I’ve had a Zamioculcas zamiifolia for some years now. In the last year, I found the magic formula and – despite rumours it is a slow growing plant – it has been growing like a rocket. So much so, it had outgrown our small flat with a further ten large leaves starting to grow! I felt adventurous and decided to divide it, putting some of my new RHS Level 2 (unit 4 Plant Propagation thank you very much!) knowledge to the test.
I haven’t found anywhere on the internet that explains dividing this plant, so thought I’d just give it a go and document what happens here (please offer other tips in the comments below). Update: one year on I am happy to report the below process worked perfectly and after more research, I can confirm this is the correct technique for dividing a ZZ Plant.
General care advice
Originally I bought it for my gran as an indestructible plant to survive the extreme heat of her nursing home. It not only survived but thrived there. Eventually it passed to me and in the first year, I overwatered it, many of the plant’s leaves losing their leaflets and the rachis rotted. It’s an interesting plant because it does need watering, but it will quickly rot if left in wet (as I discovered). Now, I let the top dry out completely before pouring only a little water each time. That routine seems to work for my plant. Lots of shops say it survives in shade, but I found it only really grows in bright light.
Repotting and growing media
Growing media wise, it needs sandy, free draining media to avoid water log and rotting. I used a mix of sandy cacti compost, horticultural grit and about a third ordinary multipurpose compost. That said, I found it grows best in a very nutrient poor media but with some dilute fertiliser added every month.
Knowing your Zamioculcas zamiifolia
I did find this article which debunks myths and explains the Zamioculcas zamiifolia is a plant from east Africa growing not in deserts, but in shady forested areas. It is a plant with tuberous rhizomes, so the stems are under the soil like potatoes and Dahlias (they look very like Dahlia tubers actually, just with much fatter succulent roots). As a plant geek I found this enormously fascinating and took lots of photos…
Dividing
The pot was so crowded that roots of the plant were being pushed out of the top of the pot and, due to our lack of space, I felt risking a divide was the only way forward. I tried pulling it apart, but no chance. In the words of the RHS, if the clump is too solid, the only way forward is with a good slice. I have no idea if what I did was correct, but I got stuck right in…
As I say, I have no idea really what I was doing here and if slicing through a tuber was the right thing to do. I’ll let you know in a few weeks if each division keeps growing. But there really was no other way of dividing this crowded clump.
I cut three divisions out of it before I became nervous about doing too much damage and stopped for now. I also pulled out some of the ugly stumps left from when I overwatered it a couple of years ago.
Here’s the finished result – I’ll update in a month or so to say whether they continued growing or died!
hey just curiuos how did the divisions turn out? and where abouts did you keep your huge original zz plant when it grew so big..near a window? away from a window?
HI Jay,
Thanks for visiting! 🙂 The divisions are both fine with new shoots growing now. So, three months on, I’m guessing everything is OK below ground. The main Zamioculcas is doing the same, although a couple of the leaves went crinkly, turned yellow and died. I’m guessing this is where I may have severed the roots near those leaves too brutally. But, overall it’s doing really well.
I grew it in a window with pretty good sun – basically, where it is in position in the finished photo at the end of the above blog. It is a west facing bay window, so gets the sun in the afternoon. I do plan on moving it somewhere more shaded though because I don’t need it to grow so rapidly.
Jack
I over watered my ZZ. The stalks are still green.. the bulb is still good. It’s hard still..
Can I replant the bulb?
Yes just plant into compost that isn’t too soggy 🙂
I was happy to hear that cutting the bulb didnt hurt it because I did the exact same thing today on my raven zz I split it and accidentally broke one of the tuber things, I think it will be ok but it really freaked me out. I spent a lot on it, and I love it, I took a couple stalks out today to start a smaller one so I would have 2. I found this article extremely helpful. Thank you 🙂
Hi Jack. I am posting here because I was not sure where to ask a question 🙂
Your zz’s are gorgeous.
I have a few, had them for about 6 5 years and divided some over time because they were splitting pots and were so root bound.
My question is.. I have one zz that is massive, it flowered last year (I was so surprised) but I have to move house soon and I was wondering if I need to wind some bubble wrap or something around her to stop her from breaking. I say this because some branches are so long and heavy that they need support from the wall. Also I did learn from you that she is probably OK in the size pot she is in and I am feeling OK not re potting. So thanks for that. I don’t want to have to divide her. What do you feel is best way to transport her. Many thanks Susan.
Hi Susan,
Sounds like you’re growing them beautifully.
Yes, I would wrap it with a cloth, paper or something to hold the stems in and stop them being damaged unless you have a way of transporting it upright securely.
Happy moving day!
Jack
Thanks for posting this. I have a zz that I bought as on on-sale orphan in a grocery store. I believe they thought it was dying, and it was tiny. I only figured out what it was when I saw a tag on one in another branch of the same store. I repotted it gently-no dividing–and it didn’t take long before it was doing really well, and growing like crazy. I thought maybe it was time to divide, as I ‘m about to divide my Clivia, but I wasn’t sure. It’s not having any of the issues you mention, so, maybe it isn’t–but I so appreciate the post. I will say that mine is in a smaller pot, and I don’t keep it in full sunshine. It gets filtered light and is perfectly happy. I think the difference is that instead of all of the stems growing up, they bend over in a pretty graceful arc, which I prefer. I’m going to take the plastic pot out of the decorative pot I put it in and see if the roots look crowded, but I know clivia actually prefer to be pot bound–although mine is definitely ready to divide–it has grown two daughter plants in the same pot! Thanks again for sharing this!
