We all want our houseplants to shine with perfect health and grow well and add more beauty to the house. One of the things that you should do is pruning. Like others, ZZ plants need to be pruned from time to time. The main issue is when, why and how to trim a ZZ plant?
When is the Ideal time to prune the ZZ plants?
In fact, the best time is early spring, because at this time of the year, the ZZ plant has come out of sleep and is completely ready to become large. This proper timing makes a ZZ plant more likely to increase in size and number.
Above all, you should consider the weather conditions where you live. For example, if you don’t see any signs of growth in the plant in winter, put it off to a later time. Moreover, for indoor plants, the quality of the air and the level of humidity in the house should support its recovery.
Key reasons to prune the ZZ plants
By pruning, the ZZ plant not only continues to live and exist, but also develops and grows. What I mean is that, when we clear away the old branches, we remove the places that are likely to get bacterial and fungal infection and keep it from the pest attack. As a result, the plant grows stronger, the air flow improves and you may even see ZZ plant flower bloom. Otherwise, your plant will be leggy and look unusual.
Pruning ZZ plant step by step
There are some important issues that you should pay attention to, which I explain in detail. If you follow these, you will be expert how to cut off the unwanted parts of the plant by your own choice.
1. Identifying What to Prune
watch the ZZ plant to understand which parts are extra and it’s better to be cut. At the beginning, you need to get rid of ZZ plant yellow leaves or dead ones, in addition to damaged and diseased branches.
2. Choosing the Right Tools
Use sharp pruning shears or scissors and then be sure to clean them before and after your work with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution to prevent the spread of pathogens. Remember that blunt tools destroy plant tissues. So they are not useful anyway.
3. start trimming
While, the place of cutting and also the angle of the hand are very important, I usually crop a ZZ plant at an angle of 45 degrees and about 1.4 inch above the junction or a leaf node. In this way, not much water remains in the plant and it does not cause fungal infections.
4. Improve Airflow & Light
Finally, in the plants which are very crowded with a lot of thick branches, you must thin out the inner branches to improve air flow and let more light reach the ZZ plant. Now, You can put stem cuttings in water or soil and propagate ZZ plant.
Common mistakes
– If you over prune and pick more than a third of the leaves, you will put a lot of pressure on the plant and make it weak.
– If you do not use sharp and clean tools, the ZZ plant will be damaged.
– If you remove the ZZ plant’s leaves when they are inactive, the growth of the plant will stop.
– Do not prune the ZZ plants that are stressed or sick. Because, they will get more ill. So, take care of their health problems first.
At the end, according to my experience during the time that I have been keeping a ZZ plant at home, I understood that, obviously, they show their needs. For example, if its leaves lean towards the light, we may just need to turn it around. Just delay the time of cutting for a while to make sure the plant is ready for this or not. Remember that, in successful pruning, what you cut is as important as what you don’t cut.
Do you have any questions or experiences to share that could help me and other readers? Please comment below. Your insights are invaluable.
Here’s a source that might be interesting to read.
