Multiple scientific studies have proven there are various ZZ plant benefits at home. Such insights have made Zamioculcas zamiifolia one of the most sought-after indoor plants today by homeowners and interior décor artists. The ZZ plant is versatile and ideal for various indoor spaces, including homes and offices. While many people already have it in their homes, very few understand the ZZ plant benefits.
Is ZZ Plant Good For Indoor?
As you read this blog post, a question that may linger in your mind is, what is ZZ plant good for? The ZZ plant is undoubtedly an incredible houseplant, with many ZZ plant benefits at home, its occupants, and the surrounding environment. The following article will discuss the top ZZ plant benefits at home, with credible scientific evidence. It will also provide:
- Comprehensive ZZ plant care tips.
- Guidelines for propagating ZZ plant.
- Potential disadvantages of the ZZ plant.
Top ZZ Plant Benefits at Home
Various ZZ plant benefits at home exist. They are the reasons people buy ZZ plant for homes. However, scientific evidence is the first place to begin when seeking answers to the question, is ZZ plant good for home? Research has revealed numerous benefits of ZZ plant that you should know. The following are the main ZZ plant benefits at home.
Improves Indoor Air Quality
Many people have often wondered, does ZZ plant purify air? A recent NASA Clean Air Study about the ZZ plant for improving indoor air quality established it has outstanding air cleansing properties. That implies having the ZZ plant in your home can help to purify the surrounding air by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide, toluene, and xylene. And this is among the top ZZ plant benefits at home. Several homeowners are increasingly growing ZZ plant for air purification because it is relatively easy to maintain.
You may also be wondering, do ZZ plants help you sleep? Or is ZZ plant good for bedroom? While the ZZ plant extracts contain antioxidants that may not induce sleep, their ability to improve cognitive function can ensure a more peaceful night’s rest. The ZZ plant undergoes Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), meaning it can absorb carbon dioxide even when the sun is absent. That is why some experts recommend the ZZ plant for better sleep quality.
Enhances Cognitive Function
There is also evidence to suggest among the top ZZ plant benefits at home include improving an individual’s overall cognitive or brain function. The plant’s ability to cleanse the air also positively impacts cognitive functions such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Therefore, some health experts recommend the ZZ plant for reducing stress and anxiety. However, more research is still necessary to determine the key ZZ plant characteristics that improve brain functions and how to harness them.
Health benefits
Besides cognitive function, there are also several other ZZ plant health benefits. The plant extract has potent medicinal properties, rich in flavonoids, steroids, polyphenols, and triterpenoids. The local communities in parts of Africa where the ZZ plant is popular such as South Africa and Tanzania, have used its extracts as a traditional medicine for decades. The most common ZZ plant medicinal uses include treating inflammatory conditions, stomachaches, and earaches. Studies are still ongoing to unearth other potential ZZ medical uses.
ZZ Plant Benefits Fen Shui
Some consider the ZZ plant a fortune tree with excellent fen shui properties. Growing the plant indoors can attract and inspire positive energy inside and around your home. However, you must know where to put ZZ plant in the house for fen shui. Placing the ZZ plant in your home’s Southeastern, Southern, or Eastern corners could attract wealth, protection, and prosperity. That ZZ plant vastu direction may bring good luck and fortunes to your household.
ZZ Plant Improves Interior Décor
When looking into the ZZ plant benefits at home, many people often focus on only the health and air purification benefits. However, the ZZ plant can create an incredible aesthetic spectacle in almost every décor. Its lush dark green and glossy leaves induce the feel of the natural environment into your home with a bold décor statement. Besides, the ZZ plant’s medium size makes it ideal for different spaces.
Many interior décor artists highly recommend the ZZ plant as a natural décor element because of its eco-friendliness, unique beauty, and versatility. Apart from living spaces, the ZZ plant benefits at home including adding beauty. A ZZ plant beautiful tabletop for workspaces like offices looks amazing.