Hi Clare,
Thanks for the post – if you like yours as it is, I would suggest you just repot it up into a bigger size pot. But only if it really is very, very overcrowded in the pot. You can see how root bound mine was and it was perfectly happy. I only wanted to divide mine because it was getting too big for our very small flat 🙂
Jack
Hi Jack (and contributing posters),
Great comments and feedback. I purchased my first ZZ plant this past April. It\ seems pretty healthy but the 5″ plastic pot is stretching to an oval shape. I will re-pot using the soil mixture, as you have suggested.
Thanks again!
Thanks Stuart – let us know how you get on. I think they seem to be quite happy growing immensely pot bound but if the pot is stretching, it’s a good time to pot on to a slightly bigger size. One tip I have is to get a tall pot so the top of the soil and plant can be quite far down, this will help keep the leaflets vertical, as the plant seems to prefer spreading and flopping naturally.
ZZ thriving and looks great in our kitchen box window!
This is one hardy plant. I would feel pretty confident in splitting the fella next summer.
My plant was overwatered it was also falling over My husband tied it i would like to repot it i have a small bag of cactus soil and some promix The dear lady who gave me this emersld plant assured me I couldnt kill it But 3-4 of my recent plants peperomia shamrock and dracena srent faring well i must have a black thumb and nit the green one my mom should have given me Is there hope for this plant or should I repot and give away to my niece fir uts survival?
Hey, I did the very same thing ago several months ago. It was a huge pot that I couldn’t lift anymore. Most of the stems are over 4 ft. It flowered several times. So I split it into 5 new plants. Then I decided that my newer apt didn’t have enough windows so I splitthem again. Individually this time. Making sure each one had roots. I did trim off the excess roots….. too much roots, not enough pot. I then arranged all 20 stems and made one fuller and more gorgeous plant…. which should be even more beautiful and fuller next year. Mind does not grow slowly. I did notice after the first split that a few leaves crinkled up. I chalked this up to too much heat during the split and not enough water. I fixed it during the second split and had no trouble. I wish I could palate a pic of before and after pics.
I am propagating mines through stem cuttings now there are these cut off stumps in my plant,I feel like it’s wasting space in my pot,should I just leave them or try to cut out the rhizome too?
Whichever you prefer Jessica the plant will be fine. I cut the stumps down as low as possible but leave the rhizome myself.
Jack
Thanks for the info, hope it works for my split
I grow my zee zee plants under grow lights. I also have some growing under lights that are used for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). These lights mimic sun light. The plants are growing rapidly. They are growing new shoots all the time. I have read that they are slow growing. Not the case under grow lights. Also I had a whole stem to break off. It kept leaning until I woke up one morning and it was on the floor. It was a large stem. I dipped it in rooting hormone and placed it in a clear vase of water. After about 3 months it grew small roots and I placed it in cactus soil. It is growing fine.
Hi ! So my plant looks funny becuause at the top the bulbs are so huge and poking out. Can I simply cut the bulb “down” ? It won’t hurt the plant in its current state ?
So, we’re 6 months on and all of the divisions are doing well – growing new shoots. As others are reporting, with a little care and the right soil. This seems like a pretty easy plant to divide, much like most succulents.
Thanks for the advice! I’m going in with a machete to divide a very pot bound zz plant….reassuring to know that the obvious solution is to (gently) hack the thing is reassuring!
Haha, good luck and happy hacking!!
Phew! I’ve just hacked mine in half as it began mis-shaping the pot it was in! Glad you cut through yours too with good results!
Hi Jack, excellent post. Thanks!
I just did something similar to my zz plant which was also huge. However, my plant’s shoots were leaning out away from the pot, not going straight up like yours. What is your secret? I read somewhere that improper watering (lack thereof) could be the cause. What is your experience? I have staked them and hope both that dividing them and staking them won’t kill it (them). Thanks!
Hi Leila, thanks for the comment.
I have found that as they get older, they naturally sprawl more (which I have seen on mine and others in offices). However, the other cause might be light. I’m not experience enough which to know is better for vertical growth, but I think lack of or lots of light will result in different growth.
What light conditions is your one in at the moment?
Hi Jack! I love your posting on this ZZ Plant!
I have mine for about three years now. In the beginning it grows beautifully with a lot of new shoots and shiny dark green leaves. I am not in luck as much on this plant. I am guessing that the fertilizer in the first year that now make each new shoots have shorter life span. Each new shoot grows tall quickly, but the stems are thin and the leaves only come as light green before they turn yellow and crinkcles then die. What should I do to correct this? I water it about every other week as much as 2 cups (500ml) of water each time. I also cut closed to the soil of each died stems. Please help. Thank you.
