Some of my marginals seem to get pot-bound really quickly. But if we're going to keep them in reasonably-sized containers, I think they just have to live sort-of pot-bound. I think they're putting their energy into making roots, rather than growing upwards. What did you fertilize them with? I would just leave them alone and use fertilizer that promotes top growth, rather than root growth. I think that means nitrogen more than phosphate....but I'm not sure. Plants seem to do what they need to do, so maybe you took too many roots away and left too much top growth when you repoted?? I say just leave it alone for awhile and the top will eventually start growing again.

For smothering, I prefer multiple layers of paper - cardboard, newspaper, brown paper shopping bags, pizza boxes, etc. The paper can be covered with a tidy mulch of aged wood chips, leaves, compost, bark mulch, or whatever. Or not so tidy - I don't get fanatical about bits of paper here and there because it all eventually breaks down and goes away. And the worms love it! BTDT with landscape fabric, black plastic, clear plastic, and other odd materials and they all become something of a pain because it requires extra work to remove these materials or you're left with inorganic materials in the garden. Clear plastic is good for solarizing, but it breaks down in sunlight and will become zillions of smaller pieces of plastic if not removed in a timely fashion (ask me how I know this....). No worry with paper because it decomposes. I am using a couple large pieces of lightweight indoor/outdoor carpet for temporary smothering here and there that works well. Easy to move around but it sure is fugly. :)

Hi Mama Z, Pls. not these are NOT Jade plants, given the name you've provided. Generally, we suggest that pots for succulents are just 1-2" (maximum 2") in diameter larger than the rootball. My sense is a WIDE, SHALLOW pot will not be good for this, may hold too much soil which may bring back too wet close to rot issues. No, pls. don't cover the drainage holes, that's what they're there for, to drain. I'm sorry, I DO see you plan to hang the plant. Pots for hanging plants usually have a saucer for this purpose. I suggest you attach a saucer to whatever hanging set up you will use. FYI, I use rounds of newspapers several layers thick to line the inside of my pots & while water comes out the bottom when I water, soil does not. I'd wait 4 days to a week, when they're really DRY. When you pot it up DON'T WATER IT IN. Pls. wait a week to water, to let the plant/roots heal.

If you can remove the plant with out too much trouble, you might simply reseat it in the pot for now- put some soil in the bottom of the pot before replacing it. In the long run I would suggest you read up on the ZZ plant and soils (lots of information on this site), I have found that the ZZ plant will root rot easily if the soil around the roots stays too damp for too long. Plants in general grow very well in greenhouses, ZZ plants like soil moisture when the conditions are tropical. In the average house it is a little more difficult to keep them happy. I would be careful with the water over the winter, it needs some water to keep it from going into drought mode- when dormant these will loose their leaves to "survive the drought", but if the soil is too moist the roots can rot. Don't worry, the plant is reasonably hardy. But the more you learn about these the easier it is to keep them happy. Keep the plant in good light and average room temperatures. You will want to consider repotting into a better draining soil sometime in the near future- that peaty mix works in the greenhouse but no as well in the average home. If you ever have any questions- all you have to do is ask. Most everyone here are very helpful.