Want to know what’s the right pot size for your ZZ plant?
ZZ plant is one of the most loved indoor plants in the world, and it grows at a moderate rate when you plant it in indoor conditions.
So, you need to be mindful when you select the pot for this plant.
In the following guide, I have shared some insights on this topic.
Hopefully, you will be able to learn a thing or two with this guide.
Let’s dive right into it!
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Why Is It Important To Choose The Right Pot Size For ZZ Plant?
Although the ZZ plant is not a heavy feeder or fast grower, it does grow moderately at home.
Sometimes, if it gets the right conditions and weather, it can even grow pretty quickly and take up all the space in your existing pot.
To avoid such a situation in the pot, you should always think twice before choosing the pot size for your plant.
The other important reason for selecting the right pot size is it allows room for the plant to grow.
This way, you don’t have to worry if it grows quickly in a few months.
What Is The Best Pot Size For ZZ Plant?
Well, it’d be difficult to say what pot size might be suitable for your ZZ plant, but you can refer to the following guidelines to select the right one for yourself.
Generally, the pot sizes are available in three different sizes.
- Small
- Medium
- Large
Let’s look at these sizes in detail.
1. Small Size – 4-6 inch
This is an ideal size for the plant that you get from the local garden center.
Most of the time, you will get your new plant in this type of planter.
So, you don’t have to repot it immediately.
You can let the plant grow in this pot for a few months before moving it to a new pot.
It’s quite important to keep your plant in this pot for a while, as the smaller plants look quite great in indoor settings.
If you repot the new plant, it might grow quickly and occupy the available space in the pot.
Apart from this, you can use this type of pot to divide and root the new stems from the existing plant.
You can simply uproot the whole plant and divide the small ones to keep in these planters.
2. Medium Size – 7-10 inch
This is the best size for pretty much every ZZ plant you want to grow at home.
Whether you want to repot a new plant or the existing one, you should consider a medium-sized pot.
The medium-sized planter will allow you to grow your ZZ plant for a couple of years without any issues.
Later, you can repot the plant or divide the shoots accordingly.
As for the size of the pot, you will need to decide this for yourself.
There are quite a few criteria that play a crucial role in getting a new planter for your plant.
So, list them out if you want and choose the right pot size for the ZZ plant.
If you are already growing your plant in a 10-inch pot, you may repot it to an 11-inch or 12-inch pot, depending on the overall size of the plant.
3. Large Size – 10-inch And Above
Most probably, you won’t need this type of planter for your ZZ plant.
This planter is necessary for plants that grow around 5 feet tall.
So, if you need a planter for the plant that is kept indoors, you’ll most likely not require this size of pot.
The indoor ZZ plants rarely reach this height in their lifetime.
Hence, it’s a good idea to go for a medium-sized plant.
In the next section, I have shared a few more tips on how you should go about this process.
Let’s check out these tips and suggestions below.
Things To Remember While Selecting The Right Pot Size For ZZ Plant
Here’s a list of things you should remember during this process –
- Observe the plant carefully before choosing the pot.
- Refer to eCommerce sites and compare various pots available on them. It will give you an idea of picking the right pot for your plant.
- Do not go for metal or terracotta pots if you want to have a large pot in your home garden. It will be quite a challenge to move it from one place to another.
- Similarly, you should avoid marble pots for this plant.
- Always select the pot that is 2 inches bigger than the current one.
- Talk to gardening experts at the garden centers if you are not sure about the pot size.
These are the few things you should keep in mind while selecting a new pot for the ZZ plant.
Now, let’s check out the FAQs below, where I’ve tried to answer a few more queries related to this topic.
FAQs
You should look for a pot that is at least a couple of inches bigger than the current pot size.
This is an ideal method to select a perfect pot for the ZZ plant.
When you choose a slightly bigger pot for such plants, it gives their roots enough room to spread in the coming seasons.
This also means that you don’t have to perform the transplanting task again after a few months.
Once you choose a bigger pot, you can let it grow in the same pot for at least a year or two.
So, choose your pot accordingly.
The ZZ plant can do well in any type of planter.
It doesn’t need any specific pot material to thrive in.
That said, you should always look for a pot that has drainage holes in it.
This plant doesn’t do well in wet soil, and its roots will begin to rot pretty quickly in such conditions.
Therefore, try to find a pot with at least a couple of drainage holes at the bottom.
It depends on the size of the plant.
If the plant is relatively small, it can do well in a small-sized pot too.
Also, the good thing about this plant is it won’t grow too fast after you bring it home from a garden center or nursery.
So, you will always have enough time to think about repotting in the future.
For now, you can let the plant grow in a small pot.
There are a couple of ways to know when to repot a ZZ plant.
If the plant is not growing at all for a year or so, it could be a sign that it needs a new pot for growth.
The other reason is the rootbound plant.
For this, though, you will need to remove the plant from the pot and see how it’s doing in the soil.
If you see the root bulb popping out of the soil or the size of the bulb is larger than expected, you should go ahead and repot the plant.
The ZZ plant can grow tall for numerous reasons.
However, the main reason for such growth is the availability of light sources.
If the light source is on the top of the plant, it will grow in the same direction.
This is why you might see the stems reaching out to the light and grow tall in the process.
Of course, as I said, there are other reasons too.
If the plant is receiving an ample amount of nutrients and space in the pot, it will do well in general.
Good Afternoon
My ZZ plant is a 4 year old plant grown from a cutting. It has about 16 “stems” but they only have 4 leaves each. I have asked multiple nurseries about this, and no one has any idea why it is not producing more leaves on the new growth. The original plant was large with many leaves on each stem.
Any input on how to increase leaf production on future shoots would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Hey Susan,
One possible reason for the lack of leaf production on new growth could be that the plant is not getting enough light.
ZZ plants do well in indirect light.
This can be provided by placing your plant near a window that gets plenty of sunlight or using grow lights to increase the amount of light it receives.
Moreover, you should also fertilize it with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer every few months to make sure that it is getting the nutrients it needs to grow.
I hope this helps!