Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ) is an incredibly popular plant for growing in homes and offices around the world. This plant has good growth vitality because it is native to the tropical forests of Africa.
Many people love to grow ZZ plants due to low maintenance, fertilizer, and growing in low light conditions.
However, many people wonder about the growth rate of this plant when they do not have much difference in height.
Why is my ZZ plant not growing? This is probably a question that you can see all over the gardening forums. To answer this question, let’s learn about the causes and tips to stimulate the ZZ plant to grow better.
Why is my ZZ plant not growing? ZZ Plant Leggy & Leaning
Like other plants, there are many causes for the slow growth of ZZ plants. In it, you need to pay attention to a number of factors such as characteristics, growing season, light, soil, and nutrients.
1. Slow growth due to breed characteristics
As you know, the ZZ plant is a slow-growing plant in height. Therefore, they are often grown in homes or offices as ornamental pots.
This plant is suitable for placing on the desk or the corner to decorate the wall. The slow growth rate in height will help you limit the time for care and pruning.
Usually, ZZ plants only grow a few inches in a year or not. Its energy will keep the leaves green and give a healthy and strong beauty. So don’t expect a change in the height of the ZZ plant in a short time.
2. Seasonal development characteristics
Plants will have a growing season during the year so they will focus on growing and increasing in size during this time. After the growing season, plants often hibernate or remain dormant to conserve energy.
ZZ plant too, will grow and develop well in times with warm temperatures. This plant prefers temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and is difficult to grow if it’s 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, don’t expect growth spurts during the growing season as ZZ plants also only grow slightly faster. So, for this plant to grow well, you should maintain the temperature in your room or workplace between 65 and 75 degrees F.
This is the ideal temperature to help the ZZ plant develop more stems and produce more young leaves.
3. ZZ Plant Leggy & Leaning
ZZ plant is a plant native to the rainforests of Africa. They usually grow on low ground and are covered by other plants. Therefore, they only receive very little direct sunlight because sunlight can hardly penetrate the thick foliage.
ZZ plant is not suitable for growing in direct sunlight. Instead, they prefer indirect or artificial sunlight indoors. If you put the ZZ plant in the sun, it will quickly burn its leaves and lose water.
At the same time, they will tend to warp from avoiding direct sunlight. However, this plant also grows slowly if they do not receive indirect light every day.
If they are placed in a dimly lit location for too long, the stems will stretch out into the lighted area. So its body will be long, thin, and broken.
An area with too much shade and a lack of indirect light is not an ideal space for a ZZ plant.
The best location for this plant is a few feet away from a window to avoid direct sunlight. However, the ZZ plant can still absorb indirect sunlight to photosynthesize and make leaves greener.
4. Soil lacks nutrients
Another reason why your ZZ plant won’t grow is a lack of nutrients. This plant needs few nutrients to grow and develop. However, if it is supplemented with nutrients, it will grow healthier and faster.
Therefore, you need to provide enough nutrients for plants to grow in the form of liquid or slow-release fertilizers. About 6 months of slow-release fertilizers are ideal for the ZZ plant to absorb.
You only need to fertilize twice a year during the growing season of the plant. Without a fertilizer with nitrogen content, the leaves will also become paler. Do not fertilize when the ZZ plant has root and stem rot because the fertilizer will burn the roots.
Too much fertilizer at a time will also burn the leaves. Therefore, you must apply the right fertilizer, at the right time and in the right dose.
5. Watering too little or too much water
Too little or too much watering is also the reason why ZZ plants grow slowly or do not grow.
Any plant that lacks water will grow slowly because water, oxygen, and light are their 3 basic needs. Lack of water will make photosynthesis difficult and leaves yellow and wilted.
Over-watering will cause waterlogging, sticky soil, and root rot. A humid environment and poor drainage will help the fungus to multiply and grow quickly.
From there, they will attack the roots and rot, ZZ plant will die gradually and have a bad smell.
Watering the right way, at the right time, and checking the humidity before watering are important principles when taking care of the ZZ plant. You can refer to some basic watering principles for plants in this article.
6. Fungal or bacterial disease
ZZ plants will also not be able to grow well if they are attacked by fungi or insects. Fungal spores are always latent in the soil and exist in the air. Anytime the environment is wet, the general will multiply and cause damage to the plant.
You must keep the environment dry and airy. Regularly wipe the white or brown film on the leaves to get rid of the fungus. Use a fungicide to kill if the condition is severe.
Conclusion
There are many causes of ZZ plant not growing or growing slowly such as fungus, lack of light, lack of nutrition, improper watering, or growing season.
Although you can fully meet the best living conditions for the ZZ plant, the growth rate of this plant is very slow. It grows slowly in height, so it will limit pruning and breaking the structure of the tree.
However, the ZZ plant is a poisonous plant, so it can be harmful to the health of humans and pets. Use gloves during direct contact and wash your hands thoroughly.