I didn't assume anything. My comments were based entirely on your suggestion to amend with bark or perlite (you must have these items on hand to amend with them). If you have them, why build a soil that still embodies issues that can be prevented by adding a little more bark? Can we agree that more bark = better drainage, more aeration, and a reduction in the amount of perched water a soil can hold - good things, all three? I don't think you offered explanations so much as descriptions of your unique circumstances that require certain compromises. I'm sure that only a very few of us have the same priorities to consider, so what works well for your situation might not work well for others - at least not as well as the approach I outlined. I think it's important for new growers to gain an understanding of basic issues, especially as they relate to soil choice. You choose your soils from the grower's point of view, so you can order your priorities in a particular manner. There is nothing wrong (at all) with that, but I choose to offer advice from the plant's point of view (that being what's best for the plant) and from the perspective of what's most foolproof/ easiest/ most productive for the grower. It's easy to SAY that soils like MG are totally fine, but in saying it, you must ignore the fact that a very large % of the problems houseplant growers experience are indeed directly related to problems inherent in soils like MG et al that have fine material (compost, peat, composted forest products, coir, sand, topsoil ....) as their largest fractions. Your suggestion offers no relief from the problems inherent in MG et al similar. My suggestions are specifically aimed at avoiding problems and making it easier for the grower to get as much as possible from the growing experience. I don't think you need to apologize for taking up anyone's time. People come here to learn, and amicable differences of opinion give growers the opportunity to evaluate different views and decide what advice it's in their best interest to follow. I don't think progress is served by the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It's a self-limiting philosophy, and adherence to the thought requires a certain complacency that encourages stagnation. When you're involved in growing plants in containers, there is ALWAYS something limiting growth and vitality. The best growers are continually proactive, trying to figure out what their plant's limitations are and correcting them before they become threatening. To assume there are no limitations "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and to act accordingly is to ensure them. Al

Happy New Year to you too. My ZZ is great! It has 2 new tall stems since I posted my original question. And many more new shoots emerging. I water about every 2 weeks. I wash the leaves, not as often as I should, I will do that as soon as I finish here. I think it is beautiful. I am wondering why the new stem came out lighter shade of green than the old ones. Perhaps that is natural, and it will turn darker in time. It had been located near a lamp (ordinary lamp, not a plant light), and I thot perhaps that was too much light, so I moved it to a place where it gets indirect light from outdoors. I'll see what happens there. thanks for asking.

In addition to the location/sun issue, I think its' pot situation is similar to this Anthurium. The pebbles are a top dressing, I'm assuming, a thin layer on top? Quite attractive, but they can slow drying quite a bit vs. exposed soil. I wonder if having the pebbles so close to the crown is more likely to aid rotting at the crown. I've not had great results trying similar setups before, but ZZ plant wasn't one of them. Fairly new to this plant but can report that being in somewhat dappled sun in the morning, until about 11:30 is not causing sunburn. If the sun shines on the plant at some point each day, I think that would help warm the rocks and bake the surface dry, which should make rotting much less likely to occur, as well as offer the natural detoxifying effects of UV rays. I might also give the crown a little more space/air by moving the pebbles away from that area.

Look up Hungarian Hot Wax. It is a mild-medium heat pepper, very productive but the plants don't get very large. Pick them when they are green and they don't have a lot of heat, if you wait until they are red the heat gets much higher. Mike