Stiff, upright fronds of glossy leaflets rise straight out of the soil, each new shoot a bright green firework. The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is grown for shrugging off low light and neglect while stripping benzene and xylene from indoor air — provided its roots never sit in water.
| Name | Zamioculcas zamiifolia |
|---|---|
| Family | Araceae |
| Type | indoor plant, succulent |
| Height | 1 ½-3 ft (0.5-1 m) indoors |
| Propagation | cuttings, division |
| Exposure | well-lit, indirect |
| Soil | soil mix |
| Foliage | evergreen |
Caring for it is such an easy feat it’s even been called the plant of steel or cast-iron plant. With a few minutes of attention every now and then, your ZZ plant will keep sending up shoots like a set of natural fireworks!
Below, you’ll learn all there is to know about caring for the ZZ plant as an indoor houseplant.
Repot a ZZ plant that has just been purchased to a pot that is slightly larger in size, 1 inch wider across than the previous (2.5 cm).
Here is what you should take note of:
The ZZ plant evolved in a cyclic environment: extended drought followed by flash floods.
While still ensuring perfect drainage, water whenever the pot is dry over at least the first inch of topsoil. It’s better to forget watering once than to water twice.
You can replicate flash floods by dunking the ZZ plant, pot and all, in a barrel, or showering it thoroughly. To compensate for nutrient washout, either add decomposing plant materials to the dunking barrel or fertilize your ZZ with natural fermented tea (such as fermented nettle).
Hailing from a tropical region, the ZZ plant loves absorbing moisture from the air just as much as through its roots.
Creating moisture in the air around the ZZ plant will help it thrive.
Growth of your ZZ plant is directly related to exposure. A lot of indirect light will let the plant send up new shoots every month or two. On the other hand, a ZZ plant without much light will more or less stay put. But it will survive!
A good option for the ZZ plant is to move it from room to room.
Moving your ZZ plant all around the house will enhance growing and maximize your pleasure in seeing it in different places!
Growth of a ZZ plant follows the light it gets, and almost any spot in the house is workable. Here is what to expect from each position.
| Position in the home | Light received | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Off to the side of a window, or facing a light-coloured wall | Plenty of indirect light | New shoots every month or two |
| Dim corner away from any window | Low light | Still grows, but very slowly — and it survives |
| Beside a radiator or in a sunny window | Direct sun, very dry air | Best avoided, since the plant prefers moisture |
| Veranda or living room in summer, office, kitchen or bathroom in winter | Changes with the season | Moving it about enhances growing |
Whichever spot you choose, drainage matters more than light: the plant dies if its roots wallow in water.
There are many ways to multiply your ZZ plant, and they all have one thing in common: the need for patience!
You can prepare cuttings from both leaf or stem. You can practice division when repotting.
Like a succulent, the ZZ plant can sprout new tubers and leaves from any part of the plant.
A leaf cutting builds its tuber first, and visible leaves follow much later.
Keep the cutting mix barely damp rather than soggy, since ZZ cuttings root slowly and the developing rhizome is vulnerable to rot if the medium stays consistently wet.
When splitting a clump, check that every piece takes away a tuber with at least one shoot or growth point attached.
Cut stems with a clean sharp blade and leave the wound to dry for a few hours before setting it in soil.
The ZZ plant is seldom seen to suffer from pests or disease. The occasional scale insect may be caught wandering around, but you’ll never have a serious invasion.
Other issues that might happen are related to potted growing: yellow leaves, stems falling over, and such problems.
Small crystals in the sap may cause rashes on skin where touched. Sensitive persons should wear gloves when performing tasks like repotting, transplanting, and dividing ZZ plants.
As a chemical, calcium oxalate crystals aren’t toxic but merely irritating. Ingesting small amounts (say, a leaf) will only result in discomfort but isn’t dangerous for cats, dogs… and children!
On the upside, these uncommon compounds actually makes the plant useful: it can purify air!
Scientists discovered that the ZZ plant removes pollutants from air. It filters and stocks toxins in its roots, stems and leaves:
>> Learn more about air-purifying houseplants
For the first two decades of being sold, only the normal ZZ plant was found. Nowadays, new ZZ plant varieties exist that are intriguing and wonderful. The two most famous are the Raven ZZ plant and the Zenzi.
Zenzi stays compact, with short fronds and tightly curled leaflets, which suits a shelf or desk where a full-sized ZZ plant would be too tall.
Raven is a patented cultivar, so propagating it for resale is off limits.
Variegated ZZ plants, splashed cream and green, generally hold their markings best in bright indirect light, though new growth can revert to plain green anyway, since variegation is chimeral and genetically unstable.
Expect variegated forms to grow slowly because their reduced chlorophyll limits energy for new shoots, while dwarf cultivars such as ‘Zamicro’ stay compact through genetics despite being fully green.
All in all, the ZZ plant makes for a great plant in urban jungle homes where it complements designer furniture. Although too large for centertops on tables, it is perfect to highlight beautiful architecture by drawing the eyes to verticality.
New leaves are bright green, even for black varieties.
Conference centers, hotels and public building love the ZZ plant for the hype it shares, its resilience, and ease of care.
The only plant within its genus (the Araceae family), the ZZ plant was slow in becoming a commercial success. Slow growth was the main drawback since it takes years before producing a large enough plant.
If ever leaves fall off because of water stress, don’t throw them out!
Simply prick all leaflets in soil one by one with the stem down, and you’ll be growing new ZZ from scratch!