Hi Noviana,
It sounds like you might be overwatering it to me. It prefers a dry soil that you only water once it has almost dried out. If it’s left in wet or waterlogged soil it will rot, resulting in the leaves turning yellow and dying as you describe. I too made this mistake in my first year of owning it and look how it came back! 🙂
The only other thing I can think of is lack of light – or if it is near a radiator?
Hi. I read that the zzz plant doesn’t like cold. I had it next to a drafty east facing window and the leaves started turning brown. Once I moved it to my west facing window in a warmer part of the house, I’ve gotten 4 new shoots!! I think this plant LOVES indirect light vs shadows. I also water it about once a week but very little, maybe a 1/3 of a cup (my pot is super tiny though, maybe a quart size).
This page was a wonderful find for me. I have a zz plant I bought about 18 months ago and it’s going through a real growth spurt. It’s in a 6″ pot which was round and is now oval, so I’m thinking it needs to be split or repotted. I’m basically a bit of a scaredy-cat, so I’ll probably cut off one smallish piece to repot and put everything else in a slightly bigger pot. Thank you all so much for your stories – they were really helpful. Jack, I grew up in England and now live on the central California coast where we are suffering extreme drought, so I miss the beautiful English gardens. Do you ever post about your gardening experiences?
Hi Sandy, I think with the ZZ plant there is no need to be scared, I’d go for the chop! As long as you get growing points and roots on each bit, it will be fine. As always, don’t overwater this one or it will rot. All of my divisions were fine afterwards 🙂
Thanks for mentioning you live in California and grew up in England. I visited California for the holiday of a life time a few years ago. We visited the Sequoia and Yosemite, as well as Hearsts Castle. Which was all amazing.
I do blog about my gardening on this blog quite regularly, last year I couldn’t because I took part in a TV programme called Big Dreams Small Spaces, which might be on BBC iPlayer in america?
I do love our lush gardens with the wetter seasons, but I have to admit I also love the idea of a succulent and cactus garden on the Californian coast! Please do stay in touch, I’d love to know more about gardening on the otherside of the world!
Will do, Jack. Thank you.
So glad to have found this blog. We just bought our first ZZ plant and it’s HUGE! I asked one of the sales attendants about splitting but he admitted not knowing much about the plant and recommended not splitting it. But the roots look so over crowded and the pot it oval rather than round. I am nervous about splitting because this plant was expensive and I don’t want to kill it. But it sure would be nice to have more pots of this plant in the house, it’s so beautiful. Wish me luck!
Go for it is my advice! 🙂 it’s indestructible, just don’t over water.
Well, it’s been over a year owning my ZZ, and last week I split it into three pots. What a hardy plant! 🙂
I appreciate this blog, Jack. Thank you.
Thanks for coming back to report your progress Stuart, it’s really interesting to hear 🙂 it is a toughie. I gave away my two smaller plants and the main one is still doing wonderful things here, it has lots of new shoots starting into growth right now.
I have had my ZZ plant for three years now. It is beautiful but has outgrown the pot desperately, so I really need to divide it also. I’m a bit scared to do this because I really don’t want it to die, it would break my heart!! So I am thankful for all the advice and comments on this post. I’m just going to go for it because it sounds from all of your experiences it can take the beating and still live. So please wish me luck.
Thanks Jack for this thread. I wasn’t been able to find any info on this great plant and your blog was just the answer.
I lived in Houston for 12 years, and this plant is a staple there in many homes. After moving to Chicago about a year ago, I bought a small one for a north facing window as a reminder of Texas. Well, I year later it is double in size and stems – and time for a reboot.
One question though: is it ok to repot in the fall? (Although it still feels like summer here!) If not, I’ll wait through the long winter until Spring to allow it to stretch its legs!
Thanks for this post. I rescued a rather large but not very healthy from the alley where someone orphaned it. I had to post on another forum just to figure out what it is. I was about to ditch it until I found this thread – maybe I’ll try some rehab first.
My ZZ is extremely crowded, so a repotting will be good. But the leaves are at least 3 ft long and don’t stand up straight. They’re so bent right now they touch the floor. I’m wondering if it’s too weak to repot right now? Perhaps I will need to sacrifice some of the longer leaves to save the shorter, healthier ones?
I’ll take a shot at the repotting this weekend and see what looks good…
Hi Kemery, no problem thanks for commenting and adding to the discussion 🙂 I’ve found that all ZZ plant old leaves will curl over like that as they age. So nothing to worry about, just how they look. You can cut the older leaves off if you want to but they certainly aren’t harming it.
Hi Jack. Just wanted to comment as your post was the only one I’ve found to help explain what status my ZZ is in. The root ball has started to come through above soil level and I can see from your experiments that it’s probably time to repot. I can afford to go for a bigger pot as it’s an office plant so space isn’t as tight. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi Phil, thanks for commenting and not problem at all. It’s been great hearing from everyone about their own ZZ experiences. We have enough people here now to start a ZZ plant club! 😀
Jack
Have in the past had a number of ZZ plants but could not keep them due to a lack of knowledge regarding watering and light. I bought 5 in May this year for a large pot, they are still in their pots and are growing well. My question is you state in your blog to water only a little at a time. What do you call “a little at a time”
John C
Hi John, I keep mine on the dry side. When the compost on the top looks dry I just pour on a trickle over the top. Maybe half a cup full max. I do little and often like this.
