Zamioculcas plant stems wrinkled

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by Maria Santa, Sep 8, 2018.

  1. Maria Santa

    Maria Santa New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Hungary
    Hi Everyone,

    I need your help, please! I've had a quite large pot of ZZ plant for 2 years now. It was as healthy as it should be up until about 2-3 weeks ago, when its stems started to wrinkle and lean downwards. The leaves seem alright, they are not turning yellow or anything, however, only a few stems appear to be strong now. (To be frank, the whole phenomenon started with a very little stem dying, but I'm not sure it was related to this problem.) Do you have any suggestion? Why is this happening? Can it still recover?

    My ZZ was feeling so good that it was growing new and new stems in every 2-3 months. It even had a flower in March! I'm watering it about monthly, when I see the soil is dry. I'm attaching some photos of my ZZ.
    Please, help me, I really love this dear plant of mine and I'm worried! Thanks in advance.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,789
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    The leaves are looking mottled. Have you checked very carefully to see if there are any insect pests on them? Are they sticky at all? If not that, my next guess would be that it wants some fertilizer and a little more water.
    I don't know much about pot sizes for these. I think I did see a lot of photos of these plants in smaller pots than I would have expected, but mine started doing better when I put it in a deeper pot.
     
  3. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    5,987
    Likes Received:
    608
    Location:
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Perhaps the plant has become root bound and not enough moisture is being distributed evenly to the rhizomes. Confirm by easing the plant out of the container for an inspection. Also, the plant prefers to be watered regularly. The following is a verbose but useful document on this plant: Care and history of Zamioculcas zamiifolia, ZZ, Zamioculcas, ZZ Plant poisonous, Zee Zee plant, ZeZe plant, incorrectly Zamioculcus,Zamioculcas zamiifolia (Loddiges)Engl., zamioculcas plant, Arum fern, Chinese New Year Festive Plant, Aroid Palm, Zu Zu, Zamioculcas loddigesii.
     
  4. Maria Santa

    Maria Santa New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Hungary
    Thanks a lot, Wendy!
    I'm pretty sure my ZZ is pests free, I can see neither insects nor stickiness. The little, dark spots are only on the stems, and only on a few of them.
    Hm, actually I have been considering re-potting my plant into a bigger one as it has substantially grown in size since winter. I read on the internet that ZZs are fine in smaller pots, so I was hesitating. I'll try this! Thanks!

    Thank you, I really appreciate your advice and the additional information on ZZs! You may be right, it seems possible the pot has become too small for my ZZ, and the roots may not be able to absorb enough water. (My ZZ has greatly increased in size since 1 and 1/2 years ago, the last time I gave it a new pot.) And yes, I'll try watering it more frequently too, but carefully at the same time. Hope it can recover.
    Thanks again!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 9, 2018

Share This Page