How do you care for a newly potted ZZ plant?

The money tree is also known as Zamioculcas zamiifolia, dragon and phoenix wood, and beautiful iron taro, among other names. It is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Zamioculcas in the Araceae family. As an indoor foliage plant, it helps purify indoor air. Its newly emerged pinnate compound leaves almost always come in pairs of 2, one long and one short, one thick and one thin, symbolizing the bringing in of wealth and treasure and glory and prosperity. Now let us take a look together at how to care for a potted money tree!

The money tree's growth habits

The money tree likes warm, hot and slightly dry conditions, semi-shade, and an environment with little change in average annual temperature. It is suitable for growing at 20°C to 32°C. It is fairly drought-tolerant, but fears cold, avoids strong light and scorching sun, and is afraid of heavy, sticky soil and water accumulation in the pot soil. If the pot soil has poor aeration, it can easily cause its tubers to rot. It requires soil that is loose and fertile, well-drained, rich in organic matter, and acidic to slightly acidic. It has strong sprouting ability; after cutting off the thick, large pinnate compound leaves, new leaves will quickly sprout from the top of its tubers.

The money tree's propagation methods

1. Cuttings: The cuttings can use a single small leaflet, a section of leaf rachis with 2 leaves attached, or a separate section of leaf rachis. A leaf rachis with leaves takes root quickly, has a high sprouting rate, and relatively easily forms larger tubers.

2. Division: Remove a large money tree plant from its pot, shake off most of the old soil, pull it apart from the weak points where the tubers join, apply sulfur powder or plant ash to the wounds, and plant them separately in pots.

3. Leaf cuttings: Money tree leaf cuttings take root easily in a substrate and can be used for propagation. Each mature compound leaf has 15 to 25 leaflets; if used for propagation, this can greatly increase the propagation rate.

How do you care for a potted money tree?

1. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature for the money tree is 20 to 32°C. In summer, when the temperature reaches above 35°C, the plant grows poorly, so measures such as adding black shade netting and spraying water around the surrounding environment should be used to lower the temperature. In winter, it is best to maintain a greenhouse temperature above 10°C. If the room temperature is below 5°C, the plant is prone to cold damage and its survival may be seriously endangered. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature drops below 8°C, it should be promptly moved to a well-lit indoor location.

2. Light: The money tree likes light and also has fairly strong shade tolerance, so it should be given an environment with good sunlight but also a certain degree of shade. It avoids direct strong light, and especially should avoid the scorching sun after long rain and sudden clearing in late spring and early summer, as well as the 5 to 6 hours of unobstructed strong light baking around noon in summer; otherwise, the newly emerged tender leaves are very easily sunburned.

3. Water: For a potted money tree, effort should be made to create an environment that is both moist and on the dry side. When the room temperature reaches above 33°C, the plant should be sprayed with water once a day. Because this plant has strong drought tolerance, it is best to keep the pot soil slightly moist and on the dry side, but occasionally watering or fertilizing too much will not necessarily cause root rot. In winter, pay attention to spraying water on the leaf surfaces and the surrounding environment so that the relative air humidity reaches above 50%.

4. Soil: The basic requirement of the money tree for its growing medium is good aeration. It is often mixed from peat, coarse sand, or rinsed coal cinders with a small amount of garden soil, and its pH should be adjusted to between 6 and 6.5, in a slightly acidic state. Because its tubers are large, its root system is developed, and its pinnate compound leaves are relatively long, during the growing season its growth should be observed in a timely manner to decide whether to repot and change the soil. During the plum rain season, check frequently; if water accumulation is found in the pot, repot and change the soil promptly.

5. Fertilizing: The money tree relatively likes fertilizer. In addition to adding an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer or multi-element slow-release compound fertilizer to the growing medium, during the growing season a mixed solution of 0.2% urea plus 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be applied 2 to 3 times a month. After mid-autumn, nitrogen fertilizer should be stopped, and 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution should be applied 2 to 3 times in succession. After the temperature drops below 15°C, all forms of topdressing should be stopped to avoid fertilizer damage to the roots under low-temperature conditions.

Precautions for the money tree

1. At noon or in late spring and early summer after long rain and sudden clearing, pay attention to sun protection and give the plant appropriate shading.

2. In winter, the pot soil must not be too wet; otherwise, under low-temperature conditions, it will cause the plant's root system to rot, so it is best to keep it on the dry side.

3. When the temperature is below 15 degrees, all forms of fertilizing must be stopped; otherwise, under low-temperature conditions, the fertilizer will harm the roots and stems.

4. In winter when it is especially severely cold, pay attention to protecting the plant from the cold. At night, a double layer of plastic bags can be put over the plant, and when the temperature rises again, remove the plastic bags.

5. In summer, listen to the weather forecast in a timely manner and prepare as early as possible to shade the plant.