How Often Should I Water My ZZ Plant?

Growing your own houseplant is dream come true for gardeners. If you are one of those gardeners who want to grow a variety of plants in your backyard garden, you should definitely consider the ZZ plant.

This plant has recently gained popularity due to the ease with which it can grow. However, each plant has its own set of pros and cons and the ZZ plant is. Although some find it difficult to follow the soil mixture required to fulfil the needs of the ZZ tree, most gardening enthusiasts are concerned about deciding how often the ZZ plants should be watered.

If you are confused about how often you should water ZZ plant, here is what you need to know.

Water every 2-3 weeks, allowing the soil to dry during irrigation. Expect frequent watering in bright light and slightly in low light. Following these basic tips is important for maintaining the good health of the zz plants.

Also Read: Best Soil for Growing ZZ Plant at Home

Know Your ZZ Plant

Knowing the basic nature and characteristics of the ZZ plant will enable us better to understand and abide by its watering needs. Here are some of the significant points to keep in mind if you want to know your zz plant.

While many people prefer to grow ZZ plants on the outside, others prefer to keep these beautiful additions inside to enhance the interior beauty. In this process, however, they sometimes forget the proper procedure for caring for the ZZ plant in the house.

If you are part of the last group of people, read below to find out how to grow ZZ plants inside your house:

  • ZZ plants are fans of sunlight, but they do not like direct exposure to it. That is, you should take special steps not to expose your plant to direct sunlight for long hours. If you keep it indoors, be sure to choose a point that receives bright and indirect sunlight for most of the day.
  • Make sure that the container in which you plant your ZZ crop has enough holes for drainage so that you do not struggle with the problem of excess moisture in the soil.
  • You can water your plants at the right time, but make sure you dry the plants and soil well before watering them again. Do not continue to add water to the already compacted soil.
  • Liquid fertilizer works best when you plant your ZZ plants indoors. Be sure to check the fertilizer with the same amount of NPK.
  • The ideal temperature for growing ZZ plants is between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. If prices go up or down, your crop may suffer. Make sure you keep these levels up to date.

How Often Should You Water ZZ Plant?

There are many considerations that one needs to keep in mind while watering their ZZ plants. Here are some of the most important points to keep in mind while watering your ZZ plant.

Water your ZZ plant when the soil in the pot is almost completely dry and irrigate the plant well until water comes out of the bottom of the pot. Do not water with a schedule, but watch out for each plant.

Amount of Water

Every time you water your ZZ plant, you have to do it carefully. It is best to saturate the entire pot mixture as this allows excess mineral salts to be washed with the pot mixture, rather than forming, and ensures that the roots get adequate access to moisture when watering each.

If you are worried that it will lead to excessive watering, choose a pot with holes, well drained soil and a pot that is not too big. This will ensure that the soil dries out at the right time.

Also Read: How Often to Water Calla Lily?

Factors affecting the watering needs

Now that you have had sufficient knowledge about the quantity, quality, and amount of water that your zz plant needs to thrive, let us look at some of the important factors that have a major role in influencing the water that your plant needs.

Knowing the factors will enable you to have better control over the environmental factors, thereby improving your conduct towards the plant.

Climate

One important factor that will determine how much and how often you water your ZZ plant is the climate in which you grow the crop. If you live in a warm, dry place the water will evaporate quickly from the soil, the plant will lose a lot of water from the leaves, and the plant will grow faster, which will increase the amount of water it needs.

While you should always inspect the plant and the drying of the pottery to determine when you will water your ZZ plant, your climate will determine how much you need to inspect your plant.

Potting Medium

The type of potting medium you use to grow your ZZ plant will have a huge impact on how much you need to irrigate your plant and how quickly the pot dries.

When irrigating your ZZ plant, the sign of a well-drained bath is that the water quickly comes out of the pot and begins to drain into the drainage holes, rather than stay in the pond over the mold for more than a few minutes. seconds.

Type of Pot

Porous pots allow free water and oxygen transfer through the walls of the pot. Unglazed clay pots are ideal for ZZ plants as they greatly reduce the risk of over-irrigation.

Plastic or glazed ceramic jars will hold water in the pot until it is used by the plant, draining water from underground holes, or evaporating. That points to another point. Always make sure that any pot you use has drain holes. This is important! It is really difficult to bring the right amount of water to a pot without regular drainage holes.

Extra water will fill the bottom of the pot and it is almost inevitable that you will end up with root rot. Large drainage ditches allow any excess water to drain out quickly, improve root penetration and significantly reduce the risk of root rot. Also, if you place your pots on a suction tray or inside an outdoor decorative pot, do not forget to drain more than 5-10 minutes after watering your ZZ plant.

