Soil is very important for the growth of any plant; it determines the survival of any plant and its thriving. Many people lack clarification on the characteristics of the right soil when choosing the right soil for their plants leading to poor overall plant health due to poor soil choice.
Whereas some soils might be good to the extent of allowing some plants to survive in them, they need to have what it takes to allow the plant to thrive. Therefore, a good choice of soil must satisfy two main aspects: plant survival and eventual thriving.
Thus, the soil chosen for any plant should be well selected and assessed to ensure that it will offer the plant the right nutrients and allow for root growth. This way, the plant will not just be
What Is The Right Soil for The ZZ Plant?
The ZZ plant is one of the oldest plants in the world, with scientists estimating that the plant could be about 42 million years old. This old age means the plant has lived through many eras and climatic conditions, surviving all of them.
To do this successfully, the plant has evolved over these years and withstood many pathogens to, and still managed to maintain its qualities. Today, the plant is grown in houses for decorative purposes and in offices for the same purpose.
This plant can survive long periods without water which is why it survives anywhere easily. However, the fact that the plant can go for a long without water should not compel people to subject it to these conditions for any reason.
Doing so might affect the plant, especially its growth, resulting in its not flourishing and death. Instead, people who grow or wish to grow the ZZ plant should assemble all the favorable conditions that will enable the plant to survive and thrive.
One of these conditions is the right soil which must be carefully selected and placed correctly to allow the plant to grow and thrive. This soil must have the right nutrients well aerated to allow the plant to take in enough air through the roots and also allow the plant to grow and expand its roots.
What Kind of Soil Does The ZZ Plant Need?
When choosing the best soil for the ZZ plant, you must consider many things, among them the drainage of the soil and, most importantly, the plant’s rhizomes. The rhizomes, in particular, are an important component of the ZZ plant and play a great role in its growth.
Rhizomes determine the rate at which the ZZ plant grows or even if it grows eventually, which is why they have to be considered in the choice of any soil. If placed in soggy soil, the ZZ plant rhizomes will rot, leading to the plant’s death.
Well-draining soil full of nutrients is the best for ZZ plants, but the exact type of the plant is also a factor. Giving the ZZ plant the right soil and placing it in a dark corner other than exposure to light can promote its fast growth and overall good health.
What Well Draining Soil Mean to ZZ Plants and Its Significance in Growth?
By now, you know that the right soil for ZZ plants is well-draining, or maybe you have had people say this, and so you believe it is.
First, all soils drain; the only problem is the rate of this drainage and its frequency when exposed to constant water flows. Some soils take in water and hold onto them for long forming spongy-like conditions.
These soils are discouraged for the growth of ZZ plants as they might not just hamper the growth of these plants but can also result in their death. Thus, looking for the right soil to plant ZZ plants into this should be the first consideration.
Any soils with poor drainage should be ruled out for this purpose, and those with proper drainage should be considered. If you cannot find soils with good drainage, you can look for ways of making the soil that you have drain water better.
The Right Soil for the ZZ Plant
It is easy to determine the drainage of any soil by simply carrying out drainage tests. These tests can reveal the drainage rates of different types of soils, allowing you to pick the best among them.
However, carrying out these tests and making the right observations takes work and should be done by experts. As you assess the drainage issue remember the nutrients part too, which is equally important.
The best soil for ZZ plants should be able to drain well and be packed with the right growth-enabling nutrients. These nutrients can be added to this soil through manure and fertilizers, but having them from the soil is always recommended.
That said, there are several ways of identifying the right drainage soil for the growth of ZZ plants in your house or office. You can look for this soil in stores, farms, or other areas.
If you are looking for this soil from stores, ask for perlite, the best material recommended for improving potting standard mix drainage. If you cannot find this one try out an orchid or cactus mix especially if you already have that at home.
You can try to make this soil from your home if you cannot find the right well-draining soil from the two options above. However, you must be reminded that this process will take time and entail a lot of trial and error processes before you eventually find the right soil.
