The ZZ plant is the easiest plant you’ll ever buy. Coincidence that it’s name rhymes with the word easy? Well, it’s proper name is Zamioculcas zamifolia. So naturally botanists back in the day began to refer to it as it’s acronym. The ZZ plant name stuck.
More than likely, all of you with black thumbs are looking out the window to your backyard plant graveyards and thinking: Easy-care, sure…I’ve heard that before!
But seriously, this is a plant that does best when almost totally ignored. How’s that for easy?
Although the ZZ plant does best in moderate light, these plants still do fine with little to no light. Now that you know what they look like, you’ll begin to notice that these are the plants you’ve seen in public restrooms and office spaces with no windows. They weren’t fake!
How is it that these green, rubbery-looking plants still appear so healthy with so little care? The ZZ plant holds water in a similar manner to a camel. Under the soil, these African natives carry potato-like rhizomes which allow them to store water during drought. Lucky for us, this evolutionary root system works in our indoor container gardens just as as it does in it’s natural environment. So what does this mean for it’s caregiver? ZZ plants only need to be watered once the soil is completely dry to the touch or about once a month. If you notice the leaves begin to yellow, think of it as the yellow light on a stoplight. This is your plant cautioning you to stop watering it so much.
ZZ plants do fine without fertilizer but if you feel yours needs a little something, use a half-strength plant food up to twice a year during warmer months.
Garden Supply Company has plenty of ZZ plants in stock now and a new collection of pots to plant them in. Come by and turn that black thumb green!