Why Zamioculcas does not grow and what to do about it

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Zamioculcas is often bred at home. The dollar tree is attractive for self-cultivation due to its unpretentiousness and spectacular appearance. However, due to improper care and mistakes during transplantation, the flower does not grow or turns yellow. Let's see how to avoid this, and what to do if the problem has already occurred?

Zamioculcas grows slowly

Plant features

Zamioculcas, or Dollar tree, belongs to the Aroid family, and among its brethren is the only succulent. In nature, it is found in Madagascar and Africa, prefers dry sandy soils.

With prolonged drought, the flower stops growing, turns yellow and sheds its leaves. Often these signs are taken by amateur gardeners for death, although when watering is resumed, it regains foliage.

In fact, without water, this plant dies only when the underground tubers are completely dry. Evaporation of moisture from them is extremely slow.

At home, only one type of Zamioculcas is grown - Zamioculcas Zamiifolia. Differs in dark dense leaves, slow growth and expressionless flowers, which appear very rarely.

For decorative purposes, flower stalks are cut off as soon as they appear, since they are of no value.

Reasons for stunting and how to solve them

Zamioculcas is unpretentious. In most cases, a stop in the development of stems, if they previously grew normally, is manifested due to improper care in general.

How zamioculcas grows photo

Incorrectly selected capacity

If the pot is too large, Zamioculcas stops the development of stems, completely focusing on the growth of roots and nodules. At the same time, it looks good outwardly: there is no yellowing or drying out. In this case, only time will help: in order for the plant to grow further, it is necessary to allow the roots to develop.

With an insufficient volume of the pot, the tubers begin to press on each other, which stops the growth of arrows and leaves. Here you cannot do without a transplant, otherwise the flower will begin to fade.

It is optimal if the diameter of the container is 3-5 cm greater than the width of the plant tubers. In this case, Zamioculcas will develop and grow normally.

Unsuitable soil

Zamioculcas prefers dry sandy soil with stones of different sizes. Such conditions allow avoiding the accumulation of moisture, which is detrimental to the tubers of the plant.

Poor soil requires infrequent fertilization, especially nitrogen-rich fertilizers. It is necessary for the stems of the Dollar Tree to grow and develop normally.

Please note that the soil must be air permeable. At the bottom there should be a drain and holes for draining excess fluid.

In no case should water accumulate in the pan, otherwise the flower will quickly get sick.

Incorrect watering frequency

Zamioculcas, like other succulents, does not need frequent watering or spraying. With excessive moisture, it begins to rot and becomes an easy prey for rot and parasites.

Zamioculcas does not grow for reasons

The optimal frequency of watering is once every 12-15 days. Gardeners are advised to bring the soil to dryness and leave it in this form for 2-3 days. Such conditions are as close as possible to natural for the Dollar Tree.

Overdrying the flower is undesirable, but not dangerous: at the same time, it begins to wither, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. If you resume watering, then soon new leaves will grow.

Moisture accumulates in underground tubers, so Zamioculcas can easily endure without water for a long time.

Wrong location

Zamioculcas prefers a well-lit place without drafts and wind, with low air humidity. If positioned incorrectly, the following happens:

1. The bush no longer grows, the stems lose weight and stretch out. The reason is poor lighting, lack of sun. It is recommended to transfer the flower to an oriental window sill or purchase a special lamp that imitates natural light. Regular incandescent light bulbs will not work, their lighting is insufficient.
2. The bush stops growing, the leaves turn yellow, yellow spots appear on the stem. The reason is sunburn. Most often it appears due to the refraction of light through water droplets that remain after spraying.
3. The growth of the bush slows down, the stems shrivel. The reason is cold wind and drafts or damage to the root tuber due to parasites.
4. Drops form on the surface, the flower “cries”. The reason is high air humidity and poorly selected top dressing.

Damage to the root system

Tuber injury during transplantation negatively affects the appearance: Zamioculcas stops growing, withers, leaves and stems turn yellow and shrivel. The appearance of rot and parasites is possible due to the weakened immunity of the flower.

If you have any suspicions about the integrity of the root system, then it is better to play it safe and pull the nodules out of the ground.

