A medium close-up of the new flower. You can see the growth since the last pic, The flower is just an inch or two above the sheath here.

And finally, a teensy, tiny little nub of a shoot growing amid three mature shoots. Geez, NEVER call a ZZ âÂÂanti-socialâÂÂ! ! ! Sort of wondering if this one will make it. I have seen a couple of shoots die, but those have been tall and slender, with the diameter of a pair of toothpicks. The stubby ones grow slowly, but they usually survive.

24 hours after the previous flower photo. The sheath (or whatever you want to call it) has completely opened folded down around the flower in that short space of time. I wanted to catch a pic of it at a halfway point of âÂÂunsheathing.â No such luck. I would probably have to be checking on it every 4 to 6 hours to get that.

Ups and downs, mostly ups. The flower is pointing down, but two new shoots can be seen in the same picture, and there are others coming up too. This is my first winter with the ZZ, so it should be interesting to see if growth slows or maintains pace.

For all the success I have had with this plant, I found a few dead leaves on it today -- two of them on new stems. I am thinking of reverting back to the old schedule of watering once every 2 weeks, as opposed to once every week and a half, which I have been doing for about a month or two. A few dead leaves on a lush thriving plant that has given me two flowers and several new stems in less than 6 months is nothing to be alarmed about, right? But âÂÂover wateringâ continuously comes up as the only thing one can do to harm a ZZ, so why not? Also the âÂÂpost mortemâ on the leaves seems to match what I have read about the symptoms of over-watering: discolored leaves that turn yellow, then black, then they become brittle and practically fall off the stem.

But I am interested in differing opinions (other than "Dude, you are wayyyyyyy over-thinking this!" LOL) Most especially if you disagree with me, I would like to hear your rationale. A narcissist would call that inviting an insult. I call it "education."

"A few dead leaves on a lush thriving plant that has given me two flowers and several new stems in less than 6 months is nothing to be alarmed about, right?"

Exactly right.

Sorry, but you are overthinking this & you know this, so part of me doesn't even want to answer. That's why I've mostly stayed out of the conversation. Am not a fan of the overthinking (You're the engineer, right? I'm the daughter of an engineer, I sort of get it, but still think it's overthinking & not enjoyable to me. )

The other part wants to say I think they may just be the older leaves aging out -- that does happen, you know that right (maybe you don't)? Think of it a bit as shedding hair, a normal process.

Just several days ago, I threw out a ZZ stem w/ 2 leaves from mine which had yellowed. Mine was just age, haven't seen yours, would have helped, your description doesn't sound great.

I don't leave dead/dying leaves on plants, they won't recover & the decay just invites rot (IMO). Outdoors planted in the ground is one thing, in containers as we're growing is entirely different.

Yours is one of the happiest, healthiest, looking ZZs I've ever seen. I wish you knew that & could relax (about the overwatering). I agree yours grows super fast, like nothing I've ever seen.

Oh wait, you said 'lush, thriving', so you DO know that.

Thanks for all the compliments. As for what I "DO" know and do not know, I have never considered myself an expert as this is my first ZZ. This is also my only plant, and my last one was a Sarracenia Purpurea (pitcher plant) which was also my ONLY plant for several years. You could liken me to a parent who has only one child and gives that child an abundance of attention -- and hence the "over-thinking" (or over-protecting) perception. When that kid gets even a mild fever, the parent hits the alarm bells. I have only one pet (a Silver Tabby) for the same reason, and she is also quite healthy.

But I have NEVER been an engineer. That one would really make certain members of my family laugh. To the contrary, I was always very much into the humanities. English and History were my best subjects (math was my worst), I have a degree in Journalism and at the moment, I am a struggling actor. On the other hand, I have been attending the funerals of family members and friends whom I dearly miss since I was 9 years old. Even now, I am sitting within arm's reach of photos of my grandparents, heroes of a tumultuous childhood and long since "departed." I've seen enough death. This is a much healthier obsession.

Brad,
Sorry to hear you're dealing with deaths of your family and friends. This is not the best time of year to have to deal with that. I can understand your worry about your plant, especially if it is your "only child." Hubby and I get like that with our dog. We don't plan to have any children, so she is our child. I worry about the littlest things with her sometimes (although, I have gotten better).

That being said, I also tend to worry about my plants sometimes too >.> I think it's normal if you're an analytic person (are you? Haha). Also, it's hard not to fall apart when you see something going on with one of your plants that you were pretty sure was growing well. As PG said, they do have "old stems" that will age, die, and well fall off eventually (in more or less words, I'm not quoting her here). What you have to worry about, if it's more than a couple stems, as if, it starts falling apart. This time of year, you don't need to water your ZZ as much, they can afford to dry out a bit more (the light is not as intense outdoors, winter sun, and your plant will take longer to dry out between waterings). So, you could actually cut back on your watering a little bit (I know, Planto, why didn't you mention this before... it didn't occur to me, don't ask why). Not drastically, maybe by a week or two. I think I water mine every 3 weeks, but, you should decide what's best for you.

