonly get asked about having both a ZZ plant and a cat in your home. Everyone wants to know are ZZ Plants toxic to cats? In short, the answer is yes. The ZZ Plant is poisonous, but only when eaten. So obviously, this plant is of no harm to you, but the trick comes in when we need to keep our pets from nibbling on them. The only thing we can suggest to make sure you do not have any sick pets on your hands is to place the plant up high and unreachable; try using a plant stand to do so to alleviate the stress of your animals getting to it. If you have a particularly curious cat that you just cannot hide your new ZZ friend from and are worried that they might be enticed to nibble on it, this might not be the best plant for you. The good news though, there are plenty of other pet-friendly plant options from us here at PLANTZ.
Nutrition and Cleaning your Plant
We make sure all of our plants that are shipped come to you already fertilized, aka fed nutrients. After six months, it is a good idea to find a fertilizer formulated for interior plants to share with your plants. Besides that, the last thing to discuss is the cleaning of your ZZ Plant. Wiping the leaves with a damp cloth is the best way to remove pesky dust and unclean particles. If that is not enough, you can always use a soapy solution such as Dawn and then rinse your ZZ Plant off with water.
We are so excited you have decided to explore the world of the EZ-ZZ Plant with us! We know no matter what plant you buy, you will have a plant buddy for life! Want to learn even more about the ZZ Plant? Get in contact with one of our care specialists today to get any of your questions answered! Decided the ZZ is not for you? Check out our other plant care blogs to find your perfect plant fit!