Zz Plant Watering - A Full Guide

Zz plant is hardy and suits forgetful owners; if you have this plant in your home, you might have noticed that it needs little water.

Zz plant watering should be weekly or bi-weekly, and it can survive for months without water and grow well indoors without direct sunlight.

Since the plant is forgiving and has low maintenance, you are more likely to overlook the importance of adequate watering. Here is a guide to Zz watering that will help you grow a healthy plant.

You can start watering the Zz plant when you notice that the potting soil is almost parched. Pour enough water on your Zz plant until you see water draining from the bottom of the pot.

Although you can water the plant on schedule, it is better to monitor an individual plant not to miss low water or overwater signs. The Zz plant will thrive even with low water, and its enemy is an over-attentive gardener who gives the plant too much water.

The plant can quickly die from root rot when you offer it too much water. To ensure that you water the Zz plant adequately you can:

Table of Contents

Check If the Zz Plant Needs Water

Avoid schedule watering as much as you can as it does not consider the water needs for the specific plant; however, if you are not at home for most days, it would be wise to water it once a week.

Start by assessing the water needs for each plant and pour water once the soil is dry. Even if you have several Zz plants, you should not water them at the same time, and instead, you should consider each plant’s condition.

Tips on Checking the Soil to Determine the Water Needs

Poke your fingers into the Zz plant pot soil about 2 inches to check the moisture level. Even if the soil’s top layer appears dry, if the soil beneath feels moist, the plant does not need water, and you can start watering if the inner soil feels dry.

Lift your pot and feel the soil on the drainage holes; the soil should be dry or slightly damp when watering the plant. However, if the soil is still damp, you risk overwatering your Zz plant.

Check its leaves to determine its water needs; if the leaves are drooping with dry brown edges, it indicates low water, indicating that it is time to water your plant. Contrarily leaves that are widespread with yellowing leaves show that the plant is overwatered, and it needs water drainage to reduce water on the pot, which could damage the roots and kill your plant.

Use a chopstick that pokes directly to the bottom of the pot of your Zz plant. Consequently, you should check the chopstick for dampness, and if the chopstick has soil stuck to it, the plant does not need water, but if there is no soil stuck on the chopstick, it indicates that the soil is dry and it is time to water your Zz plant.

Check the weight of the Zz plant pot; dry soil weighs less than wet soil, and it could help you judge if your plant needs water. You can note the pot’s weight with dry soil and that of the pot when the soil has adequate water using a weighing machine at home. Every time you check the weight of the pot, you will know how much water the pot has and determine whether the Zz plant needs water or not.

Use a moisture meter which is an electronic gadget, to get the best information on the soil moisture in your Zz plant pots. The moisture meter will report the amount of water in the soil on a scale of 1-10 and is useful for determining when the Zz plant needs water.

Why the Zz Plant Needs Little Water

When comparing your Zz plant watering needs to those of other houseplants, you will notice that it needs less water due to its succulent characteristics.

Its rhizomes store water and the bulb-like structures above its roots act as water storage under the soil and slowly releasing the water to the plant when it needs it.

Contrarily, when you are watering the plant, you should do it thoroughly until the water drains out of the pot. The excess water will drain excess minerals to drain out of the pot, unlike when you pour little water on the pot, leading to mineral build-up.

Moreover, the roots would get the required moisture when the whole pot is soaked during watering compared to when the water is only saturated on the soil’s top layer.

Read more: ZZ Plants’ Toxicity to Cats

Tips on Pouring Water to the Pot

Your soil may act like a sponge that repels the water at first, and it could be wise to pour little water first and let it sink before adding more.

You can repeatedly add more water to the pot while letting it settle and drain down the whole pot slowly till the soil in the pot becomes wet.

You can be sure that you have had enough water when the soil in the drain holes is wet or when damp, then you can stop pouring the water on your Zz plant pot.

FAQs

How often do you water a ZZ plant?

If you are not always at home, you can water your Zz plant once a week, but this is not highly recommended as you will not consider the specific water needs for each plant.

Moreover, you can water your plant when the soil in the pot seems dry and when the leaves indicate that the plant had low water

How do you know when a Zz plant needs water?

You know that the Zz plant needs water when the pot’s soil is almost dry, and you can measure the moisture content in the soil using your hand or a chopstick.

Moreover, you can observe its leaves; drooping leaves with dry brown edges indicate that the Zz plant needs water.

How long can the Zz plant go without water?

Zz plant in the sun will go for a week or two without water, but this would depend on the climate; for instance, it would go for more days in cold regions.

However, the plant is indoors, away from direct sunlight, it can go for months without water

What does an overwatered Zz plant look like?

An overwater Zz plant will have broad yellowish leaves, and the roots might rot, affecting the whole plant leading to an unexpected death.

Should I mist my ZZ plant?

Misting the Zz plant is not a good idea as it leads to mineral build-up. Contrarily, watering thoroughly flushes the minerals throughout the soil in the pot and allows the roots deep in the soil to access water.

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