Planto

Hi Planto,

I concur. Under the 10-day schedule, I am supposed to water today. But I think I can justify stretching this to 3 weeks, due to low sunlight and a longer drying time for the soil, as you said. In fact, I just touched the soil today and it is still moist, so three weeks will do nicely. I will then re-adjust gradually back to 2 weeks, maybe over a period of months.

On that other subject, yes it can be a bit of a strain to deal with those âÂÂempty chairs,â especially over the holidays, though other days and incidents bring up the loss too. But then I wonder how older people have dealt with it, because they have probably lost more. If my grandparents were still alive, I would say to them âÂÂYou lived through the Great Depression and World War II, when daily life was harder, even without wars and socio-economic cataclysms. You must have out-lived a multitude of friends and relatives. How did you cope?âÂÂ

I would fall from my chair laughing if they said something like âÂÂYou focus on something more positive. Get a pet or a plant.â LMAO

Brad,
Sometimes, it is better to not water on a schedule, as you have noticed, sometimes our plants are still moist by the time we're supposed to water again. Different times of the year call for different watering schedules. Lol, that would be funny if they would of said to get a plant.

Planto

Annnnnnd ... two more. Late year growths seem to be a bit smaller than their height-of-summer counterparts, but they ARE still there. Then again, this is in Savannah, where it was 79 F yesterday. Cold is really not a factor.LOL

Annnnnnd ... two more. Late year growths seem to be a bit smaller than their height-of-summer counterparts, but they ARE still there. Then again, this is in Savannah, where it was 79 F yesterday. Cold is really not a factor.LOL

{{!gwi}}

Hi Brad,

My apologies that I confused you w/ someone else (the engineer). Somehow this time your pic posted differently & I can't see it. Just shows a small square that I can't open, hum.

No worries about the engineer thing. But I don't know what to tell you about the picture problem. It is fine on my end. I have had the problem on my computer before (though not on this page), but I can't remember the solution as it has been a very long time.

A big family with no twins -- each stem is unique somehow. This one is thinner than others, but it seems like it wants to be the tallest and straightest of the bunch.

Brad,
Wow, I can't believe how much yours has grown. I'm not very tech savy, so I was trying to make one picture of the first picture you took of your ZZ Plant and the picture you posted today. It's amazing! Sadly, I can't seem to win with ZZ Plants. My first one died because I left it in it's original soil (completely peat based) and it rotted from the inside of the rootball. The last two (yes, two) I've purchased, I've tried removing all the soil from the roots and repotting in faster draining soil. They both rotted. I give up. At least you have a lot of success with yours and I really enjoy seeing pictures of it!

Planto

Very sorry to hear about your bad luck, Planto. Several pictures up, I have a photo of a bag of the soil that matched the soil my ZZ came in, and I have to believe that contributed to my success. I got the plant a nearby Home Depot. Hope that helps. When I can get a free moment, I will have to attempt the photo trick you suggest, but I am not a tech guru either. I would need quite a bit of time for self-instruction. Glad you like my pictures.

Hey Planto,

If you like, remind me in Spring & maybe we can arrange a swap. I have 2, so I can spare 1, they're not large, & I've grown them from individual leaves. I'm surprised to hear you've had such trouble w/ them. I completely ignore mine & they're fine.

Nice to see yours just keeps chugging along Brad.

Brad,
Thanks for the advice (and sympathy). Honestly, I think at this point, I will just accept that I can't grow a ZZ Plant. I know the first one I had rotted because of the soil it was in (some plants seem to be grown in pure peat and it drains horribly; mine was in that stuff).

The last two, I figured it was a no brainer to remove the soil and loosen the roots up. I used a mix of cactus soil and perlite, which was pretty fast draining (a number of sources say you need fast draining soil... Your ZZ Plant doesn't seem to fit that statement lol). They both rotted too.

I have the same bad luck with Sansevieria (Snake Plant). I don't know how many of those I've tried and they either fail to "take off" or their roots die on me (from rot). I don't have the same experiences as some do with either plant. I've tried chaning my care, doing different things to see if it's something I'm not doing right, but have been getting the same results.

I don't know... I don't have any problems with Peace Lilies like some people seem to have. Hubby wonders if the plants I purchased weren't somehow compromised healthwise when I got them. Maybe.