Outstanding Adaptability
The other reason you should consider having the ZZ plant in your home is that it thrives in indoor and outdoor conditions. The plant does well in high and low lighting conditions. It also adapts to any growing container with minimal maintenance requirements. Besides, ZZ plants are less susceptible to the most common pests and diseases. The outstanding resistance to pests and diseases, versatility, and low maintenance are among the ZZ plant benefits at home that give it an edge over many other houseplants.
ZZ Plant Growing Conditions, Care, and Propagation
Understanding the ZZ plant benefits at home requires knowing its growing conditions and care procedures. The ZZ plant is native to tropical regions of Africa that usually experience a mix of wet and dry seasons, with constantly fluctuating weather and environmental conditions. Many people consider it a highly adaptable plant that can thrive in diverse indoor and outdoor environments. However, there are some specific requirements that you must meet to experience the ZZ plant benefits at home.
How to Grow ZZ Plants
Although these plants are adaptable to diverse conditions, you must maintain their optimal growing conditions to get the most of ZZ plant benefits at home. Those requirements mainly relate to the plant’s lighting, watering, temperature, and humidity needs. Here are the ideal conditions for growing healthy ZZ plants.
Soil
A ZZ plant needs well-draining soil to develop its roots and stay healthy. You can buy potting mix specially formulated for indoor plants to plant your ZZ plants. Adding perlite or lava rocks to the potting mix can help increase the plants’ aeration, hence, get more ZZ plant benefits at home.
Does ZZ Plant Need Sunlight?
Yes, the ZZ plant needs sun. Although mainly thrives in medium to bright indirect sunlight, the ZZ plant can also tolerate lower indirect sunlight. The best lighting conditions for the ZZ plant should provide at least six hours of light daily, but it can also survive up to 12 hours of sun during warmer months. Keep the plants from the intense and direct sun since that could harm their leaves. Apart from natural light, ZZ plants can also grow under filtered and fluorescent lights indoors.
ZZ Plant Watering Guide
ZZ plants require proper watering at intervals of about 2 – 3 weeks. However, you may need to increase the watering cycles during warmer months and reduce them during cold seasons. Nonetheless, let the soil dry out completely before watering, and stay on the lookout for common signs of under-watering, such as dry potting mix, wrinkled leaves, and wilting.
Also, remember that ZZ plants are susceptible to overwatering, and too much water could cause yellowing and mushy leaves and root rot. Thus, excess water could limit ZZ plant benefits at home. So, plant them in pots or containers with proper drainage and wait for the soil to dry before watering.
Temperatures and Humidity
Although ZZ plants can survive warmer and cold environments, they need temperatures of about 65 degrees F – 85 degrees F to thrive. Temperatures that are significantly below or above those limits can be harmful to the plants. This plant doesn’t require high humidity and can handle average conditions at home.
However, you should aim for about 40% to 50% humidity to recreate the plant’s native climate. The best ways to improve humidity include using humidifiers, pebble trays, or grouping the plants. That way, you’ll ensure the plants optimal growth and enjoy more ZZ plant benefits at home.
Fertilizers
Like other houseplants, ZZ plants may also need a nutrient boost for optimal growth and development from time to time. Many growers recommend commercial indoor plant food spikes to give the plants a steady supply of nutrition. The tips are highly efficient and packed with nutrients that can feed the plant for several weeks. Nevertheless, administer the nutrients based on the provided instructions to experience all the ZZ plant benefits at home.
How to Propagate ZZ Plants
Although buying a ZZ plant at home depot might seem like a quick fix to many people, knowing how to propagate the plants can save you a lot of money. Learning how to propagate ZZ plants could help you to discover a new hobby with excellent health and environmental benefits. Stem or leaf cuttings are the most common ways of propagating ZZ plants.
Stem cuttings
Like other plants, you can also quickly grow new ZZ plants from the stem cuttings of mature ones. Cut off the stalk straight at the base of the plant with a sharp and sanitized knife. Place the stem in water and change it after every 3 – 4 weeks. Put the container with the stem cutting in an area with access to light, such as near the window. The stem usually starts developing new rhizomes after about a month, but you should not repot until the new roots are at least one inch long. Propagating ZZ plants through stem cuttings is the most effective option that yields faster results.
