Zz Plant
A Beginner’s Guide to the Zz Plant
The Zz plant, which is also known as the Aroid Palm, Succulent Philodendron, gets this name from its scientific name Zamioculcas zamiifolia. This plant is a tender perennial and adds a tropical touch whether used indoor or outdoor. While the plant has been around for many years now, it has a new popularity from having been highlighted by landscapers and home decorators for its drama and presence.
The Zz plant is zoned for hardiness from USDA zones 9A to 11. It is a plant that can grow anywhere from 18 to 28 inches in height. It is known to need light shade and it produces yellow and bronze flowers. Its bloom time is mid-summer through early fall. Its leaves are green and glossy and the big attraction of this plant. The dark green leaves emerge from what looks like the swollen stalk of the plant and are particularly note-worth for their natural shine.
This plant does well in acidic to neutral soil with pH levels in the range of 5.6 to 7.5. It is very drought tolerant and is sometimes part of xeriscapes for this reason.
The fact that it needs very low light and can be neglected for stretches for watering makes it the ultimate easy maintenance plant. This is one of the reasons this plant is being used by a lot of interior decorators. Also, in some countries in the Far East such as Malaysia and Singapore, the Zz plant is called the prosperity plant or money plant. It is considered auspicious to have it in the house as it will bring the owner wealth and prosperity. It is also considered good feng shui to use the Zz plant in home decorating.
This plant is easy to propagate. You can take leaf cuttings and place them in potting soil to reproduce more Zz plants. However, do remember that like many of the world’s best indoor plants they are slow to grow.
When growing them as indoor plants choose fairly large containers for these plants because they can grow to be large around the base and over time they do need spreading space. So, while they may not be the tallest of indoor plants, space is a consideration in finding the right long time location for the Zz plant.
While the plant is known to need minimal light, the right amount of sun exposure is optimal for its growth. By placing the pot in a place where there is filtered afternoon sun you can make sure it gets enough light without worrying about it getting burnt by excessive exposure.
The Zz plant really does not need much water and there are owners who water it once every few months. So, it is critical that you do not over water it. If the plants sits in too much water or has its roots get overly soggy, the famous leaves will be damaged and end up looking yellow.
The other factor that makes this an easy maintenance plant is that it has no known pests. It does not seem to attract any particular insects and this means you do not have to worry about pesticides.
The one known negative of this plant is that it is toxic if ingested. All parts of the plant can be dangerous. This means that when you keep it as an indoor plant, you have to take special precautions to keep it away from children and pets. It is also said that the soil gets toxic around this plant and so you should not mix the soil from an old Zz pot for growing other plants. Given the multiple attractive features of this plant, many plant owners are willing to manage this toxicity problem.