So I finally repotted my ZZ plant...
I repotted it last year into a pot that was about a foot wide. At the time, that pot was about twice the size of the original. Well, my plant grew like a weed. I knew that it was pushing against the walls of the pot, distorting it. I finally got around to repotting it the other day and I found out that it had wedged itself into the pot. Even some of the decorative rocks on top were wedged, too. I had to get a tool and force them out. I couldn't pull the plant out, no matter what I tried, so I finally decided on trying to wash away as much of the old soil as possible. I laid it on its side and blasted away all that I could, and this is what it looked like...
With the new pot being rather large, I mixed in some orchid bark, along with the soil that I always use, to help increase the drainage. Several hours later, and I'm glad with the end results. I thought that I was never going to get finished, HaHa! But, it was a labor of love. If I'm lucky, this pot will hold out for at least one year, before my ZZ plant outgrows it. It's so large and heavy now, I guess I'll just have to place it on one of those plant stands with wheels. While repotting it, I noticed signs of new growth already beginning to emerge. I can't wait to see how large this plant gets. As if it isn't already large enough as it is. :)
Comments (15)
goldstar135
6 years agoRelated Discussions
question 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 MoreDoes this ZZ plant need repotting? Or something else?
Comments (9)ZZ plants have tuberous roots (potatoes are tubers) that need a lot of space and the more airy the soil, the less risk there is that they will rot. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/ZZ_Plant_%28Zamioculcas_zamiifolia%29_roots.jpg Someday I hope the myth of "this plant likes to be rootbound" or "tight shoes" or whatever the phrasing, will die. No plant likes to be rootbound. What is necessary for plants to stay alive is for their roots to not rot, which can happen so easily in a pot with dense soils, like ground dirt, or bagged mixes of predominantly tiny particles of peat, (or to simply shrivel from simply never getting any water.) Having very little soil around the roots would make the soil dry more quickly, and for even the most dedicated plant-overwaterers to not rot the roots of their plants. This is not ideal, since most non-cactus plants are stressed by dry conditions, it's just a way of coping with soil that has little air in it when moist. Negative experiences in regard to potting-up, where an undisturbed root ball is placed into a bigger pot with more soil around it, vs. doing a repotting, as described below, can give rise to old wives' tales about plants not liking to be repotted/disturbed. Potting-up a root-bound plant that has roots surrounding the outside root ball often lead to this negative experience because those roots had adapted to accessing oxygen around the outside of the root ball and surrounding them with more dense, soggy-but-airless potting soil will likely lead to suffocation. The reason bonsai masters are able to keep potted entities alive for hundreds of years is because they care for the roots by trimming them and changing the soil. A plant grows from the roots-up, so if the roots are not healthy, gorgeous foliage will decline &/or no flowers can form. When you unpot a plant and find a pancake of roots at the bottom, chopping that off will give roots a chance to grow normally again for a while and will make removing the old soil easier. Roots need oxygen & moisture at the same time to function. Just air = shriveling. Just moisture = suffocation & rotting. Either will cause root death and dessicated foliage because the roots have been unable to deliver moisture. Having to let soil dry, as if ones' tropical jungle plant was a cactus, is an unnecessarily stressful coping mechanism for non-desert dwelling plants in soil without enough oxygen for the roots to stay healthy when it is moist and can lead to premature loss of older leaves and in extreme cases, dry shriveled roots/dead plant. The ability of roots to be able to function properly depends greatly on the soil structure/texture, which can change over time. Potting soil tends to be very dense, mostly peat, with very little air in it. Any kind of organic ingredients decompose into smaller bits over time, and roots fill air spaces over time as they grow through soil. Replacing soil periodically is usually necessary to keep plants healthy because of these reasons. A more porous, chunky, airy soil (like cactus/palm, if one is buying bagged,) can have more air in it even when it is moist because there is space between the particles. When there are tiny particles of any kind in a pot, such as peat, sand, silt, clay, they filter into all of the tiny spaces in a pot, eliminating the air. "Overwatering" is the label and manifestation when roots have suffocated and/or rotted, combo of both. Over time, organic bits decompose into smaller bits, so even the "best" soil, if it has organic components, will need to be replaced when this happens. The speed at which this happens depends on many variables, but on average, about 1-3 years....See MoreI finally repotted my Jade plants, and I'd love to see yours, too.