Jack
What about during the winter, like now?
Personally I just follow the same routine of keeping the compost on the dry side. If it gets too wet the plant can start to rot. It’s difficult to give an exact amount because every plant will be different. So the best way is to water it only when the top of the compost surface is dry. I do this about once every week or so. If you find it is still damp on top every week, try watering less.
Hi Jack, Have come across you website which trying to find out why my zanzibar gem doesn’t stand upright. It has two lovely new shoots but he rest leans outwards. I have done like you have to the roots of zanzibar to my desert rose plants. Overwatering causes the large bulbs to rot and I have twice now operated on them and cut the rotted parts away and they still continue to grow. Do you think maybe by gems need the same treatment? Would love a reply if you can. I am in Australia so
cannot visit Edinburgh to see the gardens there.
Hi Marion,
Thank you for visiting my site and messaging 🙂
I’ve heard from lots of people that their plants flop over eventually. Mine did the same, so I think it is actually a growth habit of the plant. I’ve noticed this mostly happens on the older leaves. I think it can be made more pronounced when there isn’t quite enough light, so if you have it in a very shady position, this might be contributing. Though because you say yours is growing well, I’m not sure it is to with light. Instead, most likely just that it’s doing so well you have lots of new leaves, pushing the old ones out and over.
Personally, I do two things to remedy this. First, I have mine in a plastic pot within a taller ceramic pot. The ceramic pot edges help push and support the leaves back upright. Also, when they’re really bad I carefully remove some.
I hope that helps a bit… hope life in Australia is good, I have lots of friends who live in Australia 🙂
Jack
Late to the party, but your post is still up so I’m going to respond 🙂
I just picked up a good-size plant that had been abandoned out on the sidewalk. As it is winter here in Switzerland, I took it in before it would freeze overnight.
The pot was soaking wet and I suspect that the soil was old and poor. I bought a new pot, new soil and tore everything apart. When I pulled the plant out of its old pot, there was a mass of soggy, shaggy roots, but no thick rhizomes. There were some thicker roots, but nothing bulbous like in your photos. I pulled out any loose/rotten roots and ended up with three healthy looking sets of stems. I put them all back together in the new pot, with new soil, but did not water them in.
Now I will wait to see how they recover. I don’t understand how new shoots form, so I am curious to see this stage. I hope I do not have to wait too long! Thanks for documenting your division – it is interesting to see what my plant should look like some day.
Good luck Colleen it sounds like you may have just caught it in time. I certainly wouldn’t advise watering it for at least a week or two to allow any wounds to callous over. If it was outside for sometime it could be irretrievably damaged from the cold and freezing temperatures as it is a very tender houseplant but fingers crossed. New shoots should appear in the summer from the base of another existing shoot. It seems to grow from ground running rhizomes a little bit like an Iris.
Thanks for your great post and all the useful comments. I bought a ZZ plant over a year ago and divided it successfully into 3. However sadly over Christmas two of them got a bad case of green fly and despite my best efforts have now succumb. My question is: do you think the ‘bulbs’ are still ok? They don’t look to be withered. I don’t have a garden, otherwise I would just plant them & see what happens.
Just thought I’d seek advice before I dedicate (scarce) window space to several pots of soil. Really liked that plant so would be great if I could give her another life.
Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Hmm, I’m not too sure. If they look alive in the root they will probably come back but it will be a very slow process. If you’ve limited space maybe give up on them, grow something else and then in future years you can try again with the third one when it bulks up? Otherwise, wait until spring to see if there’s any action and then if not, get rid! 🙂
Thanks for the most helpful info regarding this plant. Please advise re fertilizing and how often. I am moving the plant to get more sunlight. I have some new shouts but overall the plant is not as deep green as it should be. Thanks!
Hi Jan, personally I just use half strength general liquid fertiliser occasionally in the summer. Or, just pot up to a slightly bigger pot which will give more nutrients. It doesn’t need very much. If it’s lighter than normal, it could be due to lack of nitrogen which fertiliser will rectify, or it’s being kept too damp.
Thanks to all the input and suggestions. I have 2 zz that are about 13 years old. I know by “plant law”….they needed to be divided many years ago. Good to know that the general dividing “rules ” apply.
David
Jack, sorry to bother you again on this subject but what mix of soil do you use so that the pots do not become waterlogged. I have been using one third horticultural sand, one third John Innes Number 3 and one third horticultural grit. The mix is very loose but seems to stay very wet and I have had a few rhizomes that have rotted although I have not given them that much water.
I have obviously now reduced the watering even more!
John
No problem at all John, I enjoy helping out so feel free to ask anytime.
Tricky question, the mix you mention should be free draining and good for a ZZ plant. However, I have had the same experience as you with an Aloe and an Aeonium, the media was near gravel yet stayed wet for ages. I’m not sure what the science is behind that because it should really be freer draining. I suspect it is because the root systems on these plants aren’t yet filling most of the pot, so the water just goes nowhere. Is your pot quite large compared to the plant?
