As you know, the ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is a slow-growing plant, native to the tropical forests of Africa.
Because of its slow growth rate, this plant is loved as an ornamental plant in homes and offices around the world.
However, depending on the decoration of the room or workplace, you still want to increase the size of the ZZ plant to become a large pot.
How to make the ZZ plant grow faster – This is probably the question that many people are looking for an answer to.
In this article, we will answer all the factors that affect the development process and how to stimulate the growth of the ZZ plant.
How to make the ZZ plant grow faster
To learn how to stimulate rapid plant growth, you need to learn about growth characteristics in terms of the growing season, nutrition, water availability, and other factors.
1. What is the normal growth rate of the ZZ plant?
Typically, the ZZ plant can grow new shoots at a rate of up to 6-12 inches (15-30cm) per month. If you grow this plant in ideal conditions, it can grow up to 5 feet tall.
ZZ plants usually sprout 1-3 new stems every few months during the growing season. Therefore, they usually grow from 6-8 new stems during the growing season.
This plant will spread horizontally about 1 inch per year but is no more than 2 feet in diameter. ZZ plants usually grow rapidly from early spring to summer.
Then it grows slowly during the low-temperature period and barely grows in the winter months.
New stems will grow from new roots in the ground and they form bunches. The roots of the ZZ plant are small, white, and sturdy potato-shaped. This amazing construction will help it store water and use it during the dry months.
2. What is the usual size of the ZZ plant?
ZZ plant comes in a variety of sizes, so it is suitable for placing in every corner of the house or office.
On average, a ZZ plant will be 1-2 feet (30-61 cm) tall and planted in pots 6-8 inches in diameter. Some of the smallest ZZ plants will be 6-8 inches with 1 to 2 stems and grown in 4-inch pots.
Here are some basic dimensions of ZZ plant:
- Stem height: 3-4 feet (91-122 cm)
- Leaf length: 3-5 inches (7.6-12.7 cm)
- Leaf width: 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm)
- Stem width: 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm)
- Pot diameter: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
If you grow a ZZ plant from a plant with only 1 or 2 stems, it will take you 3-5 years to have a mature plant. This type of plant usually grows 6-8 new stems per year and spreads a little more.
The growth rate and size of the ZZ plant completely depend on the growing conditions such as light, water quantity, growing season, nutrition, and other factors.
How to make the ZZ plant grow faster
To stimulate the ZZ plant to grow, you need to provide the most ideal conditions and growing environment. Only when there are enough factors like in the rainforest, this plant will achieve the maximum stats as mentioned above.
1. Growing season
For plants, the growing season is extremely important because it is the most ideal condition for growth. As for the ZZ plant, it will grow rapidly in early spring to mid-fall in temperate climates.
In tropical climates, the ZZ plant can grow year-round but at an uneven rate. A sign of the growing season is that new stems will begin to emerge from the ground and rapidly increase in height.
2. Provide enough light
You may often hear that the ZZ plant is a plant that needs very little light and can live in the shade. This plant prefers to live in indirect light but requires many hours a day.
Like the environment in the rainforest, the ZZ plant lives in the bottom layer so it is covered with large trees in the forest. So it usually receives less direct light, instead of indirect light during the day.
ZZ plants can tolerate low light for a long time but can hardly live in full shade. So, to stimulate the growth of this plant, you still need to provide enough light every day.
ZZ plant can tolerate direct sunlight but with a mild level of 1-2 hours per day in the early morning or late afternoon. Indirect light is the most ideal light for this plant.
The ideal location to place the ZZ plant is a few steps away from the window. Here, this plant has enough indirect light, is airy, and avoids mold.
3. Proper watering for the ZZ plant
ZZ plant is also famous as a drought tolerant plant with little water and hot sun. However, it still needs a certain amount of water every day to increase in size. Too much water or too little water will also affect the growth rate.
Therefore, it is important that you water the right way and at the right time. Some tips when you water includes:
- Water in the morning, avoid watering at night. The humid environment creates favorable conditions for the growth of fungi.
- Irrigate the root, not the leaves. Water on the leaves will cause fungal spores to thrive.
- Water only when checking soil moisture with your finger or a hygrometer.
- Water deeply and infrequently to stimulate root growth and water storage.
- Do not overwater, check the stickiness of the soil before watering.
- Misting is not necessary for humidification. Avoid overuse to create moisture on the leaves, causing the fungus to grow quickly.
4. Provide nutrition for the ZZ plant
ZZ plant is famous for being a plant that can live in a nutrient-poor environment. However, fertilizing is still an effective way to help this plant grow faster.
You can use fertilizer every few months to provide adequate nutrients for the ZZ plant. Especially, in the growing seasons like spring and summer, the growth rate will be increased if nutrition is adequate.
However, you also need to be aware that too much fertilizer can burn leaves and rot roots. For the size and amount of soil in each pot, you should use a suitable amount.
You should use a liquid or slow-release fertilizer to provide long-term nutrition.
5. Remove fungus and pests
Fungi and pests are the biggest fear for most plants. Fungi and pests often thrive in humid environments.
Therefore, you need to water properly to limit the growth of fungus. At the same time, you also need to control the appropriate humidity from 40-50% in the room to limit fungal spores from attacking the leaves.
Regularly clean leaves and stems, removing white or brown films. If the ZZ plant shows signs of a fungal attack, you need to use cinnamon powder or a fungicide to kill them.
Conclusion
ZZ plant is a plant species with slow growth and development. It usually grows 6-8 new stems per year under ideal growing conditions. However, the diameter of the ZZ plant will not exceed 2 feet.
To stimulate the growth of the ZZ plant, you need to create ideal conditions for it. Pay attention to the growing season in spring and summer to stimulate height growth.
In addition, you need to pay attention to several other important factors such as the amount of indirect light per day, watering properly and at the right time, providing enough nutrients, and eliminating fungi and pests.
In addition, you can also refer to more information about the ZZ plant here.