Does this ZZ plant need repotting? Or something else?
Office Plant Owner
5 years ago
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jamilalshaw26
5 years agoKaren S. (7b, NYC)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoOffice Plant Owner thanked Karen S. (7b, NYC)Related Discussions
Does my Shamrock plant need a rest? Repot? Something else?
Comments (11)Hi Corry, Ah, I love these plants. Yours looks so pretty on that chair. It does look like it would benefit from a rest. That that's how I grow mine; I stop watering and let it go dormant for a month or up to three when it starts declining. If it were my plant, I'd split a small piece of it off, now, and repot that small piece in good, gritty, fast-draining soil, to see what that did for it. I'd let the larger piece go dormant, then repot it when there's stronger sun, in spring. In my experience, these are resilient plants, but they need a "time out" occasionally. What exposure are you growing yours in? Amanda...See Morequestion about repotting ZZ plants
Comments (23)yep, i read exoticrainforest site too and put them in dappled sun light and when they were producing sev stalks started watering a LITTLE more. and guess what? got yellow leaves pretty soon - tubers started rotting. it prolly is like sansevieria - IF you put it in 90-95F and in partial sun it can be watered well. but that's a very big IF. if you don't have temps over 80F - don't water it more. and certainly not in winter, when most people have cooler conditions. you def need to let it fully dry out to the bottom before you water. look at my plant - how densely the leaves are set and how fat the bases of stalks are. too much water produces weak spindly 'soft' growth (unless you have above-mentioned hot conditions)....See Morehow do i know when to repot my zz plant
Comments (11)Thanks for the help. The photo is from my phone camera, so it is not the best. But you can clearly see the lighter, brighter green new leaves (third rhizome from the right) which unfurled from their sheath just in the past 48 hours!!! No kidding. Before that, it looked like the "sheathed" growth of an unopened rubber-tree plant leaf. This is in addition to the other new shoots that have appeared since I got the plant on May 11. This rapid growth ASTONISHED me, as on-line research kept referring to ZZ plants as "very slow growers." (I am joking with my friends that my ZZ plant somehow aspires to be an oak tree, or that atheletes must be sneaking into my home when I am at work and dumping performance enhancing drugs into its pot. LOL.) I watered it on the 18th and watered it again last night, June 1, and am sticking with watering every 2 weeks Should I water more often? The current pot is about 10 inches across. Last night I purchased one that is about twice that size (the largest one I could find with drainage holes) and will re-pot the plant tonight....See MoreSo I finally repotted my ZZ plant...
Comments (15)Wow! That is just incredible! I wouldn't have thought to use that soil for container plants but I sure will do so when it's time for repotting :) If I may, I have one more question...not sure that you'd know the answer but you certainly seem to have a ton more experience with these lovely plants than I have so it's worth a shot asking! So I purchased a ZZ, "Zena" from my local Walmart a few months ago at the beginning of summer for $10. I had no idea what a ZZ plant was or if I'd ever even seen one before. I just new it was uniquely gorgeous and I had to have it for my fireplace mantle! All I've done is water it when I feel the top 2 inches of soil is dry as well as give it a couple of pumps of miracle grow plant food maaayyybe 3 of the times I've watered it (so maybe once in June, July & August). Since then, it has sprouted 3 new light green stems full of leaves and the shorter bushier stems have filled out quite nicely on the bottom making the plant look even fuller than when I purchased it! :) Well recently I came home from a trip and there was this short yellow stem of leaves. Not sure if this stem was one of the shorter bushy stems already present in the plant & those leaves just turned yellow or if this sprouted up new and yellow within the 3 days I was away at work? I'm at a total loss. Have done some research the past couple of days and some people have reported that it's a seasonal change that affects usually only one stem. Some have said the oldest stems will sometimes turn yellow and die off. Some think it's possible they may have a "variegated" stem of the plant growing in with the regular green version of the plant. Some even say that it's a sign of overwatering and the tubular roots inside could be soggy & dying. I don't think that's the case with Zena, as I make sure she's dry down to the soil at the drainage holes at the bottom of her pot before watering. Question is, have you seen anything like this with your ZZ's or perhaps have heard of this happening before and possibly know what it is? I've touched the stem & leaves & they look and feel quite strong and normal. They just look "odd" compared to all the other deep dark green stems in the pot. It doesn't bother me a bit, in fact I love eccentricities in all things so I feel blessed to have this little oddity sticking out the side now, but I just wonder if I need to be concerned? I should let you know that I live in Colorado and when I left for my trip the temps were consistently 75-80° inside the house but when I returned 3 days later it was 50° outside so inside the house it was about 65-70°. I wondered if maybe it got too cold & that caused the color change or new growth of the yellow stem? Any thoughts you might have are greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help! Len...See MoreOffice Plant Owner
5 years agoKaren S. (7b, NYC)
5 years agoOffice Plant Owner
5 years agoPhoto Synthesis
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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