It might be that you really do have to hold back even further on the watering as you suggest. If it’s still wet, definitely don’t water and in future water less each time. With my ZZ, each time I water I do literally only pour a small amount in, I don’t flood the pot.
Alternatively, it might be worth repotting and checking the drainage again – so making sure the drainage holes aren’t blocked, make sure the media is quite loose with good air pockets in the mix. That might help too.
Hope that at least gives you some ideas of pointers.
Thanks Jack
I think that unfortunately I followed your original watering but the pots were not comparable with the yours being around 15 cms so they did get too much water. I shall now as I stated reduce the amount in order to get over the problem.
The other problem I did get was the new shoots coming up pretty good and then going brown on the end and not opening but dying off, again perhaps due to, too much water?
John
Might be too dry an atmosphere or too just tied into over watering (i.e. Rotting roots = less water uptake like drought). I’d definitely address the watering. Let the media completely dry out to at least 1-2 inches down. Then only water a bit gently to make damp again, not drenched.
Hi Jack..
I got a piece of the ZZ rhizome from a friend with a mature stem and leaves on it….I used a mix of compost soil and coco peat to pot it. The leaves have been turning yellow and brown and falling off from the stem…I watered it once in 3-4 days and very little.
How much water does it need when it is newly planted??
Hi Sumi, it’s hard to know without seeing in person but the same rules apply. Never absolutely soak it, let it dry out at the top and then water a bit again. If the stem is still round and not wrinkly, I’d guess it is over watered rather than under watered.
hi Jack.
THANKYOU! what a great resource for ZZ plants.
I used to travel quite a bit for business and I first noticed them in hotels. I was quite taken with the tall stems and shiney, waxy leaves as I had never seen anything like it. it seemed, no matter the city, almost every hotel had them by the elevator… on every floor.
then I started to see them in Dr’s offices and even several in a hospital.
I began a mission for one of my own after I did an Internet search and learned the name. They were nowhere to be found and when I would ask about ZZ plants, noone knew what I was talking about. I finally gave up and forgot about them. then several years later, I just happened to run across a single plant in a 6″ pot.
that was about 3 years ago. I have since repotted it in a larger container and placed it in a bay window that gets bright morning sun. although it did very well last year I didn’t see any new growth and began to wonder if the new pot was too large. I water it sparingly. sometime by just placing a few ice cubes on the soil.
about two weeks ago when I was checking to see how dry the top soil was, I noticed a new shoot, then another, and another… there were 4 new shoots all at once! the largest one has taken the center of the pot and is about 6″ taller than any of the others. I am thrilled, to say the least. I must be doing something right.
since my first lucky find, I have purchased 3 more.
one of them was in a tiny grower’s cell with 3 little two-leaf shoots. it now has 7.
one, I over watered, but the part that’s left is doing great now and I expect new shoots any day.
after planting all my annuals for the container garden I do every year down by the pool, my last gardening chore for the day is to divide another one. thanks for the tips on how to do this. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hello. I also divided my zz plant but it starter to rot at the division. I cut the rotted part away already 3 times and don’t water it, but it keeps rotting where the cutting is. I have already lost more then half of the plant. What can I do to save it?
Hmm, you could try using powdered copper compound, just sprinkle it around the affected area – this may save it. I have had the same and it worked for me. Although when rot sets in it can be very hard to stop it.
Jack (and other commenters), I’m loving all of the discussion, it has been very helpful!
I inherited a ZZ plant from a colleague who moved. It looked healthy when I inherited it, one healthy, long stem with 10 pairs of leaves, and 2 shorter, leafless stems that appeared to have been twisted off and long since scarred over. Despite its relatively healthy appearance, it did not change or grow at all during the subsequent year I had it in bright light with regular but not excessive watering. Quite by chance, I recently found out that the original owner’s office-mate had cruelly taken the ZZ’s reputation for being “unkillable” as a challenge and done his very best to kill it off. The new stems had grown since its very close brush with death several years ago, but it had not been repotted in at least 9yrs. I took the plunge and repotted it. I discovered and removed a load of ropy, dead debris under the surface, particularly where there was no above-surface growth (maybe dead roots/tubers? ), none of which was directly attached to the living part of the plant, and gave it fresh, well-draining soil…. I am now anxiously waiting to see how it responds. A week out, no noticeable change (leaves and stems all still green and firm). I am keeping my fingers crossed for new shoots!
My question (sorry for the long lead-up): should I break off the stems/branches that are green and turgid but broken off and fully scarred (with no leaves)? They’re ~10cm (vs the leafy branch that is ~40cm, with leaves beginning at ~15cm up from the soil). I don’t want them taking up energy that could be used on new, leafy growth, but I also don’t want to open up a big wound unnecessarily if there’s no reason to get rid of them.
I’m new to the plant world (I was absolutely delighted by a plant physiology course in college years ago, but I no longer remember any of the details and haven’t owned many plants in my life), so I hope this isn’t a silly question.
Thanks again for the fabulous post (photographs, hooray!) and the great discussion.