The homemade approach involves a formula you need to find before commencing this process. Remember you need to test the soil and ensure its drainage is suitable for the short term and long periods.
If you are still trying to figure out how to go about this process, you can bring on board a competent expert, preferably someone who has carried out this process before, to assist you. If you cannot find such a person you better leave this approach and go for proven ones like the
Top Signs of Wrong Soil Usage in ZZ Plants
There has been so much talk about the right drainage soil and its application in growing ZZ plants. A variety of means have been provided above that you can use to find this soil to grow ZZ plants.
However, it’s hardly mentioned that finding the right soil with the right drainage for the growth of ZZ plants is not easy.
The need for clarity in the soil selection process can easily lead one to pick the wrong soil type thinking they are picking the right thing.
This happens often and is down to many factors that sometimes escape some people. For instance, pinpointing the right drainage for growing ZZ plants can be challenging as many people try to make it look like.
Sometimes it might be challenging to notice that your plants are in the wrong drainage soil until very late.
In some cases, people never realize that the reason for their ZZ plants withering and decaying is due to poorly drained soil and never address this issue as a whole on time to save the plant.
Thus, it is important to know ZZ plants and how they behave when constantly subjected to soils with poor drainage.
ZZ plants in soils with poor drainage will always exhibit signs that you can pick and use to address this problem early on to save them.
Some of these signs are relative to certain ZZ plants and might reveal other ill health conditions. However, if you see any ZZ plant exhibiting them know that the plant is in poorly drained soil and act on it fast especially if all other conditions are constant; here are some of them:
- Dropping Stems
- Yellow Leaves
- Curling and Browning Leaves
- Under Soil Root Rot
- Mushy Stems
How Often Should ZZ Plants Be Watered?
Whereas the right soil and other conditions are integral in the general growth of ZZ plants, care is equally important and can determine the life of this plant. For instance, how you water your ZZ plant can determine whether it remains healthy or fades.
Thus, a ZZ plant watering schedule should be well thought out to ensure that it does not contribute to the poor health of the plant. Watering ZZ plants too regularly is highly discouraged as it can lead to the rotting of the plant rhizomes.
One of the reasons why many people lose their ZZ plants is because of this very issue. They overwater their plants even when it is not necessary which ends up hurting the plant.
Before watering your ZZ plants, it is also important to establish that the ZZ plant needs water first. To do this, check the first two layers of the soil in which the ZZ plant grows and ensure they dry.
If they are, you can water the plant only to a certain level. However, if you notice these two layers are watery, avoid watering the plant as that might create sponge-like conditions in the soil that will be detrimental to the plant.
If you find that your plant is due for watering proceed with the watering process. The watering process must also be done carefully with the right technique to ensure even water distribution.
Start watering from the center of the plant and move to the edges to achieve an even distribution of water to the roots of the plants.
If you are keeping your plant in a pot, ensure that there are holes at the bottom and that water comes out of them, confirming the plant has been well watered.
Even though certified well-draining soil is essential in the growth of ZZ plants, how these plants are watered determines whether they thrive. This is why even watering is always advised to allow the plant to benefit from the entire watering process.
Does The Container in Which ZZ Plants Are Grown Determine Their Health?
This is a question that some people, especially those that approach ZZ plants with caution, ask. They fear that a wrong ZZ plant growth container might result in or contribute to the poor health of the plant.
These concerns emanate from the fact that there are many containers in which these plants are grown. They include plastic and clay pots used for growing ZZ plants but work similarly.
Well, it has yet to be proven anywhere that clay pots do better than plastic pots when growing ZZ plants. There might be slight differences in how these containers react to moisture, but generally, there is no big difference between them that can warrant any concern.
Thus, the choice of any container that fits this purpose, proper watering, and the right soil are all needed to grow ZZ plants. These conditions are all that are needed to grow and thrive ZZ plants.
Growing ZZ plants call for the best soil well aerated with the right drainage.
