ZZ Plant Care Guide

The ZZ plant asks for very little, and the one thing that hurts it most is too much water. Here is how to care for it using the 5 Pillars of Plant Care. This guide walks through ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) care using Grow Queen's 5 Pillars of Plant Care.

🌏 Know Your Plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia is the only species in its genus and belongs to the aroid family (Araceae), along with peace lily and Chinese evergreen. Kew's Plants of the World Online lists its native range as eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, including Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, in a seasonally dry tropical climate. It grows from thick underground rhizomes and has fleshy stems that store water through dry seasons. Indoors that means it is drought tolerant, slow growing and easy to kill with kindness. Treat it more like a succulent than a typical tropical.

• Family: Araceae, the aroid family.
• Native from Kenya to South Africa.
• Stores water in thick rhizomes and stems.
• Not on the ASPCA list, but contains calcium oxalate.

✨ Fun Facts

• The species name zamiifolia means having leaves like Zamia, an unrelated cycad. The resemblance is only skin deep.
• In a drought, the plant can drop its leaflets and the top of the leaf stalk, keeping the swollen base alive until water returns.
• Dark spots on ZZ stems are normal and a sign of a healthy plant, according to Clemson Extension.
• Popular cultivars include 'Raven', whose new leaves turn nearly black as they age, and 'Chameleon', whose leaves emerge golden yellow and mature to dark green.

What they need: A coarse, fast-draining mix that dries out between waterings.

ZZ stores water in its rhizomes, so the soil's job is to drain quickly, not to hold moisture. Clemson Extension recommends a coarse mix of about half potting soil with a quarter perlite and a quarter sand. A gritty desert-style mix gives you the same quick drainage and air around the rhizomes. Avoid dense soil that stays wet, which leads to root rot.

• Always use a pot with a drainage hole.
• Let a decorative cachepot or saucer drain fully so the plant never sits in water.
• Repot only when rhizomes crowd or crack the pot. It grows slowly.

Grow Queen pick: Craft Desert Mix. Craft Desert Mix is chunky and gritty, which matches extension advice to grow ZZ in a coarse, fast-draining mix and treat it much like a succulent so its water-storing rhizomes never sit wet.

Learn more: Pillar 1, Soils & Growth Mediums →

What they need: Bright, indirect light for growth. Low light is tolerated.

ZZ is famous for coping with dim rooms and even office lighting, but it grows faster and fuller in bright, indirect light. Keep it out of direct sun, especially hot afternoon sun, which can scorch and brown the leaves.

Signs of too little light:
• Little or no new growth for long stretches
• Thin stems leaning toward the window
• Soil staying wet much longer after watering

Signs of too much light:
• Scorched, brown or bleached patches on leaflets
• Yellowing leaves on the sunny side
• Leaflets curling inward

Learn more: Pillar 2, Lighting →

What they need: Water deeply, then wait until the mix is completely dry.

Water until it flows out the bottom, discard the excess, and don't water again until the mix has fully dried. Clemson Extension puts that at roughly one to two times a month, and NC State Extension suggests about once a month in winter. Check the soil rather than following a calendar, since light and pot size change how fast it dries. Overwatering is the most common way ZZ plants die.

Signs of overwatering:
• Yellowing leaves with soil that stays damp
• Soft, mushy stems or rhizomes
• A sour smell from the pot

Signs of underwatering:
• Leaflets dropping off
• Wrinkled or shriveled stems
• Soil pulling away from the sides of the pot

Learn more: Pillar 3, Watering →

What they need: Warm and steady. Average home humidity is fine.

UF/IFAS lists a preferred range of 65 to 90°F, with slowed growth and possible injury below 50°F. Clemson Extension recommends keeping it above 60°F. It comes from a seasonally dry climate, so normal indoor humidity suits it and misting isn't needed.

Ideal conditions:
• 65 to 90°F
• Normal household humidity
• Bright room with indirect light
• Protected spot away from cold windows in winter

Avoid:
• Temperatures below 60°F
• Cold drafts from doors and windows
• Direct afternoon sun through glass

Learn more: Pillar 4, Environment →

What they need: Very little. Feed once or twice a year.

ZZ grows slowly and doesn't need much fertilizer. UF/IFAS and Clemson Extension both suggest feeding only once or twice during the growing season, in spring and summer. Skip feeding in winter, and don't fertilize a plant that is sitting in wet soil or recovering from rot.

Benefits of the right feeding:
• Supports new shoots in spring and summer
• Keeps leaves a deep, glossy green
• Helps a newly divided plant fill in

Grow Queen pick: Organic Time Release Plant Food. Organic Time Release Plant Food lets you top-dress once in spring and feed slowly over months, which suits a slow grower that only needs fertilizer once or twice a year.

Learn more: Pillar 5, Plant Nutrients →

🍂 Common Problems

Why are my ZZ plant's leaves turning yellow?

The most common cause is too much water. If the soil is damp and stems feel soft, let it dry out completely, check the rhizomes, and repot into fresh, fast-draining mix if any are mushy. Water less often from then on.

Why is my ZZ plant dropping leaflets?

ZZ sheds leaflets during long dry spells to save water. If the soil has been bone dry for weeks and stems look wrinkled, give it a thorough watering. The rhizomes usually push out new shoots.

Are the black spots on the stems a problem?

Usually not. Clemson Extension notes that dark spots on ZZ stems are normal. Worry only if the spots are soft, sunken or spreading at the soil line, which points to rot from overwatering.

Why isn't my ZZ plant growing?

ZZ grows slowly and tends to put out new shoots in spurts. More bright, indirect light will speed it up. If it hasn't grown in a long time, check that it isn't sitting in cold air or soggy soil.

✂️ Maintenance & Growth Tips

• Wipe the glossy leaves with a damp cloth to remove dust.
• Cut off any yellow or damaged stems at the base.
• Propagate by dividing rhizomes when you repot, or root individual leaves as cuttings.
• Repot only when the rhizomes fill the pot, usually every few years.
• Wear gloves when cutting or dividing, and wash your hands after.

⚠️ Pet Safety

The ASPCA does not list the ZZ plant on its toxic and non-toxic plant list. NC State Extension notes that it contains calcium oxalate and flags it as a problem for cats and dogs, and eating the leaves can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Treat it as toxic, keep it away from pets, and call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 if your pet chews it.

🌿 Bottom Line

The ZZ plant is one of the easiest houseplants you can grow, as long as you hold back on water. Give it a fast-draining mix, water deeply only when it is completely dry, and keep it warm.

Bright, indirect light will get you more growth, but it will put up with dim corners too. Feed once or twice a year, keep it out of reach of pets, and let it take its time.