Zamioculcas Zamiiforlia AKA ZZ Plant

The Amazing ZZ Plant

A native of East Africa,sZamioculcus zamiifolia is a showstopper. The one pictured here has become the focal point of my living room. If you are looking for a plant that will tolerate a little neglect & less than optimum conditions, look no further.  Zamioculcas zamiifolia is an excellent house plant for the novice as well as seasoned plant enthusiast. Are you a forgetful waterier? Do most areas in your home have low light? A Zz will perform wonderfully under those circumstances. That's not all! This adorable plant is almost insect resistant & requires less water than other house plants. Zzs requires minimum fertilization and rarely needs re-potting.

I particularly love how the mature Zamioculcus zamiiforlia  forms a network of think, intertwined, stalks. Zz's long, thick trunk-like stems, and tendency towards a symmetrical growth pattern, give it an architectural look. Many guest asked if myZz is a real plant. Zamioculcas zamiifolia has a semi-upright growth habit. The plants narrow leathery leaves are pointed and naturally shinny. I remove dust by carefully wiping its leaves with a soft damp micro-fiber cloth. Because Zz plants grow from rhizomes, they require less water than some other houseplant varieties.

Despite all its wonderful qualities, my particular Zamioculcus zamiifolia a has a particular annoying habit. I have read that Zzs very rarely flower when cultivated indoors.  Apparently my beloved plant didn't get that memo. Every year around June my precious sends up a hideous flower stalk (a spadix within a spathe).  I have read that this flower stalk requires quite a lot of energy for the plant to produce & maintain. I rectify this nasty situation by using my surgical skills to remove the offending appendage.

This 4 year old plant was up-potted from a 12 inch pot to its large urn 3 years ago. It has continued to thrive. That being said, most plant literature recommend up-potting into a container around 2 inches (5 centimeters) larger than the original container. I used regular potting soil with no amendments. Many people have luck with a mixture of one to one regular potting mix and perlite or sand. Just make sure the container has a drainage hole. These plants are suppose to be slow growers.  Therefore Zzs should seldom require re-potting. As I stated previously, my amazing Zz plant has resided in its present container for the past 4 years.

Zzs are not finicky eaters. Give them one half strength all purpose fertilizer during the growing season.  (spring & summer).

Reminders: Buy ZZ
Zamioculcus zamiiforlia are poisonous: Keep children and animals away from them.  Zamioculcus zamiiiforlia tolerates most home temperatures & humidity levels. Cation: It's easy to drown a Zz plant. Only water these plants when the top layer of soil feels dry to the touch. Remember less water is better than more. In my experience, watering according to this recommendation produces a lush plant. They  will grow in bright to low light. Be aware that placing a Zamioculcus zamiiforlia in direct sun will scorch & burn its
 lovey, deep green waxy leaves. Zz grow from rhizomes. It's easy propagate Zzs by pulling or cutting the rhizomes apart. Pot up each rhizomes in another container. You'll have Zz clones to share with family & friends in no time.

Grow Lucious Rosemary in Containers

Rosemary absolutely shines as a beautiful potted ornamental as well as a culinary herb. Its Latin name, Rosmarinus officinalis, means "dew of the sea." Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean. It thrives in containers under less than perfect conditions.  In fact, Rosemary's fragrant essential oil becomes more potent when the plant suffers from a little neglect. Rosemary is not a heavy feeder. However, it benefits from fertilization in early spring with a fish/kelp emulsion.  As rosemary dislikes constantly soggy soil, terracotta pots are recommended. I have found  that rosemary will thrive in any container as long as there is a drainage hole in the bottom of the container. Rosemary benefits from less frequent watering in winter.

  Wintering Indoors

Rosemary

In this part of the country, the upper Midwest, temperatures can dip well bellow freezing. My rosemary plant has to spend winters indoors. It's so easy to care for. The container pictured here is made of ceramic. As soon as temperatures threaten to drop below 40 degrees, I bring this potted rosemary plant inside.  It spends cold months in a southern facing window that receives 8 hours of daylight & very little sun. The temperature is keep between 62 & 65 degrees.  My rosemary plant is moved  back outside as soon as temperatures rise and there is no possibility of frost

                

  Potential Problems 

Although it has never affected this 7 year old  rosemary plant, powdery mildew can become a problem indoors. Powdery mildew is a white, powdery fungus that sometimes develops when humidity is high and not enough air circulates around the plant. Although it can be a problem, powdery mildew is not fatal to the plant. The plant will frequently become weaker when affected by powdery mildew. Since powdery mildew occurs under high humidity conditions, it can be controlled with a few preventive measures.  Here are some ways to prevent powdery mildew: 1.Allow the soil to become somewhat dryer before watering.  2 If possible, keep the plant in sunlight. 3.Operate a fan near the plant to increase air circulation.