PG,
Wow, I'm flattered! As much as I'd love to have one of your ZZ Plants (hand grown by you, no less), I unfortunately would have nothing to trade. I've recently cut down my collection substantionally and all I have now is a Peace Lily and a Spider Plant. Also, with my bad luck with ZZ Plants, I would feel horrible if something happened to one of yours due to me. Thank you for thinking of me though and considering trading with me. I'm very touched.

Planto

Planto: you might want to look into trying Semi-Hydro growing with a medium like hydroton, prime agra, or hydrocorn. I have just started converting some of my plants to it so I can't say yet how it will go, but it seems like some people find that helps with rot issues and the guesswork of when to water.

Summer,
Hmm... I will have to look into that then!

Planto

I think I hit on a brilliant solution to the need for an affordable larger pot. Internet searches for phrases like âÂÂlarge plastic plantersâ revealed that pots larger than 20 inches can cost anywhere from $150 to $1,200! ! ! No joke. I was sure the web-administrator had made a mistake on the first site I looked at, but they were ALL like that. So anyway, I got the idea of using âÂÂplastic tubâ as the search words and found myself looking at storage tubs that one would expect to find loaded with tools in the back of a truck at construction site.

PERFECT! For less than $20 at a certain well-known hardware store, you get âÂÂThe 37 Gallon Roughneck Hi-Top Toteâ by Rubbermaid. It is 18.6 inches deep, 32.5 inches long and 20.5 inches wide. Thick, durable, and waterproof. The price is $17.97.

My ZZâÂÂs current pot is only 17.5 inches across, so there is quite a bit of room for expansion in this new âÂÂtoteâÂÂ/tub. There are larger ones available, but the window alcove where the ZZ sits is only 40 inches wide. Naturally, I would drill holes in the bottom of the tub. Also, it looks as if the lid will function quite nicely as a drip pan. Haven't bought it yet. The need for more space is not quite an emergency, but I like this option.

Or maybe THIS! I hope I donâÂÂt seem indecisive, but when a better option presents itself, it should not be ignored. I went to the hardware store to look at that storage tote above and I found this: âÂÂpatio pond linerâ -- thee more words that I would never have thought to employ in my search for an inexpensive, GIGANTIC plastic planter. It is more than 3 feet across from point to point at its widest, and certainly does look a heck of a lot more like a home for plants, if aquatic ones. But if it can hold that much water (37 gallons), I am pretty sure it can hold light potting soil. I am imagining the weight of one gallon of water versus the weight of this potting soil filling a one-gallon jug. They donâÂÂt even compare. Price: $29.(I would not complain if the price was lower, but in the ratio of dollers per inch, this is still a good deal.) I also like the fact it is round. My ZZ isnâÂÂt growing in a straight line. The âÂÂgroveâ seems to be expanding in many directions. Granted, it needs a cleaning, but it was in the outdoor/home and garden section of the store.

This post was edited by BradleyD on Fri, Dec 27, 13 at 17:52

And I don't want to sound like a paid sales rep so I will leave corporate names out of it, but shop around. This very same liner above is $29 at one store and $109 at another. WOW.

Looks like another flower about to bloom!

Bradley, it's very cool that you have had blooms on your ZZ. I have a large one that I started from a single stem and I always put it outside for the summer, but mine has never bloomed. In my humble opinion, I wouldn't repot into an ugly rubbermaid container. Why not just buy a large but liftable plastic pot at a nursery/greenhouse/largebox store? (don't break your back lifting a pot to let it drain) Then, since this is your only child- oops I mean plant- Buy a beautiful cachepot to put the usually unattractive plastic pot into. I think providing a beautiful home for your only child plant is the right and proper thing to do. have a good day!

Hi Salpal,

I have had a change of heart on that gray Rubbermaid box. I am looking at other options, but you'd really have to see the price on some of the large plastic pots to believe it. Once you get above 20 inches across, the price skyrockets to such ridiculous levels that some kiddie pools would be cheaper.(Not that I would use a kiddie pool as a flower pot. LOL). Right now, I think the pond liner (two photos back) is a nice idea, but I am open-minded enough to look at others. I just have to think outside the box, pardon the pun. Thanks for your compliments. I'll post more pictures of the flower once it blooms.

This post was edited by BradleyD on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 17:29

Hi Brad & Happy New Year,

Your plant is doing great, I have no idea why you're doing all this, it's way premature (tho' maybe you did mention that).

Every single person I've ever met who grows these keeps them potted on the tight side. I've never seen anyone pot them, up so big it's just entirely unnecessary (& increases their risk of rotting).

But your plant DOES seem to be jet fueled, growing far faster than any others I've ever seen.

Even the man who taught me how to grow these from single leaves & grew them for my entire gardening group kept them potted small. They just don't need all that room & do great w/out it.