Hi Jack,
Thanks a lot for all the valuable information. This is the first time I found something technically correct for ZZ plants. I have 2 ZZ plants with me for more than a year. However, I haven’t grown a single stem yet. They look healthy, green & lustrous . I water them very rarely (say once in 15 days ) its kept indoors with no much exposure to light. Why are they not growing at all ? I always wonder. Is it that I am under watering it and not giving enough sunlight. Also I’ve potted in in regular soil no sand mixed (I live in India). Also, should the tubers be partially out or completely buried inside the soil ? I know, Lot of questions from my end. Its just that I want this plant to be happy and growing.
Hi Seena, I suspect it will be that it needs a little more sunlight. I found ours grew best in filtered bright sunlight (through frosted glass so not direct). Try moving it to somewhere a little bit brighter. Tuber wise, I think just under the soil although over time I have found it gradually forms a mound slightly out of the soil.
Thanks for the info on dividing the ZZ. I’ve had two for two years that have been growing prolifically and are the talk of the office due to their beauty. I recently repotted one into a larger container. Both are now in as large of a container as I can provide space for. When I need to repot them they will require splitting. Mine only receive fluorescent lighting during business hours (Monday through Friday from August to June & Monday through Thursday during June and July). They’re in complete darkness on weekends. As I’ve said, they’ve grow prolifically and are very attractive. I only water about once per month. When I water, I completely soak the roots and potting medium, letting the water drain out. Then I water with a liquid fertilizer, letting that drain out as well. Sometimes I forget and they go longer. I’ve never even had one leaf brown.
I got my mom one about a year ago. Hers gets filtered natural light, but she waters hers more frequently. She’s had several yellowed stalks and many leaves that have fallen off.
I think water is a bigger issue than light with this plant.
That is extremely interesting about the fluorescent light growing conditions Kari, thanks for sharing the details of that. How interesting that they are growing so well with that little light. I agree about the water, the only time I’ve had damaged leaves is from overwatering and rarely, direct extremely strong sunlight in midsummer that can scorch them – to be expected as ZZ plant is a forest dweller.
Hello Jack. Thanks for the interesting info about the care of the ZZ plant.
I have two of them – one brought back from the brink of death after my very young children thought they were helping it by watering it with bathwater in the bathroom. The other one is fairly new and I just repotted it after it was squashing it’s old pot into an oval shape. I didn’t know you could grow them from leaves so I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t keep the stalk that broke off when I repotted my newest plant. My question to you is how deep do the rhizomes need to be planted. I thought the new pot I used was the same height just wider, but I can see one of the rhizomes is very close to the top of the soil. Should I plant it into something deeper?
Hi Chris! Yes ZZ plants can be grown from the leaves but they take a very long time to grow like that. Still, it is worth a try, it’s fun and will give you another plant in time! You could always take one of the bottom leaves from another spike to give it a try?
Good question about the Rhizomes. They should be just below the soil / growing media. Not too deep as they tend to grow quite near the surface. On my plant, half of it has even started growing about 5cm above the soil! It’s not something I’d recommend as the roots are stretching down and it’s something I’ll need to adjust in future but I thought it was worth mentioning. The plant seems to slowly spread outwards as it creeps along the soil.
I would personally leave it for now and not worry about it being near the surface 🙂
Jack
Hi! I have a ZZ plant in LA and I’ve moved to Miami Beach so she now lives with my parents. I’m visiting now and I’m wondering if I can take a piece of her to pot in Miami? She has several new shoots growing right now…any advice? How would I do this? Thank you!
Hi Neelou, I’d say yes! You just need to make sure you take a piece with both shoots and roots. It’s basically the same as the above but less severe a chopping 🙂
Jack
I have two large potted ZZ plants that I neglected for a while during a relocation. I separated the plants from both pots two weeks ago. They’re in stash bag lined trash can, waiting to be repotted. This thread was very helpful to remind me of their preference for being dry.
I took some weight off the longest leaves by trimming them back in hopes that it’ll keep them from bowing down to the ground. Going to give it more light also, as I prefer the leaves to be shorter and upright. Time will tell!
Good luck Mary! It’s a careful balance with this plant but generally it’ll always be happy. 🙂 mine is just starting to develop lots and lots of shoots which is exciting.
I love my ZZ plants and read all the information that I can find on them.
Thanks for your page.
Thank you Jack for this post! I have one ZZ plant in a guest room that rarely gets attention yet is growing beautifully! Unfortunately I can not say the same for 2 newly potted (uncertain of the species) different plants on my fireplace mantel. They get little to no light, dry out very quickly due to the ceiling fans running all summer and died. Coming from someone that has many years of indoor and outdoor success with plants, it pains me to have watched these 2 plants die. So I decided I would either buy two ZZ plants to put in the containers or buy 1 and split it. I googled “splitting ZZ plants” and thankfully landed on your page! Great info on here! many thanks for your informative post.
Cindy in Kentucky, USA
Hi Jack, I wrote regarding the ZZ plants in Nov 16/Feb 17 and did not have success at all and in the end gave up. However I decided to retry and bought 4 plants on 21 March 18, they were kept in their pots until the 24 May 18 and not watered, in this time numerous new shoots had evolved.