Procedure for various types of damage:

1. With rot of roots and nodules. Cut out any rotten areas with a sharp knife to prevent the spread of the disease. Damaged roots should be cut off completely. Next, the root system is treated with a weak solution of manganese or fungicide and left to dry for 2-3 days. The roots sprinkled with ash are transplanted into a new pot, fertilized with Kornevin. The old soil must be thrown away, the container is disinfected.
2. When rotting not only on the rhizome, but also on the stems, it is necessary to disinfect the entire plant. To do this, it is dipped in a fungicide solution for 20 minutes.
3. When the tubers dry out. Water if not done for a long time. Transplant if the root system is damaged due to the pot's too small volume.
4. When tubers are cracking, it is necessary to treat with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, let it dry for a short time and move it to a new soil. Fertilize with Kornevin, water.

Dormant period

Under normal development and favorable conditions, the Dollar Tree can stop its growth due to falling asleep. The dormant period usually occurs in late autumn and winter.

Zamioculcas does not grow or die

In this case, nothing needs to be done, the flower itself will wake up from hibernation closer to the warm season. It is worth taking care of Zamioculkas less carefully: reduce watering, stop feeding.

Adaptation period

The adaptation period for the Dollar Tree begins if:

• you recently had a transplant;
• you just bought a new flower and brought it home;
• Zamioculcas was only cured of diseases or parasites were removed;
• the conditions of detention have changed, especially attention should be paid to air humidity and temperature.

During the adaptation period, the growth of stems and leaves stops, Zamioculcas needs time to resume development. It usually goes back to normal after a week or two.

Zamioculcas does not grow after transplant

The dollar tree is unpretentious to care, but it is sensitive to errors during transplantation. In order for it to grow normally after moving to a new pot, you need to make sure that you haven't made the most common mistakes. Among them:

1. Excessive deepening of root nodules. They should not be visible on the surface, but when probing, they need to be felt well. If you have poured too much soil on top, then carefully remove the top layer of soil.
2. Choosing a pot that is too deep. Zamioculcas will not grow if the capacity for it is too high. Choose more squat pots. There should be no more than 5 cm between the root system and the drainage layer.
3. Transplant in wet soil. It is better to move to a new pot at a time when the soil in the old one is dry. After transplantation, Zamioculcas is watered and fertilized for better rooting.

Do not get too frequent with replanting the Dollar Tree. Florists recommend doing this no more than 1 time per year for specimens under 5 years old and about 1 time per 2 years for those older.

How to make a flower grow

Growth rate depends on age:

Zamioculcas in nature how it grows

1. It is normal for a freshly sown leaf if it does not change outwardly in a year. At this time, the root system is being formed and the tuber is growing. Therefore, it is not recommended to root cuttings in large pots - this way you can wait for growth for two or three years.
2. After the formation of the arrow, the development of the tuber continues with a supply of moisture and nutrients. On the stem itself, you should expect the growth of new leaves.
3. From three years, the appearance of one or two stems per year is normal.
4. After 7 years, one stem is formed per year (provided that the plant has not previously been transplanted into a larger container).

For acceleration, stimulating fertilizers are used. At the same time, gardeners recommend not to get carried away with such means: The dollar tree belongs to the slow-growing, and artificial acceleration may be unsafe for the plant itself.

The main period of development and increase in size begins in spring and lasts until September. It is at this time that all stimulant feeding will have the most noticeable effect.

Shock therapy is used to stimulate growth. For this you need:

1. Stop watering for 2-3 weeks.
2. Move the plant to a cool room. The air temperature should not fall below 15 degrees, the optimal range is considered to be from 17 to 20.
3. After three weeks, Zamioculcas is returned to normal conditions and watered. Fertilization is allowed, preferably with a high nitrogen content.

It is worth remembering that even such a shock therapy is only a stimulus for the growth of tubers, and not the upper part of the plant. Therefore, there may not be visible results at first. Then, when the nodules grow, you will see the rapid emergence of one or two stems and the accelerated development of leaves on old arrows.

Summing up

Zamioculcas is a wonderful flower that will suit even beginners. It does not require a complex care scheme and is very hardy, it tolerates well a long absence of watering and feeding. The slow growth rate is quite natural, so the question of stopping the growth of stems is rarely raised.

Most often, the slowdown in development is associated with improper care and inappropriate conditions. One has only to change the approach to the plant, as Zamioculcas begins to grow again.

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