Also Read: How Long Does a Peace Lily Plant Live?

Signs of Underwatering ZZ Plant

Even if you feel like you have your ZZ Plant in a good irrigation system, you should keep an eye out for a few physical symptoms that may indicate that your ZZ needs more water than you provide. Irrigation should be prepared as soon as possible.

  • As a semi-succulent plant, ZZ leaves remain very fine and turgid (swollen due to water pressure). When the plant dries, you may notice that the leaves are shrinking, and tips are beginning to dry out as a way to conserve water.
  • You may notice that the leaves fall off one of your plants at a time. This is your ZZ way of sacrificing a small part of it to save the whole plant and it is a clear sign that you need to give it plenty of water.
  • Petioles are stems that grow out of the rhizome, where the leaves grow. If the base of the plant is shriveled, then it’s time to water it.

Signs of Overwatering ZZ Plant

ZZ plants are generally very tolerant and poor, but will not tolerate over-irrigation. Some of the signs of an overwatered zz plant and what you need to do in order to combat the situation is mentioned here.

  • If you see the leaves of your ZZ plant turn yellow, the stems fall off the plant looking unhappy, the first suspect drinking excessively.
  • Check the soil in the pot to see if it is full. If so, you are probably guilty of root rot and your plant is very sick. You will need to replant your plant immediately if you want to have the opportunity to preserve it.
  • Remove your ZZ plant from its pot and gently separate the clay from the roots. Rotten roots will be soft, mushy and dark / brown in color. You will need to remove all the affected roots with a pair of clean pruning material or scissors. If there are not enough roots left, your plant is less likely to survive.
  • If you think there are still healthy roots left, you should also pour your ZZ plant in a well-ventilated pot, in a pot with holes with plenty of drainage holes. For this one reason alone, it is important to choose a place of molding from your previous harvest.

How to Water ZZ Plant?

To know the correct way and time to water your zz plants is an extremely important factor that helps them to grow sustainably healthy. The best part is, as opposed to popular belief, you don’t need a schedule to water your plants.

ZZ Plants hails from East Africa, a country that has been plagued by drought for a long time. ZZs adapt to that climate by using their rhizomes, potato-like structures used to store water and nutrients, such as water storage during the dry season.

If you are watering your ZZ Plant, you will want to do so well, making sure that all the potting mixture is full. This mimics the natural irrigation cycle of the plant and has the added benefit of washing away any excess mineral salts. The roots of the plant will quickly soak up a lot of water and store it in the rhizome. Consider watering small plants to make sure they are fully stocked.

To determine when your plants need water, you can opt for the following steps:

  • Rub your finger on the clay soil, about 2 inches down. If you feel any moisture, this plant does not need to be watered.
  • Lift the pot upside down and feel the soil through the drain holes. If this is dry, or very humid, you can safely water your crop.
  • Check the leaves. Fallen leaves with dry, brown edges, or fallen leaves show a very waterless plant. The diffused yellow leaves indicate excessive watering.
  • Use a chopstick or skewer and place it on the ground, all the way to the bottom of the pot. Lift it up and check that the rod is dry. If the end of the rod is wet and the soil is sticky, the plant needs no watering.
  • Check the weight of the pot. Dry soil is lighter than wet soil. Pick up the pot every time you check it for watering. You will soon have a good idea of ​​the weight of the pot alone.
  • Use a humidity meter. These electronic gadgets are really useful and very cheap. Put one in the ground for a few minutes and you will get a readable moisture, usually on a scale of 1 to 10. A very useful tool to ensure that you irrigate your ZZ plant only when needed.

Also Read: How Long Can Peace Lilies Go Without Water?

How Often to Water ZZ Plant in Winter?

During the winter season, the watering requirements of your ZZ plant changes rapidly. During the season, your plant stops its active growth. Due to this new development, the watering frequency of your plant reduces dramatically.

In winters, the indoor temperature turns cooler with no space to facilitate the ventilation process. To have an average idea, you need to water your ZZ plant only once in every four weeks. This is pretty scarce as compared to the regular watering needs of the plant.

You can adjust the watering needs as the climate changes to hydrating your plant to once every week, or four times every month.

Conclusion

Now that you know how often you should water your ZZ plant, be prepared to bring these beautiful plants home now! A farewell tip is to stay full of extra perlite. They help when you run out of your usual well-opened and organic mixture.

Additionally, do not try to follow any fixed schedule to keep up to the watering needs of your plant. It would only lead to disappointments than any good.

If you have any questions about how to grow ZZ plants, check out some of our articles and get answers to all your questions.