Leaf cuttings
Although propagating ZZ plants through leaf cuttings may take longer, it is also worth trying if you want to avoid using stem cuttings. Begin by cutting off a leaf close to the stalk. Make sure the leaf has a hit of stem attached to it. Then, place the leaf in a potting mix, ensuring that about 1 cm of the stalk is in the potting mix. Use multiple leaf cuttings since some may not grow. After a few weeks, you will notice new rhizomes growing from the stems under optimal conditions.
ZZ Plant Care Tips
Your plants need the best care to deliver all the ZZ plant benefits at home. Whether you have propagated ZZ plants through stem or leaf cuttings, you must maintain the stipulated conditions after repotting to keep them healthy throughout. Mature ZZ plants can tolerate fluctuating climatic and environmental conditions, but young plants need tender care to grow and develop over time.
ZZ plants grown indoors can reach about 6-9 meters tall and wide under optimal conditions. However, they are generally slow growers that could take three to five years to attain that size. Many people consider the ZZ plant a low-maintenance houseplant with few care procedures.
Root rot can significantly hinder harnessing ZZ plant benefits at home. It usually results from overwatering. Besides, inadequate watering can also lead to wrinkled leaves and stunted growth. Your ZZ plants can also develop yellow and wilted leaves due to exposure to extremely high temperatures or bright, direct sunlight for more extended periods.
Apart from maintaining the ideal watering and lighting requirements discussed above, fertilizing your ZZ plants every six months is also essential to keeping them healthy. You may also prune the plants from time to time to regulate their growth. Besides, pruning can also help with eradicating pests and diseases. It also removes dead or excess leaves and stems for proper growth and development, enabling you to experience all the ZZ plant benefits at home.
Outstanding resistance to common diseases and pests is also among the key ZZ plant benefits at home. ZZ plants are not prone to invasive pests and diseases like most houseplant varieties. However, use natural pesticides such as neem oil to treat the plants in case pests and diseases infest them.
Potential ZZ Plant Disadvantages
Like any other plant, you may wonder, is ZZ plant poisonous? ZZ plants also have a few potential risks you should know when growing them. For example, if consumed, the ZZ plant flower and foliage have mild toxicants that can irritate pets and humans. While some claims have also been that ZZ plant causes cancer, no scientific evidence exists to prove them. However, the ZZ plant can cause kidney problems if ingested in larger quantities.
The ZZ plant is an incredible houseplant that can adapt to indoor and outdoor home environments. This article has discussed the top ZZ plant benefits at home and provided comprehensive guidelines for their effective propagation and care.
FAQs
Does ZZ plant attract luck and good fortunes?
Many people consider ZZ plant a fen shui plant that can bring luck, wealth, protection, and prosperity into your home. However, place the plants on the Eastern, Southern, or Southeastern corners of your home to harness those properties.
Where should I place a ZZ plant in my house?
ZZ plants have outstanding air-cleansing properties and health benefits, making them ideal for almost all living spaces. However, the bedroom, living rooms, and kitchens are usually the best places to place the plants in your house.
What is a ZZ plant good for?
A ZZ plant is good for various purposes, including indoor air purification and interior décor. ZZ plants also have unique medicinal properties for treating inflammatory conditions, relieving pain, and promoting quality sleep.
What happens if you touch a ZZ plant?
Almost all parts of the ZZ plant are mildly toxic, but the effects mainly result from contact with the sap. Touching the plant may not cause any risks, but ingesting or rubbing it onto the skin can induce irritation and burning sensations.
What is the spiritual meaning of ZZ plant?
Although different spiritual meanings exist, many people believe ZZ plants are integral to Fen Shui, symbolizing growth, good fortune, and prosperity. They represent upward mobility, persistence, and stability.
