Care instructions required...help

Discussion in 'Araceae' started by Unregistered, Jun 25, 2004.

  1. I purchased a most interesting plant called Zamioculcus or ZZ Plant, however I know nothing about the care of it. How much light is required, moisture, fertilizing, etc. I don't normally purchase plants without knowing how to care for them but it is so interesting looking I couldn't resist. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Note to the administrators... this is a great site, lots of info. Thank you.
     
  2. hungry hippo

    hungry hippo Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi there,
    Many years ago I owned and operated an indoor plant rental business in Santa Cruz, California. I supplied and serviced accounts in offices, retail stores, restaurants... places where plants were routinely and consistently abused and mistreated. Out of the four or five plants that I found hardest to kill, even in the most hostile environment, I think Zamioculcus was perhaps the hardiest. (In case you were wondering, the others would be Pothos, Aglaonema (also an aroid), Fatshedera, Hoya, Dracaena and Aspidistra, although Aspidistra are just too valuable and prone to theft to use in many commercial applications).These beautiful plants will thrive in just about any location, about the only thing I have found that they will not tolerate are full sun and over-watering in winter. In summer they will tolerate irregular watering and even over-watering. They are members of the aroid family, and native to lowland, rocky, half-shaded forests of Tanzania (nutrient-poor and hostile terrain). Unlike other aroids they are relatively easy to propagate from leaf cuttings placed in a covered tray in moist sandy potting medium. They are slow to root, but if you just leave them alone the success rate is almost always 100%. This is a fantastic plant and I never understood why it wasn't more popular than it is. If you polish up the leaves, they make a very impressive feature plant under a spot or can light. Hope this was helpful. Good luck!
    p.s. I take that back about them being the hardiest. Aspidistra are the hardiest.
     
  3. Hi Climber?,

    Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
     
  4. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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  5. lily

    lily Active Member 10 Years

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    I've had a ZZ plant for 4 years now and I just love it. It's about 2-3ft tall. I started it from a single leaf. They are slow growers but well worth the wait. It is pest free and great for anyone who doesn't have a green thumb. I started 2 plants for each of my sons . They are single fellas who have a tendency to forget to water their plants. So, it is the ideal plant for them. I water my ZZ twice a month in the summer and once a month in the winter. I also take a nice clean rag every time I water and shine each leaf individually. Looks stunning! The prefer low light.
     
  6. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    If that works, then I trust you will remain successful. This quote came from Botanist Pete Boyce who is one of the authors of the scientific text The Genera of Araceae. This plant is an aroid and is a member of that scientific family.

    Pete lives and works in Singapore, "It is a very popular plant, especially with the Chinese, who regard it as lucky (i.e., bringing in money) by the way it can regenerate by the leaflets. Here we grow it either in pots of red soil (mainly derived from local ultisols of pH 4-5) mixed with 1/5 bulk coarse sand to give a water permeable mix that is high in nutrients, or in the open ground in medium shade. In both 'habitats' plants will receive water virtually every day either from rainfall (Kuching receives ca. 5 m per annum) or in times of no rain then from hand watering. In such conditions plants grow very quickly, producing a new leaf every 3 - 4 weeks. A plant raised from a single leaflet will carry 12 - 15 leaves and ca. 75 cm tall within a year. The one caveat to giving so much water is that our temperatures are permanently high; minimum 22 C nighttime and 28 C daytime with maxima of 26 C and 36 C respectively. Humidity averages 80%." Since Pete was quoting temperatures in Celsius it should be noted those temps would be the equivalent of very warm in the United States.

    The problem arises once the plant becomes deciduous and drops its leaflets. it will eventually do so since in the dry state it does so in order to survive. The plant will not be dead, simply attempting to survive in the natural dry state. But many people throw them in the trash because they assume it has died. As I wrote in my article the curators of many botanical gardens are now growing this plant with great success inside their tropical atriums. I've done so in extremly wet conditions for 3 years. My plant is watered twice daily for 10 minutes at a time during the spring, summer and most of the fall. But I keep it in extremely porous soil mixed with sand as it grows in Africa.
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2008
  7. lily

    lily Active Member 10 Years

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    This is why I really love this forum. I learn so much from everyone. Here is a pic of my Zamioculcus or ZZ Plant. I have very few indoor plants but this one is a 'must have' for me.
     

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  8. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Certainly appears healthy. Other forums have had people post wanting to know why all the leaves (truly leaflets) dropped. and the plant "died". I set out to talk to Simon Mayo and Pete about the subject (both aroid botanists). Then Dr. Tom Croat chimed in and the conversation went to just how much water the plant would tolerate as compared to the way internet sites advise to care of it. The bottom line many people brought out it is grown in totally different ways in SE Asia, Africa and America. And the majority prefer wet with bigger healthier results. So Pete set out to explain why. Some is highly technical and a lot of people refuse to believe it. But it is fact the plant does very well long term with lots of water. I tried to explain that n my link.
     
  9. lily

    lily Active Member 10 Years

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    I wonder if it does so well with lots of water in those parts is because of the temperatures? I'm certainly not an expert but I'd be afraid that too much would rot the bulb here. Both in winter and summer, I thoroughly drench it, let it dry out and drench it again. I've never fertilized it and never had one single leaf drop. I started my plant from a leaf I picked off a plant at work. I took it home, stuck it in regular soil in a styrofoam cup. It took months, but finally it started to grow. The soil I'm using is African Violet soil mixed with about half sand.
     
  10. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    All I can say is I grow it in Arkansas. My atrium never drops below 55 degrees F but it certainly does get down to that temp in winter. In the summer it will be in the high 90s F. The trick to this is duplicating the natural soil which is sand based. I used sand, some soil, Perlite to help absorb the water, charcoal, and peat. The plant stays moist but never soggy. And yes, soggy would kill it!

    Right now, due to the heat we have the overhead watering system set to run twice every day. That would be a total of 20 minutes of water hitting the plant each and every day. But the soil drains quickly. We wil back that off to only10 minutes per day in September and in winter only 3 days a week.

    My plant has never gone dormant in 3 years nor has it dropped any leaflets I can observe. My daughter originally acquired the plant and left it on her back porch for months with no water and almost all the leaflets dropped! She thought it was dead and gave it to me. I did some research and potted it in a more natural soil and the thing went nuts.

    I've talked to botanist Simon Mayo at the Kew in London about it and he suggested I talk to Pete. Pete and I often exchange mail. Dr. Tom Croat at the Missouri Botanical Garden recommend to their people they put the plant in the big rain forest atrium and the last I heard it was happy in there. A curator at a university collection on the east coast exchanged mail with me to say they were doing the same thing. And now I receive mail on a regular basis from people saying the plant is quite happy in these conditions.

    Here's the problem. It comes from a dry arid region. So everyone thinks it should not be watered. What they fail to research is that dry arid condition is only about half the year. The other half it lives in very wet conditions, but the soil always drains since it is sand based.

    Now, I can tell you one researcher in Miami appears to think I'm nuts! So I only post what I learn from the pros. If anyone prefers to keep it dry, that is their choice. But the scientific facts plus the experience of a lot of professional growers would indicate it does great in wet conditions provided you keep the soil loose and fast draining. IE, sand based. If you didn't read my article, you just might be surprised at what I've uncovered. And of course, the internet folks don't believe a word of it! They will keep on telling you not to water it! And my opinion is they don't care if it does because they can then sell you another plant once you get hooked!
     

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