Propagating Your ZZ Plant — Tyler Thrasher

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzplant time.

This virtually indestructible plant is so tough you can peel all of its leaves off and stick them in the dirt around the mother in the shape of an inverted pentagon and she wouldn’t even notice. And in fact, you’ll end up with a bunch of happy babies.

Native to Eastern Africa, the Zamioculcas zamiifolia is a curious and SLOW GROWING houseplant. So slow, that traditional vegetative propagation isn’t very feasible commercially. Fortunately for us (and the plant I guess)- every single leaf has the potential to form a new plant!

BUT FIRST SOIL!!!

I go with a standard organic houseplant mix and add in some extra pumice and orchid bark. This is totally your call, but I like my soil to drain readily. These plants are not very picky at all.

Next we will cast our ZZ plant in a horror film.

I will LITERALLY peel every leaf off. For starters, once you start one stem, you might as well finish, and this won’t harm the plant a whole lot. The potato like rhizome underneath the soil will send up new shoots later on.

You’ll want to avoid peeling back as much stem as possible. This can prevent pieces from rotting underneath the soil.

Once you have your pile of leave you’ll simply beginning sticking them into your soil. I like to have .5-1 inch between each leaf.

Once your leaves are planted, give them a good watering. Its best to let the pot dry out a bit before watering again.

Now comes the interesting part. While the mature plant is slow growing, the leaves and cuttings seem like an eternity. It can take nearly 9-12 months before a leaf is securely rooted in the soil. You will see little to no top growth or sprouts during the first year. Instead, whats happening is the leaves are slowly forming a similar potato like rhizome under the soil from which all roots are produced and upper growth.

These plants tend to put off active growth during fall and spring. This has been the case with my ZZ plant cuttings as well. I would think its safe to assume that this is also the best time to propagate your ZZ.

Once they’ve sent up one solid shoot, its probably time to transplant it to a single pot.

A last note- if your leaf cuttings wilt, shrivel or turn to mush- don’t worry! Give the plant a slight tug. If its secure and rooted then there’s no problem. The rhizome is happy and healthy and will send up growth shortly. If the whole thing comes out of the pot with no rhizome or roots, toss it and try again!

Before you know it, you’ve turned one small plant into potentially 40+ future plants.

Happy chopping and stay curious!

Tyler Thrasher