The one that grew & bloomed neglected in my bldg's basement laundry also was potted small & it didn't prevent it from blooming.

Hi PG! Happy New Year.

Interesting. With this being my first ZZ, I am certainly not an expert, but I wonder if root rot really has anything to do with space, and perhaps more to do with overwatering and the drainage quality of the soil? The way I figure it, if a plant that I am growing ALSO grows in the wild, then that wild plant has the entire Earth, or at least a continent, as its pot, right?

But yes I did say that it is not an emergency because the stalks/stems have not even hit the edge of this pot yet, so time is certainly on my side

Thanks for all the compliments.

3rd flower and new shoots.Growing tall and slender, as will be seen in next photo.

"Full length" photo. This angle might make the photo appear to be stretched/elongated, but it really isn't.

The twosome. The bricks and my "fur-child" also give a good idea of scale to the plant.

I propagated ZZ plants from leaf cuttings. Here's a photo after 6 months planting the leaf cuttings.

And here's a photo another 6 months after (one year from planting the leaf cuttings)

My patience paid off! Plants grew beautifully!

It has been nearly a year and a half since I posted that last photo. I could not find a pot big enough for my plant, so I improvised with a pond liner about 6 weeks ago. It is about 39 inches across. I placed the pot in the pond liner, packed the liner with soil, then took the pot out and carefully cut it down the side so that I could very gently remove the plant and place it in the indentation left in the pond liner.

Also, I drilled holes in the bottom of the pond liner before placing the plant inside. I give a bit more water, 3 quarts, up from 2, but there is nothing coming out of these drainage holes.

Wow your plant is beautiful

Thanks. I wish I could take credit, but ZZs are pretty low maintenance. I water it once every 3 weeks and it takes off like a botanical rocket for the moon.

Smart pots are pretty cheap even when you get into the 200 and 450 gallon sizes.

Had "smart pots" been available at the hardware store I may have jumped on them, but my pond liner is 39 inches across by 19 inches deep and I got it for $19.95. I am happy with my purchase. The largest pots there generally cost more money for less space. Don't know why.

I have had my ZZ plant in my mostly south facing office window for almost 3 years. I has grown HUGE. Stalks are 36" plus. I have repotted once and it is doing well, however the stalks are getting so big and heavy they are starting to really bend over. I have tried to gently tie them up but it doesn't really work. Any suggestions?

Nice to see this discussion is holding together nicely :(

madel40 I haven't tried to tie mine. When a stalk falls over, I let it go and eventually "prune" the dead stalk from the plant, figuring that is part of the life-cycle of the ZZ. It is shedding old growth like a tree sheds old bark. (And one could argue, like we shed old skin cells. I think I read somewhere that every cell in the human body dies and is replaced over a period of seven years. Thus, we are renewed. So is the plant.)

bradleyd_svh Since it is about 75% of the plant that has suddenly bent over, I hope they don't all die! It has been quite hot in the office lately (85-90 degrees, yes our AC was malfunctioning) and I have been watering it more often, perhaps too much. Now that the AC is working I will wait for a few weeks before watering it again and see what happens.

Good idea. They are low water plants. Three weeks is about how much I water mine. Someone near the top of this thread may have posted something about tie-ing ZZ stalks. I know there is a picture of tied ZZs up there someplace. This thread is 3 years old. Quite a run! Just had a thought. What about one of those wire trellises that you can form into a cylinder shape for the stalks to lean against? Something that looks vaguely like this, except that the top is open? The sort of thing you see people use for their tomato plants. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Small-Spiral-Topiary-Planter-TO103X/202510412

Come to think of it, I just might try a trellis contraption on my own plant. It is doing well, but I have heard that ZZs can grow up to six feet in the wild. Would be interesting to see how tall the stalks can grow when they have something to support them. Wanna have a contest to see who gets the tallest ZZ? LOL

If I was more tech savvy and could figure out how to post a picture I'd take you on!

I thought I'd revive an old discussion about a personal favorite. Tallest stalks on my ZZ measure cca 125 cm (about 4 ft) from the ground and 105 cm from the soil level, and (so far) are strong enough to stand on their own. It's putting out lots of new growth and it'd be really nice if it decided to surprise me with some flowers as well, or at least with a few more variegated leaves, like the ones pictured...

Cool leaves, I've never seen variegated ZZ leaves before. I was thinking about adding a ZZ to the thread about underrated plants. Handsome plants which are so low maintenance.

Thanks Karen, neither have I in person (aside from mine), but I just googled it and apparently there are lots of variegated ZZs out there.

Zz plants are the best. how pretty is this one from www.potmepretty.com.au