ZZ Plant Issue - house plant
Hi all,
Noticing that some of zz plant leaves are turning a lighter green or almost yellow. I know new growth tends to come in brighter but this appears to be older growth changing colors. im also seeing some white mold perhaps on the soil. inights and recommendations would be appreciated. thx
Comments (8)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearReid Coopersmith
last yearRelated Discussions
ZZ plant questions about tuber divisions and dormant season
Comments (2)Hi Nick, Java's question is a good one, I don't know the answer, but maybe you can check it out w/ the airline before you hack up the plant; otherwise, I'd just give her the leaves you've started. They're very slow to grow that way, but they will grow & maybe the airline would have less of an issue w/ just leaves. I've started them from single leaves & bare stalks, but have never tried cutting a tuber. I'd suggest you divide it w/out cutting the tuber, for best results, but I'd GUESS, they'd be OK, they're pretty strong, rugged plants. If it were mine, I'd lift out a single stem (or 2), w/ the whole tuber attached & let yr. guest take it home unpotted & dry, to pot up & water once she gets it home. These plants are somewhat succulent in their growth & their fat, fleshy stems hold enough water that it will make it through the travel just fine, bare-root dry (& will be less likely to rot too). This IS their time of new growth, in my experience, mine tend to put on huge new growth starting around Sept. (I had one I'd started that put out a 14" stem in one month before it unfurled.) While mine aren't doing so right now, if yours are, I'd suggest you maintain yr. regular 'more active' watering while they put on their new growth. I keep mine active all yr. tho' maybe cut back my watering from once a wk to once every 2 wks during winter. I'd advise against fertilizer as the fish tank water you're using is already serving that purpose. Hope this helps!...See MoreZZ plant
Comments (3)I've seen several very happy ZZ plants outside all year, Leslie, but like you said, they are in deeeeeeep shade outside. I grow mine indoors in south-facing windows where they grow happily (ZZ's make just one big flush of growth in late spring/early summer). I can't say yours will be happy, but I can say I've seen several that live outside in summer in shade, long term. Let us know what you do and how it works out. Good luck!...See MoreZZ Plant Issues
Comments (4)As long as the water drains freely, and the roots can still breathe, it doesn't matter if you soak the plant for a short period of time. Though, it helps to flush it out afterwards with plenty of fresh water until it runs clear from the drainage holes. This helps to remove any dissolved solids that could otherwise accumulate in the soil. I use a specific variety of Miracle Gro soil mix, which most definitely has some peat moss mixed into it already. It doesn't even have any perlite whatsoever, and none of my plants suffer from too much saturation or overwatering. My ZZ plant has grown so much, I've had to repot it every single year into a larger pot. When I water it, I never hold back. I always flush out the whole pot. And if it has gone too dry, I'll even let it soak, just like I've suggested to Kelly. When our plants are potted correctly, you'll never have to worry about giving them too much water. In the winter, I cut back drastically on how many times I water mine, but when I do, I always give it a good soak to rehydrate the soil before flushing it out. During the hot summer months outdoors, it gets watered almost daily, so I don't worry about giving it a soak. Not once have I ever lost a plant to too much watering.When I repotted this ZZ plant last year, the roots had filled in every inch of available space. It took me an hour just to pry it loose from its previous pot. As you can see from what little soil was left, there was no perlite mixed in with it. Even though it doesn't look like it, the soil never stayed too saturated. It is fast-draining and still lets the roots breathe, no matter how much water I give it....See MoreHouse Plant Issues: Chinese Evergreen
Comments (1)Does the container have proper drainage? When was the last time you repotted it? And has it been fertilized? Generally, not much bothers these so my first thoughts would be to the soil conditions and its drainage. Over watering - really easy to do in a poor quality potting soil - can create root rots. Only way you can determine if this is the issue is to pull the plant gently from the container and examine the roots and potting media....See More
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearReid Coopersmith
last yeartapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearlast modified: last yearThere are 2 issues associated with 'no drain hole'. One is over-watering. As noted, you can get by for a while w/o a drain hole if you monitor moisture levels carefully and water judiciously with some form of deionized water, but you can't avoid a build-up of dissolved solids and fluoride from tapwater.
If the pot is plastic, you can melt a hole through the bottom with a heated nail of screw held with a pr of pliers. If it's a glass/ pottery pot, drill a hole in the bottom or cave and buy a new pot.
Even if the pot has a drain hole, a "drainage layer" of lava rocks does not create drainage any more than filling a bucket half full of marbles does. If there is nowhere for the water to go, "drainage" is not possible. All it does is raise the level of any perched water table in the pot. The pots below are all full of the same medium. The shaded area in the left pot shows a perched water table, which is water that 'perches' in the pot like a bird on a wire, and will not respond to the force of gravity because the counter force of capillarity (water's tendency to stick to itself [cohesion) + its tendency to stick to other particles/ objects [adhesion]) is greater than the force of gravity. The middle sketch shows how a perched water table reacts to a "drainage layer". As you can see, it's not a good thing.
Unfortunately, the fertilizer you purchased is a total rip off. You can read in this thread, where I took a seller to task for taking horrible advantage of unsuspecting buyers by marketing a very similar product, I wouldn't be surprised to learn it is the same marketers selling the same watered down stuff. The "fertilizer" you purchased is the same RATIO (3:1:2) as Foliage-pro 9-3-6, but the water content of what you purchased is about 99.57%. So the fertilizer content is <.05% (less than 1/2 of 1%), and you paid about 192X more than you would pay for the same concentration of Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. Shameful.
Your thoughts?
Al
Reid Coopersmith
last yeartapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yearlast modified: last yearI just happened to have saved a tutorial re drilling holes in pots. Before I retired, I owned a corporation that specialized in contract glazing (a large glass company). On a daily basis, we were drilling materials including glass, ceramic, ceramic tile, granite, cement, stainless steel, cast iron, ..... So I have a great deal of experience when it comes to drilling all manner of hard materials.
Drilling holes in pots
The 2 types of drill bits most appropriate for drilling holes in pots are diamond core bits for the highly vitrified (hard material - baked at very high temps - glass, ceramic, ......) pots, and a drill with several names for drilling clay pots fired at low temps, such as terra cotta. That (carbide) drill is called a 3-point drill, spear point drill, or a spade drill, seen here:
spade/ three-point/ spear drills ^^^^For the hard stuff, diamond core drills are best, though the 3 point drill will drill the hard stuff, too. Both are available in many sizes, with bits sized 3/8 or 1/2” best for pots.
You can buy either type at big box stores, and they're not that expensive, but you won't find a 'set' of diamond core bits worth buying for $9. The bits last a long time, depending on quality and how you use/care for them. They are best used with a steady stream of coolant from a squeeze bottle (contact lens solution bottles work great for this) or with the work surface barely submerged. IE, put the pot upside down in a tub and fill the tub with water until it just covers the work surface. If you use a spritzer or squirt bottle, a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is an excellent coolant, and soapy water is better than plain water but not as good as the antifreeze mix. The coolant keeps the tool from over-heating, and in doing so, increases the life of the tool substantially - like triple or quadruple the number of holes you can drill. While drilling, apply very little pressure, just the weight of the drill motor with you providing only guidance is sufficient. Drill at medium speed – somewhere around 1,600 rpm. NEVER use either type of drill mentioned above without a lubricated coolant. The heat will cause thermal shock and fracture in glass and ceramics and heat build-up will destroy the tool.
diamond core drills ^^^Regular masonry bits are "ok" for drilling terra cotta or cement (you can make them work), but inappropriate for anything harder. The right tool makes everything easier.
masonry bit ^^^ (not recommended)Al
popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)