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Does this ZZ plant need repotting? Or something else?

I had a zz plant at home that seemed to be doing quite well, and a few days ago, I brought it to work (it gets indirect light from a window). It needed watering but I accidentally gave it too much at once, so I removed it from the outer pot to empty it out. That's when I discovered the following:


Should I repot, or is it safe to trim those roots? Here are a few other photos of the plant - it seems healthy otherwise except for a few discolored leaves and dark spots on some of the stems:


Note: I normally keep the blind open - only closed it to take the picture


Yellowing and browning at tips of a few leaves


Dry brown spot in middle of leaf, and dark patches on stems


So...are the above symptoms all due to the plant being rootbound, or could something else have caused them? Any advice appreciated :)

Comments (9)

  • jamilalshaw26
    7 years ago

    It probably could stand to be repotted!!! Those roots need more space!!!

  • Karen S. (7b, NYC)
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Or not, these seem to do fine in somewhat snug pots.

    Actually if mine, I wouldn't pot it larger yet. I'd turn it out of the pot to check the roots & decide from there. Otherwise, I'd just trim the roots off the bottom of the plant & leave it be.

    That streak mid-leaf looks like mechanical injury (something hit it or banged into it), I'd ignore it. Don't know what the yellowing leaf is from; if it bothers you, take it off, no harm unless that yellowing spreads.

    Otherwise, it looks quite healthy & happy, I recommend you keep up the same care.

    One more thing, next time you repot, add about 30% Perlite to that mix to improve its drainage.

    Office Plant Owner thanked Karen S. (7b, NYC)
  • Photo Synthesis
    7 years ago

    ZZ plants don't mind being repotted, but I don't think they enjoy having their roots pruned. I read on here a while back about someone pruning their plant's roots and it caused all sorts of problems. Plus, you can see in the first and third photos that its tuberous rhizomes are pressing up against the pot. So it will need to be repotted anyways.

    Office Plant Owner thanked Photo Synthesis
  • raymoznd_dziezynski
    6 years ago

    These guys have very vigorous roots. They will break the pot. I'd re-pot now. Once they start bulging the pot, it time to get out the heavy duty shears to literally cut the pot off.


    Office Plant Owner thanked raymoznd_dziezynski
  • Office Plant Owner
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Thanks everyone! I did indeed end up repotting the plant, and yes, I had to cut the inner pot to do so o_O You couldn't even see any soil; just a massive coil of roots! It was originally in a 6-inch pot so I repotted it in an 8-incher. And lo and behold, a brand new shoot!

    So yes, if anyone else runs into a similar issue, I'd recommend repotting. Given how thick the root ball had become and how little soil was left at the sides and bottom, cutting the roots and leaving it in the tiny original pot might have killed it.

  • Karen S. (7b, NYC)
    6 years ago

    I'm happy to see how good it looks after the repot. The size looks just right. But I would have added 30% perlite to that mix, as was suggested above.

    The few bits of perlite visible in there now aren't enough to do anything. Adding the 30% (at least) perlte would improve the drainage considerably.

    That new mix looks very finely textured which usually suggest it's mostly peat. Given that, I'd water conservatively.

  • Office Plant Owner
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I used Miracle Gro Cactus Potting Mix. I've had good results with it in the past (at least with aloe vera plants), though I did add some extra perlite. The watering schedule I used before repotting was 1 cup every two weeks (as per label instructions). I'm not sure yet how much to adjust that (maybe 1.5 cups instead?)

  • Photo Synthesis
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I use a a Miracle Gro brand soil very similar to the cacti & succulent soil. It drains very good and never stays soggy. It doesn't have any perlite in it whatsoever; none of my plants do. Perlite is great stuff, but, personally, I don't like using it.

    As for watering any plants, never give them measured amounts. Always throughly flush the whole entire pot out with plenty of fresh water until it begins to run out from the bottom. When you only give small amounts of water, and that water gets used up, the dissolved minerals get left behind in the soil and begin to accumulate. Because there is no way to get rid of it. This will lead to many other problems for your plants. Problems that can easily be avoided. When you flush out the entire pot, you flush out any traces of dissolved minerals from within the soil. Well, there will always still be traces. This just prevents them from accumulating.

    To help put this in perspective, here is a glass with water spots on it. These minerals were left behind after the water drops evaporated. These were from just a few drops of water...

    Now imagine how much dissolved minerals there are in one cup of water. It may not be a whole lot to us, but by not flushing out your plant's soil, these minute traces of dissolved minerals eventually precipitate, as the water gets used up, and slowly begin to accumulate within the soil itself over time. This will eventually begin to inhibit your plant's ability to absorb the water it needs, causing problems in the long run.

    So if you want to keep your plants healthy and looking pretty, always flush out its soil with more than enough water. This is why we prefer using soils that don't stay soggy and hold on to too much water. So we don't have to worry about "overwatering" them, or underwatering them. Overwatering isn't about giving your plants too much water, but rather having a soggy soil that holds on to too much water after you've watered them. Soggy, water-retentive soils cut off the supply of fresh oxygen to a plant's roots. Which causes them to suffocate; leading to those roots rotting. It's not the water that kills off a plant's roots. Well, not directly. It's the lack of fresh air. Plants may take in carbon dioxide through their leaves, but their roots also take in oxygen as well. This is why some people add perlite to their soil mixes; to help open it up and let in the fresh air that plants need. It's not required for our soil mixes to have it, but it certainly doesn't hurt.