Zamiokulkas zamiifolia or ZZ plant is becoming increasingly popular in homes and offices. This plant is listed as one of the most popular ornamental plants.
The reason is that the ZZ plant has beautiful foliage, hardiness, and slow growth, with no care required. In particular, a great advantage of this plant is that it can live in poor light conditions.
However, for any plant species, light is still an important factor to promote growth and development. How much light does a ZZ plant need? Is direct light, indirect light, or artificial light best for the ZZ plant?
To answer these questions, let’s find out more information in the article below.
Does the ZZ plant need light?
Why do I pose this question? Because there is a mistake that people often think that ZZ plants don’t need light because they can live in the home or office.
ZZ plants need little light from the sun but that doesn’t mean they don’t need light. Like all plants, ZZ plants need sunlight for photosynthesis and growth.
As you know, photosynthesis is a necessary process for plants. It is the chemical process that turns water and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. It is this sugar that will be the main food for ZZ plants and help them grow and survive.
Without sunlight, photosynthesis cannot take place. From there, all the basic activities of the plant will be stopped and the tree will gradually die.
Do ZZ plants need a lot of light?
ZZ plant is a plant native to the tropical jungles of Africa. These areas are usually located next to the equator and receive about 12 hours of sunlight per day.
ZZ plant is a low-growing tropical forest plant, so it usually grows at the bottom and is covered with broad foliage at the top. The light that this plant prefers is indirect light from the sun for 12 hours a day.
This plant is still famous for its ability to live in low-light conditions. However, they still need to be provided with adequate indirect light for about 12 hours per day.
ZZ plants cannot tolerate direct sunlight because they can burn leaves, wilt, and lose water. This plant can tolerate mild direct sunlight for 1-2 hours.
However, this is not the ideal amount of light that the ZZ plant prefers. You should only put them in direct sunlight when you see that the plant is waterlogged and needs to transpire quickly.
The difference between direct and indirect sunlight
To be able to find an ideal location for your ZZ plant, you need to understand exactly the difference between direct and indirect light.
Direct sunlight is intense and is not filtered through windows or any obstructions. Direct light is very hot and can burn leaves or dry out plants quickly.
Indirect light is light in a room after being reflected from something else, such as a floor, countertop, or wall. Indirect light makes the room light but does not increase the temperature in the room.
So, the ideal location to put the ZZ plant is next to the window and about 1 meter away, and has 12 hours of light a day. This distance is just enough for this plant to absorb indirect light without being affected by temperature and heat outside.
Can ZZ plants live on artificial light?
If your room doesn’t have a window or is ideally located for indirect sunlight, you can still use artificial light. Lighting can be used as artificial light to help the ZZ plant grow and grow as normal.
You can use grow lights to provide alternative light. However, ZZ plants still need to receive sunlight to grow best.
The standard of lamps is to produce light that is most like the light of the sun. Lamps with light have a cool temperature of about 3500-6500K. You should place the light 18 inches from the top of the foliage for about 12 hours a day.
What happens when the ZZ plant lacks light or has too much light?
Low light phenomenon: This is probably more common during ZZ plant care. Because this plant lives in homes and offices, it often doesn’t get enough indirect light from the sun.
One of the signs of a lack of light is that the ZZ plant’s stem becomes long, thin, and bent. This is a sign that their body lacks rigidity because photosynthesis is not taking place regularly.
Therefore, the stem and leaves of the ZZ plant are not irrigated green, instead are yellow or brown. When there is a lack of sunlight, this plant also tends to grow long in search of light.
Excessive light exposure: Excessive light is the phenomenon of plants with leaf burning and rapid wilting due to evaporation in direct light. Leaves and stems will become soft and wilted when exposed to direct sunlight.
So, place the pot in an area without direct sunlight and cool temperature so that the ZZ plant can recover. ZZ plant can only survive in direct sunlight with mild intensity for 1-2 hours.
Final thoughts
ZZ plant is a plant that prefers indirect sunlight for about 12 hours a day. These plants cannot tolerate direct sunlight as they can burn their leaves and wilt.
The ideal location to place the ZZ plant is an area with indirect sunlight and cool temperatures. The location 1 meter from the window can be suitable for the ZZ plant to grow and thrive.
If you can’t find a suitable spot, using a grow light that resembles the sun is also a good solution. Place the lamp 18 inches from the top and shine for 12 hours a day for the best ZZ plant growth.