I then removed the plants from their pots and put them in a large square container but put a plastic division in the container to ensure each plant was separated from each other to make sure that if one plant rotted it would not affect the rest, as this is what happened to me before and watered each one with 500ml water. It is now the 24 June and they have not been watered since and I do not anticipate watering for another 4 weeks. The shoots have continued to grow and their are approx. 18 of them.
I am being very wary with these plants and the watering regime and hopeful that I have solved my problem of the past
Hi Jack! My zz plant that I bought from Lowe’s was completely saturated with water when I bought it. Don’t notice until Almost a week later. I repotted the plant with cactus soil and perlite and placed plant back into the nursery pot that it came in. I waited 2 days and watered since the new soil was bone dry. Now the newer baby steams and leaves are shriveling up. Looks like someone grabbed the steams and tried to ball them up in their hands to throw away which didn’t happen, but that’s the only was I can best describe it as. The leaves aren’t yellow well besides the tips from when Lowe’s over watered, but no new “over/watering” signs. Please help me! I’ve learned a lot of new information on this thread, so any information on what to do will be great! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!
Kimberly
Kimberly, just read your post and following on from my note of June 24, I have continued to water my ZZ Plants only every 8/9 weeks and after half a year I have not yet lost one of the four that I planted. When I do water I use a funnel so only the roots get the water not the surface. This has worked for me whereas previously I watered on a regular basis and the plants just rotted away.
my plants are due to be watered next early November but I feel that I will now leave them for a longer period as it is now coming into the winter time here in the UK.
I would make sure your plants are in dry soil, which is very loose and keep them dry for a couple of months, checking the roots and rhizomes for rot before replanting obviously if their is rot do what is stated earlier in this blog.
Good luck
Hello, I see this is a very old thread but I’m hopeful for a response. I purchased A pretty large ZZ plant about a year ago and it has been growing beautifully with many new shoots and good growth. Nothing has changed in its location or watering routine but about a month ago, some leaves starting turning yellow, first at the tips and then slowly on single stalks all the leaves would die and fall off.
I did some heavy googling and couldn’t find much about this. I cut off a few of the dead stalks which didn’t slow this yellowing and it continued on other stalks. Ultimately I took it out of the pot and saw the root system and decided to split it thinking that it was yellowing because there was no room for growth. I ended up with three plants from the one. They were happy for a few days and now I see yellow tips on leaves in two of the pots again.
I really love this plant and cannot understand what is causing this slow death. Any insights would be helpful.
Sometimes this does happen with splitting or when they get quite old, so don’t worry too much. Usually yellowing leaves are a sign of overwatering, they like conditions almost like cacti, only a little wetter (I’ve found). The only other time it’s happened to me is when they are in too strong sunlight. But I suspect it’s more likely too much water.
Hi Jack, thanks for all the advise. I’ve decided to split my ZZ tomorrow as the plastic pot is very misshapen (oval). Wish me luck! Cheers bud
Good luck Sebastian! The tricky bit is usually finding the pieces to divide as they become so knotted. I’d dive in and slide. You may lose a couple of the leaf spikes but the plant will be fine and happier.
Great blog and comments. The many posts prompted me to share my experience with the ZZ. After buying a beautiful ZZ with 6-7 stems and deep green leaves, I re-potted to a double sized pot and over water it. (wish I had this blog first) I promptly lost 80% of the leaves, first turning yellow, drying out and falling out. Interesting that they will stay partially green for a long time – if you stop watering. I now water lightly once a week, and two new stems have broken out with very bright green leaves. No new shoots, so i’m changing the watering to every two weeks and see. Its really fun learning about the ZZ.
Thanks to Jack and all who posted.
I bought a ZZ plant about a month ago. I came home last night and realized some of the stems were really slimy. I pulled them out and then decided I should repot it and check the roots. Atleast 2 of the bulbs were busted.. I’m assuming that’s why the stems were slimy.. I lost 1 bulb, and 1 was cut off and the others were fine.. I planted the plant as is.. wondering if it will die? What happens if the stems don’t have a bulb? I am a newbie… hopefully I didn’t ruin everything. I love this plant. Any advice would be appreciated
If it has bulbs (the tuberous roots) it will hopefully survive. How wet is the compost? It sounds like it is rot perhaps from over watering? I would now leave it to completely dry out before watering again but only a little water at a time.
I am so happy I found your blog! Today after reading you successful separation of your ZZ plant, I realized that mine were in trouble, I over watered it, a few stems were the light green color. I rushed to pull it out of the pot to check. It was soaked, even the paper towels that I always use at bottom to soak up excess water were also wet! I repotted it with cactus soil, even though she was not completely root bound in a deep pot and pray that it was in time! May I ask, what should I be looking for in the next few weeks or months? What can I do to be ahead of the game of helping her survive? Thanks for your assistance!
I think let the plant dry out completely now and then only water in small amounts letting it dry out completely each time. It should recover.
