I have two zz plants that I bought from the same place, planted in the same potting soil, and that I water with the exact same frequency; however, one seems to be thriving while the other one doesn't look so great (see pics) - obviously, the first two pics are of the plant that doesn't look so hot. Any idea what I can do to get my "sick" zz plant healthy again?
Your plant appears to be becoming deciduous and is about to drop the leaves. That is normal for this species. The species needs sandy well draining soil rather than rich potting soil. It comes from a dry area of Africa that does have heavy seasonal rain. You might find this page useful: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Zamioculcas zamiifolia pc.html
So you're basically suggesting that I re-pot the plant in some kind of sandy soil and that should do it?
That would be my exact suggestion. Try using soil mixed for succulents. Don't be overly sparing with the water but neither try to drown it. In the wild this plant looses all its foliage every single year during the dry season which is something plant growers don't like to see in their home, but it is the natural growth form of the plant. Regrettably the instructions that sometimes come with the plant just don't tell you that and often says to "water sparingly". During the rainy season the plant survives torrential drenching but is growing in very sandy soil I have one planted in my atrium in very tropical conditions with giant Anthurium and Philodendron species and it comes up every spring and stays up all summer but then goes underground all winter. The plant has done very well under those conditions for years and it is watered almost daily by my overhead watering system in the summer but gets water more sparingly in the winter. The only difference in this plant and all the rest is the soil where it grows contains a lot of sand.
Thank you for that. Should I do anything about those dead-looking stalks? Do I need to cut them where the dead part meets the healthy green stalk?
Ok - will do. Any specific recommendations (brand, etc.) on the best type of sandy soil to use? I'll probably shoot over to Home Depot and/or Lowes today.
Excellent - thank you! I'm going to leave my other ZZ plant alone though since it seems to be doing extremely well (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?).
My suggestion would be to go ahead and repot it in the correct mix since it will prosper much longer. Almost any house plant will benefit from being repotted from time to time.
Good to know. I'll wait a bit to see how my one plant does in the new soil, and then if it looks ok I'll repot the other one as well. Hopefully my plant rebounds and I can eventually post some pictures that show significant improvement. Thank you for all of your help!
I've posted this material on UBC several times and there have been numerous responses saying the plants recovered. I'm sure your plant will do the same. If you scroll down the aroid pages I'd bet you can find some of those posts.
I replanted my ZZ as recommended here but I haven't seen any new growth at all (see pic). I thought that I would get a new stalk or two or that the area where I removed the dead stems would show some new growth. Is there anything else I can do to spur some new growth in this plant?
The plant does not appear to be diseased so I would suggest patience. Remember, these plants experience some degree of dormancy in the wild during the dry season. Our specimen goes dormant every single year and does not grow at all until the following spring. If not read recently I suggest you read the link in my first post on this thread. The stem to the right in the photo may not regrow new leaves but will likely produce a new stem growth from beneath the soil.
That is an excellent read - thank you for posting again. I'll try to have some patience and keep my fingers crossed that I get a new stem.
I posted a much more detailed explanation on this thread since the post was asking for the same basic information. http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=63183&highlight=zamioculcas