Aphids or spider mites can be of some concern during winter as well.  Aphids are best controlled by ridding the plant of them before total infestation occurs. To control aphids and mites, I make a homemade insecticidal soap consisting of 3 or 4 drops of dish detergent plus 28 ounces of water.  As a preventive measure, this mixture is sprayed on the rosemary plant weekly during winter months. Of course there are commercial verities of insecticidal soap available at discount stores and nurseries.

Maintenance

Most gardening publications suggest that potted plants be transplanted yearly due to soil deterioration.  This rosemary is transplanted once every 2 or 3 years. It  has not suffered any ill effects.  On the other hand, transplant your rosemary when it appears to need watering more than usual or becomes extremely root bound.

Springtime is an ideal time to transplant. Ordinary potting soil is sufficient.  As with most container plants, transplant when the plant outgrows its container. The size of the rosemary plant can also be controlled by root pruning. Cut off a few inches of the roots from the bottom and sides of the root ball. Replant in the original container. Trim a portion from the top of the plant in order to decrease stress on the plant's roots. Give the transplanted rosemary time to recover from the stress of transplanting.  When new growth appears, snip as usual.  Use snips from your rosemary plant to make delicious culinary creations. Rosemary adds flavor to lamb, veal & chicken dishes.  Let your imagination sore!

Elephant Ears in Containers

I purchased an elephant ear (Colocasia) tuber on sale for 25 cents at the end of June. I  potted it around the 2nd week in July.  I added a handful of compost to ordinary potting mix.  The container is fairly large - more than 3 times as wide as the tuber.  The tuber was planted in an upright position. When in doubt, plant them sideways.  They will always manage to right themselves. After potting, I watered liberally. Thereafter, the plant was watered daily.

The first growth appeared within 2 weeks. As the weather turned hotter, watering was increased to twice daily.  A weekly application of diluted liquid organic fertilizer was applied. To do well in containers, these fast growing tropical plants need plenty of nutrients and water.  Nutrients are washed from the container during watering.

The plant quickly outgrew my 12 x12 sunny deck.  Mature elephant ear plants may need as much as 5 feet of space. When the weather turned hot, the plant's leaves began to turn yellow and curl.  This was not surprising, These tropical plants prefer partial to full shade. The plant was moved to a shadier location.  It immediately started to flourish.

The elephant ear's large chartreuse green leaves impart a dimension of height and color to the shade garden. It provides the perfect focal point for an otherwise less than spectacular planing bed. Proper container size, watering, fertilization and shade are essential to growing lush elephant ears in containers.

Containers Are Producing

The deck garden is  producing tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.  However, the plants are turning yellow.  This is my first time planting vegetables in containers  on my 12 x 12 west facing deck.  The plants started the season very healthy looking.  However, some of the container plants are dying back.

Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees during most of July.  That is an all-time record for lower Michigan.  It began cooling off last week.  We are now experiencing temperatures in the mid seventies to eighty during the day.  Nighttime temperatures fall to the mid sixties.

Although I watered diligently, the plants have experienced severe heat stress.  Thankfully, I am still able to harvest a good quantity of vegetables!
   

I watered  early morning and late evenings. Due to the intense sun and heat, I applied only applied one fourth  strength organic fertilizer every 2 or 3 weeks. Fertilizer was applied during the cooler part of the evening.  I am sure that the soil nutrient content is insufficient.  To prevent wilt, I watered  the containers mornings and evenings. Some nutrients were leached out of the soil with so much watering.

I initially thought that blight had attacked the tomatoes.  This is highly unlikely, as the cucumber plants are also dying back along and some of the annuals in containers with the vegetables.

Plants in a container, planted in a protected area just a few feet away, are thieving!