ZZ plant or aroid palm – great for very busy people

Zamioculkas zamiifolia is a perennial green plant that belongs to the Araceae family. It grows naturally in East and Southeast Africa and you can mainly find it in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

It is also called the immortal plant because its ability to store water in fleshy leaves and bulbous rhizome is amazing. Its natural habitat also includes mountains where the soil is often poor in nutrients. In the wild, aroid palm reaches a height from 30 to 100 cm, but if you grow it indoors it will grow slightly lower.

How to grow zamioculcas

The plant does not like frequent watering and naturally, it deals well with a lack of water. You may be surprised but it can maintain its fresh and beautiful appearance for 2-3 months after watering! This makes zamioculcas the best plant for forgetful people. However, you need to fertilize every two weeks and you should do so from April to September. Use an organic fertilizer designed for green plants. Zamioculcas does not have very high nutritional requirements and can do without fertilization, but better nutrition will ensure growth of green mass and beautiful colour.

Photo: Pixabay

Shade is ok

Zamioculcas does best in semi-shaded or shaded places, so you can place it at corners and shady areas. It can also grow in the shade in the back of the room, away from the window. The plant is often grown in bathrooms where there is very little light. The ideal temperature range is from 22 to 25 degrees Celsius. A good idea is to move it to a cooler place during the dormant period, where the temperature is lower, but not below 15°C.

Zamioculcas is unsuitable for cold places and it is not frost-resistant at all. Frost will kill it quickly. Do not leave it outside in the cold. If you do, you will not be able to save it. Repoting is not necessary. Zamioculcas likes cramped pots with expanded clay at the bottom. It needs a permeable, humus-rich and light substrate with a natural or slightly acidic pH. You can also use a substrate designed for palm trees.

Preview photo: Pixabay

Source: https://abecedazahrady.dama.cz/clanek/zamioculcas-zamiifolia-jak-jej-pestovat-bez-obtizi