Comments (20)Well I did a reply to the latest posts, but I can't see it now...so as not to be seen to be ignoring the replies, here it is again, no doubt it will now magically appear...twice! @Marguerite, thanks for the name Blue Hale, I hadn't come across that one before. I'll amend its label, you know how I like my labels! @ Rina, thank you. No particular secret as to their size. Maybe because of growing them hard, they rarely get any fertiliser, they're watered infrequently and get no special care really and spend their lives confined to the g/h...it works and suits me fine:-) @ Richard, thank you too. The blooms have taken an absolute age to develop from buds to open flowers and seem to be lasting even longer now in full flower....just wish they didn't pong so much, it's really an unpleasant smell in there especially when the sun is out :-/ My regular jades also flowered, they take a fair while to get from bud to open, but these beat them hands down in the 'longest time it takes stakes'. They (the ones that do flower) all generally start to show the first signs of buds around Jan/Feb, but just last sooooo long. I've only ever got the ordinary plain ovatas and this one to flower...so far. Regarding the downsizing, yes they can certainly be cut down, but I'd still have to accommodate them in the house come the day my g/h falls down! Don't worry, it won't quite be yet :-) I just have to remember to place the plants to dodge the drips from the roof, hope one of the glass panes stays put as it's bottom frame has rotted and remember not to open one of the casement windows as I need to replace the hinges.....oh the joys of house ownership! Gill...See MoreWhat is the best soil to use when repotting a zz plant?
Comments (5)What it says ON the package is insignificant when compared to what's IN the package. Container media are all (ok, nearly all) about their structure and their ability to retain that structure for the intended life of the planting, which would be from repot to repot or the interval between dividing plants that are normally divided rather than repotted. When we talk about structure, we're talking about the soil's ability to hold air and water in a ratio favorable enough that your plant won't suffer from prolonged periods of soil saturation if you water to beyond the point of saturation. If you cannot water correctly without your plant(s) suffering, you'll be in a constant battle with your choice of media for control of your plants' vitality. This is the biggest stumbling block the average container gardener encounters and the the one apt to be the most limiting. A good medium makes for healthier plants, far less frustration for the gardener, a greater sense of satisfaction and personal rewards for the gardener, and the other aspects essential if plants are to realize a high state of vitality (like nutritional supplementation) fall into place with much less fussing about. There ARE very simple ways to limit the effects of excess water retention by limiting the amount of excess water a medium can hold, but the best way is to build (or buy if you can) a medium that naturally holds very little excess water. By nature, these media will be very fast-draining and well-aerated, which gives them a considerable leg up on other media that hold a lot of excess water. Not sure how interested you are in digging deeper; but, if you have questions, just ask. Al...See More
jamilalshaw26
6 years agoPhoto Synthesis
6 years agoI went through my photos and found one I took of it last July. I still can't believe how much it's grown since then.
Jontte Kinnu
6 years agojamilalshaw26
6 years agoPhoto Synthesis
6 years agolmontestella
6 years ago
albert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
6 years ago
Len M
6 years agoPhoto Synthesis
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSure thing! I use the Miracle Gro brand "garden soil." It's called garden soil, and it specifically states that it's "for in-ground use" and not meant for containers.
When I bought the soil, I didn't notice the "in-ground use" part. I used it anyways, and it worked just fine. Actually, better than fine, as you can see. Since the new pot was so big, I mixed in some Miracle Gro "coarse blend" orchid bark along with it. Now I use this specific soil for all of my plants, and they all love it. It may be intended for mixing into the ground and improving the quality of your garden's soil (which it does), but it works great in all of my container plants, too.
Ever since repotting my ZZ plant yet again (twice in two years), it has only kept on growing more and more new leaves. Even now, it keeps sending up new ones that haven't even fully opened up just yet. I'm going to have to place it on rollers pretty soon, because of its weight. It's the heaviest container plant that I own now. Some people on facebook have suggested splitting it up, but I prefer having one large plant, rather than multiple smaller ones. Although, if it keeps this up, then I'll have to divide it up anyways, because they don't make pots much larger than what it's in already.
Andrea ME z5b
6 years agoLen M
6 years agoWow! 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
Photo Synthesis
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMore than likely, it's just an older leaf that's dying back. This is completely normal. Mine has shed several older leaves as well. Nothing to worry about. I like the name Zena. That's the name of one of my outside cats. I named the two girls Zena & Gabrielle, after the two characters from the show 'Zena: Warrior Princess,' because each morning, they go off on their daily adventures together, HaHa. :)
I was outside snapping a couple of photos of my ZZ plant, and several of the others that surround it, to show Andrea what kind of light they get. My house faces north and my front porch gets shaded from any direct sunlight throughout most of the day. It does get some direct early morning and late afternoon sunlight.
& here it is from behind, with me standing on my porch. You can see the direct sunlight washing out everything in the background of the photo...
Len M
6 years ago
bossyvossy