How to Care for Zamioculcas (ZZ Plants)

ZZ plants do best in bright, indirect light, but they tolerate genuinely low light better than almost anything else on the shelf, which is why they end up in windowless offices and dim hallways.

In a bright spot it grows faster, puts up more stems and keeps its leaflets close together. In a dark corner it keeps going quite happily, just slowly, and new stems may stretch and look a little sparse. Keep it out of strong direct sun, which scorches and yellows the leaflets. The Raven variety needs slightly more light than the standard green to develop its deep black colour properly.

How Often Should You Water Zamioculcas?

Let the compost dry out completely, then water. In spring and summer that usually works out at once every two to three weeks, and in winter once every four to six weeks is plenty.

This is the single most important thing to get right. Those underground rhizomes are already full of water, so the plant simply does not need much from you. When you do water, soak it thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then drain the pot fully and never leave it standing in a saucer. Push a finger deep into the compost to check rather than judging by the surface. If you are not sure whether it needs a drink, the answer is almost certainly no.

What Humidity Does Zamioculcas Need?

Zamioculcas is perfectly happy at 30% to 50% humidity, which covers any home in any season.

That tolerance comes straight from its origins in seasonally dry African grassland, where the air is arid for months at a time. Its leaflets have a thick, waxy coating that holds moisture in rather than absorbing it from the air, so it does not suffer in dry centrally heated rooms the way a thin leaved tropical plant would. You do not need a humidifier, a pebble tray or any misting for this plant.

What Temperature Does Zamioculcas Need?

ZZ plants grow well between 18°C and 26°C and are comfortable at normal room temperature all year round.

The lowest temperature it can withstand is around 10°C. Below that growth stops entirely and the stems can develop soft, dark patches, especially if the compost is damp at the same time. Cold and wet together are what kill this plant, so if your home gets chilly in winter, water even less than usual. Keep it away from draughty doorways and unheated conservatories.

How Do You Propagate Zamioculcas?

There are three ways to propagate a ZZ plant, and all of them work, although none of them are fast.

Division is the quickest. Slide the plant out of its pot in spring, brush the compost off, and you will see the fat, potato-like rhizomes at the base. Pull or cut the clump into sections, making sure each keeps at least one stem and a healthy rhizome, then pot them up separately in gritty, free-draining compost like our GrowTropicals Desert Mix.

Stem cuttings also work. Cut a whole stem off at the base and stand it in water or push it into damp compost. Over the following two to four months it will form a small rhizome at the bottom and eventually a new shoot.

Leaf cuttings are the slowest but most satisfying method. Pull individual leaflets off a stem, keeping the little stalk at the base, let them dry for a day, then push the stalk ends into damp compost. Keep them warm and bright and barely moist. A tiny rhizome forms first, and a shoot follows months later. Patience is genuinely the only skill required.

Why Are My Zamioculcas Leaves Turning Yellow?

If the leaflets are turning yellow and dropping, the stems feel soft near the base, or the whole plant is flopping outwards from the centre, it has had too much water. Stop watering immediately and let the compost dry right out.

If it does not recover, tip the plant out and look at the rhizomes. Healthy ones are firm and pale, like a small potato. Rotten ones are brown, soft and smell sour. Cut away every soft section with a clean knife, let the healthy pieces dry for a day or two, and repot into fresh, gritty compost. Any firm stems can be saved as cuttings even if the rhizome is lost.

The other explanations are less common. Very dry, wrinkled stems with curling leaflets mean the opposite problem and need a good soak. Pale, bleached yellowing usually means too much direct sun. And the occasional oldest stem yellowing and dying back on a mature plant, while new stems keep appearing from the base, is simply natural ageing.

Shop Zamioculcas at House of Kojo

After a plant that genuinely thrives on neglect? Explore our ZZ plants at House of Kojo, from classic glossy green to the dramatic near black Raven.