How to make your ZZ plant grow more puppies: 7 tips

Here’s how to get your ZZ plant to grow more pups with simple care tips that encourage healthy rhizomes!

ZZ plants are slow growers by nature, so it’s perfectly normal if you don’t see new shoots for several months. However, if your plant has completely stopped producing pups, it may not have the conditions it needs. The good news is that encouraging new growth is often easier than you think.

Here’s how to get your ZZ plant to grow more puppies without making any complicated changes to your care routine.

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How to make your ZZ plant grow more puppies

1. Move it to a brighter spot with more indirect light

One of the biggest reasons why ZZ plants slow down or stop producing new pups is because of insufficient light. Although they are quite popular for tolerating low light corners, survival and active growth are two different things.

What should we do? Place your plant where it receives several hours of bright, indirect sunlight each day. It can be a spot near an east-facing window or a few feet away from a south- or west-facing window with sheer curtains to filter out harsh rays.

If your home doesn’t get enough natural light, a Full spectrum LED grow light can provide the brightness your ZZ plant needs.

Note: Avoid placing your plant under harsh afternoon sun. This will burn the glossy foliage and can lead to eyebrow tips! Here are the the worst parts for ZZ plants so you know what to avoid!

2. Allow the soil to dry out before watering

Rhizomes in ZZ plants that remain underground act as natural water reservoirs. If the potting mix stays wet for too long, the rhizomes will not grow well. And prolonged damp conditions they also lead to rot!

So be careful with watering. You only need to water well until the excess water drains from the bottom of the pot. Then wait until the soil is almost completely dry before watering again. this is it!

Also, during the winter, water only every few weeks, depending on how moist the soil is.

Healthy, stable rhizomes are the foundation for producing more pups, so resist the urge to water on a consistent schedule. Probably simple check the ground each time before watering.

Here’s a trick: Simply stick your finger into the soil for up to 2-3 inches. And if the soil looks dry, it’s time!

3. Give the rhizomes the right soil and nutrients

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Everything happens underground before you see a new ZZ plant puppy. And those thick potato-like rhizomes need a healthy environment for storage, nutrient absorption and energy to produce fresh shoots.

How to ensure it? Start with a potting mix that drains quickly. Heavy garden soil tends to stay wet for too long, reducing air flow around the roots. Instead, use a quality indoor plant mix modified with pearlitepumice stone, coarse sand or orchid bark.

In spring and summer, feed with a liquid indoor plant fertilizer diluted to half strength once a month. The extra food helps the rhizomes store energy, which they later use to produce new stems.

Attention: Avoid fertilizing during the fall and winter when the plant naturally slows its growth. Because unused nutrients can build up in the soil and damage the roots.

4. Keep rhizomes snug, not crowded

ZZ plants grow from thick, potato-like rhizomes that store water and energy, and each new stem or pup starts from them. If they are packed too tightly, the plant has less room to produce fresh growth.

This doesn’t mean you have to keep moving your ZZ to bigger pots. In fact, ZZ plants usually grow best when they are slightly rooted.

The trick is to find the sweet spot. A container that’s a little snug encourages healthy growth, but one that’s full of swollen rhizomes can slow things down.

You’ll know it’s time for a bigger pot when the soil starts to dry out much faster than usual, the pot feels compact, or thick rhizomes start to push up the sides or peek through the drainage holes.

When this happens, choose a pot that is only 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) wider than the current one. Getting too big leaves too much wet soil around the roots, which increases the risk of rot rather than encouraging new pups. Here are some options for large pots!

5. Maintain temperature and avoid unnecessary transplanting

ZZ plants grow best when left undisturbed in a warm, stable environment. Native to eastern Africa, they thrive in temperatures between 65 F and 80 F (18-27 C). And if temperatures consistently drop below 60°F (15°C), growth slows and rhizomes are less likely to produce new shoots then.

So keep the plant away from cold drafts, air conditioning vents and cold windows during the winter.

Likewise, don’t rush to repot every year. Every time you disturb the roots, the plant diverts its energy to settling into its new pot instead of producing fresh pups. Reset only when necessary and when you should, don’t make these mistakes!

6. Be patient, puppies start underground

This is the step most people overlook! Long before you notice a fresh green shoot penetrating the soil, the rhizomes have already quietly grown beneath the surface. They store water, carbohydrates and nutrients until they have enough reserves to support a whole new stem to sprout.

This means you may not see any visible change for several months, especially after the plant’s growing conditions improve. So don’t assume that nothing is happening just because the soil looks unchanged!

Just remember, with ZZ plants, healthy roots and rhizomes always come before visible growth.

7. Divide mature rhizomes to grow more plants

If your goal is to end up with more ZZ plants instead of more stems in a pot, division is the fastest and most reliable method.

When transplanting, gently lift the plant and remove enough soil to expose the thick rhizomes. You will notice that they are attached below the surface, with roots growing from them and stems emerging from above.

How to do it? Using a clean, sterile knife, if necessary, divide the mass so that each section has at least one healthy rhizome, a good root system, and one or more healthy stems.

Repot each section into its own pot using fresh, well-drained potting mix. Then water lightly after planting and allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Over time, each divided rhizome will continue to produce its own new shoots. Here it is different ways of cultivating them!

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Each new ZZ plant pup begins its journey underground, long before it is visible above the surface. Take care of the rhizomes, be patient and your plant will gradually become the rich, full specimen you hope for.

And if you run into any challenges, check out our guide common plant problems ZZ and how to care for each one!