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The ZZ Zenzi plant is a delightful dwarf cultivar of Zamioculcas zamiifolia, commonly known as ZZ Plant. Think about your common ZZ Plant, except ‘Zenzi’ has a much more compact habit and denser foliage.
Keep reading to find out how to care for ZZ Zenzi, and have all your questions answered!
Table of Contents
What is Zenzi ZZ?
‘Zenzi’ is a newer cultivar of the plain old ZZ Plant. Zenzi is much more compact, has denser foliage, curled leaflets, and is great for smaller spaces!
The species, Zamioculcas zamiifolia, is native to eastern Africa.
Zenzi vs ZZ Plant
What is the difference between ZZ Zenzi vs ZZ plant? ‘Zenzi’ is still a ZZ plant, except ‘Zenzi’ is a cultivar of the species, Zamioculcas zamiifolia. A cultivar simply means “cultivated variety” that has some unique traits.
In the case of ‘Zenzi’, this plant is special because it has a more compact growing habit and denser foliage than the species.
How do you care for a Zenzi plant?
ZZ Zenzi care is identical to any other types of ZZ plant.
ZZ plants are one of the toughest and easiest plants to grow indoors, and the ‘Zenzi’ cultivar is no exception. Their ability to thrive in less than ideal conditions makes them prized houseplants.
With good care and attention though, they can grow into beautiful specimens. Here are some details on ZZ Zenzi plant care.
LIGHT
These plants are very forgiving when it comes to low light, but you can achieve better growth and a healthier plant if you can provide sufficient light indoors.
They will grow beautifully in front of any window. Avoid windows that have full sun all day, but 2-3 hours of sun indoors will be beneficial.
These plants can also survive in areas with no windows, provided that overhead lighting is on during the daytime. They can really take a beating and will survive in areas where few other plants would!
If your growth is floppy and weak, and newer leaflets aren’t growing as closely together as older ones, you may want to increase light.
TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY
If you are comfortable indoors, your Zenzi will be as well. A good temperature range to grow these plants is about 65-80F (18-27C).
No special attention to humidity is needed. They don’t even mind dry, indoor air.
WATERING
Zenzi plants can tolerate a huge amount of neglect, due to the succulent nature of the root system, but don’t push it too far.
Allow your potting mix to dry out completely, to near completely, and then go ahead and water.
If you feel the surface of your potting mix with your finger, and it’s damp, hold off on watering. As a good rule of thumb, allow at least the top half of the potting mix to dry out before watering again.
FERTILIZING
Use a good all-purpose fertilizer while your plant is actively growing. I love using Dyna-Gro Grow for all of my plants, including my ZZ plants.
It’s an amazing, complete fertilizer that contains all the micro and macro nutrients that plants need to thrive, and you will definitely notice a difference from using this fertilizer on all your houseplants.
SOIL MIX & POTS
ZZ Zenzi plant needs a very freely draining potting mix to be happy, and always use a pot with a drainage hole.
When I repot my ZZ plants, I like to use about 2 parts of a good cactus/succulent mix plus 1 part of 1/4″ pumice.
This mix will give you some moisture retention, yet great drainage which these plants need to thrive in your indoor environment.
If you’re looking for an amazing potting mix that you can use straight out of the bag for your ZZ Zenzi, check out the Grassland Soil Blend from Oh Happy Plants. This is an amazing mix and you will get 10% off at checkout automatically if you use my link.
Keep your ZZ Zenzi in fairly tight quarters, and only go up 1 pot size if your plant needs a new pot. If you use a pot that’s too big, the excess volume of potting mix will take much longer to dry out, which is not ideal for these plants.
How big does a Zenzi plant get?
Zenzi will grow smaller than a standard ZZ plant, and will grow up to about 1 foot tall or so in most cases. And they grow quite slowly, so you don’t have to worry about it overtaking your space.
How do you propagate Zenzi?
Here are 3 ways to conduct Zenzi plant propagation:
- Division at the root system (this is an instant method to produce more plants)
- Leaf Cuttings
- Stem Cuttings
Check out my ZZ Plant care post that contains a section with all the methods of propagating ZZ plants.
Is ZZ ‘Zenzi’ toxic to pets?
Yes, the ZZ Zenzi plant is toxic to pets. It contains calcium oxalate crystals which can cause distress if your cat or dog eats it. Contact your vet immediately if your suspect that your pet ate it.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on ZZ Zenzi plant care. Do you have a Zenzi? Comment below. I’d love to hear!
And don’t miss out on reading my ZZ plant varieties blog post. There are constantly new varieties cropping up! All are uniquely beautiful.