Jack
Thanks for this info Jack. Its so true this plant is indestructible. My 12 yo zz plant has been neglected over last few years. It was left in a corner with a skylight so it did well but the consequence is it started growing sideways. Its now 3 ft high and 3 ft long with the side shoot 2 inches in diameter. And now I have a new gowth growing upwards from the one that is growing sideways as well as in other areas. I have a lot of dead ends. 1. Should I repot it now or wait until spring? 2. Can that side growth be turned right side up? Thanks!
Hi Lily,
Repotting now is fine. The side growth happens as stems age, I cut mine off when they become too horizontal.
Jack
thank you for the information i will have a go at diving my plant is it is just so big now.
Jack,
Thanks for the info and the confidence to try splitting my ZZ Plant. It was very crowded in the pot it was in. Thanks to your help I now have 2 ZZ Plants (was nervous to go for 3) that I am optimistic will thrive.
Thanks again for your post!
Hello. I am new with plants, including ZZs. I did cuttings from a small ZZ. Each are about 4 inches under 2 or 3 leaves. It has been a couple weeks but they have not rooted in water yet. I am being patient. I have 4 or 5 questions:
1. Did I cut them too short?
2. I have 4 cuttings. When they root and I need to plant them, do I put them in separate pots or together? Does it matter?
3. Where I cut them from the mother ZZ, will it grow back?
4. How many stems will grow from one rhizome?
5. You really just slice through the rhizome?
one more.. 6. Will they grow tall and fast even with low light?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Nicola,
Blimey that’s a lot of ZZ questions! 🙂
1) sounds fine
2) it’s up to you, you can do either but I would give them each their own pot
3) No but it will send up new leaves from soil level
4) This will be unlimited as the plant spreads underground by its rhizomes, sending up new leaves and grown more rhizomes.
5) If you’re dividing plants, you always have to make sure each piece has roots and a growing shoot but otherwise, yes
6) It depends what you mean by low light, the plant needs a fair amount of natural light, though it doesn’t need direct sunlight. It and its cuttings will need to be fairly close to quite a bright window. A North facing window (in the northern hemisphere) for instance is the perfect spot, bright, but no direct sunlight.
Good luck!
Jack
Hello, thanks for your post. I’ve been dealing with root rot in my ZZ plant. I caught it in time and cut the parts of the rhizomes that were rotting, and re-planted them into fresh soil. However, they rotted again, and I noticed that they were rotting in the areas they were cut in.
My questions are:
– Do you wait for a few days/hours before repotting them? When you say “callous over” what do you mean?
– What is the reason that the plant continues to struggle with root rot, and what do you suggest?
Thank you so much!
Hiya, sometimes you can’t stop rotting but it’s worth a try.
In your case I would take them back out, cut off any easily removed rotting bits and leave them for a couple of days out of the compost to fully dry out. You’ll know when a wound is calloused over because it will be totally dry and will look dry. Then put into compost making sure that isn’t too wet and don’t water at all for a week or so. Then only water a tiny bit and then leave it.
Rot is a sign of over watering so it’s important to cut right back on how much you are watering them. The compost should dry out almost completely before each water.
I have had a number of ZZ plants in the past but had no luck in keeping them going, I think because they were in a tall pot around 2 feet tall full of compost so the water could not get away and the roots were then rotting. I have kept off ZZ plants for the past two years and in the meantime I potted all my other plants in pumice, which meant the pots did not retain water and I have never had such good roots as are now on my Sansevieria. I have now decided to change from pumice to Lechuza pon and I have changed all my plants to this substrate. I have bought two ZZ plants to also use this substrate and see how they will grow in this medium.
This is by far the best article I’ve found about this topic! I’m so scared but I have to split my Zz plant after ten years!!! Thanks for the info
Thanks Alexis, good luck!
most of my zz plant leaves are yellow also weak stems and no new growth thinking of dividing the plant because it is root bound but the cost of the new soil and pot is (£30)
it is similar price when buying a brand new new ZZ plant .
which is better repotting/dividing my old zz plant( around 3/4 years old) or consider buying a new zz plant in the long run
I’m a gardener so I would always choose to keep the existing plant, they have more sentimental value too and the process is fun. Can’t you reuse the same pot? And only buy a small bag of new compost, to keep the cost down. Give the rest of the plant to a friend to try growing.
Many Thank for reply and advice Jack
Supremely useful article.
I’m currently combining several plants — left the house over a renovation and we had a cold snap and indoor temperatures dropped to 5°C!!
Only a few days was enough and a bunch of the bunch of the branches went yelloyans shrivelled up – and then fell off leave just the base – looking like stumps. Blow the stumps the roots and bulbs are very healthy!
I came across your post as i was searching whether I should cut off these healthy stumps or leave them and they’ll regrow?
In the same freeze my fiddle fig tree lost all its leaves – devastating!! – but I notched it and left it alone and it’s regrowing miraculously – this don’t want to risk losing stems if ZZs if they might have a chance… Any ideas??
Thanks again for your advice:)
Thanks Veronika, I guess with ZZ because the stems come from below ground, any that are completely yellowed or dead I would cut off just above soil level. Eventually new ones will grow. If the stems still have a lot of green, it might be worth leaving them until new leaves grow and then cutting them off. The key is to not overwater, don’t let it dry out but zz really doesn’t like to sit in soggy compost.
Hope that helps!
Jack