How to Propagate ZZ Plant

You will need a clean sharp knife and pots with drainage holes.

1. 1 The best time to divide is during spring repotting when the plant is entering active growth.
2. 2 Remove the ZZ plant from its pot — you will see the thick, potato-like rhizome clumps beneath the soil.
3. 3 Identify natural division points where sections of rhizome can be separated with their own stems and roots.
4. 4 Using your hands, gently pull the rhizome clumps apart. For tightly connected rhizomes, use a clean, sharp knife to cut through, ensuring each division has at least one stem (preferably 2–3) and its own root system.
5. 5 Dust cut surfaces with cinnamon powder to prevent fungal infection.
6. 6 Plant each division in its own pot with fresh well-draining soil at the same depth as before.
7. 7 Water lightly — do not soak the soil, as the damaged rhizomes are vulnerable to rot.
8. 8 Keep in bright indirect light and wait 3–5 days before watering again.
9. 9 The divided plant will continue growing with minimal setback. Expect new stems to emerge in 4–8 weeks.

You will need clean scissors or a knife, a glass jar, and room-temperature water.

1. 1 Select a healthy, fully grown stem.
2. 2 Cut the stem at the base where it emerges from the soil, using clean tools.
3. 3 Let the cut end callus for 1–2 hours.
4. 4 Place the stem in a jar of room-temperature water, submerging the bottom 2–3 inches.
5. 5 Change the water every 5–7 days.
6. 6 Roots will begin to form in 3–4 weeks, and a small rhizome may develop at the base of the stem after 6–8 weeks.
7. 7 Once a good root system and rhizome have developed (8–12 weeks total), transplant into well-draining soil.
8. 8 Water sparingly — the new rhizome stores water and is prone to rot if overwatered.

You will need clean scissors, a pot with drainage holes, moist well-draining soil, and optionally rooting hormone.

1. 1 Cut a healthy stem at the base and let it callus for 1–2 hours.
2. 2 Dip the cut end in rooting hormone (optional but helpful).
3. 3 Plant the stem directly in moist potting soil, burying the bottom 2–3 inches.
4. 4 Water lightly and place in bright indirect light.
5. 5 Keep the soil barely moist — ZZ plant stems are succulent and rot easily if overwatered.
6. 6 The stem will develop roots and a rhizome underground over 6–10 weeks. You will know it has rooted when you see new growth emerging from the soil at the base.

This method allows you to produce many new plants from a single leaf, but it requires extraordinary patience. You will need a healthy leaf, a shallow tray or small pot, moist succulent soil or perlite, and a clear plastic bag or dome.

1. 1 Select a healthy, mature leaf from the middle of a stem.
2. 2 Snap or cut the leaf from the stem, including the small swollen base (petiole) where it attaches — this swollen base is essential, as the new rhizome forms from it.
3. 3 Let the cut end callus for 1 day.
4. 4 Insert the leaf about 1 inch deep into moist succulent soil or perlite, with the base pointing down.
5. 5 Water very lightly — just enough to settle the soil.
6. 6 Cover with a clear plastic bag or propagation dome to maintain humidity.
7. 7 Place in bright indirect light at warm temperatures (70–80°F).
8. 8 Keep the medium barely moist — water only when the top inch feels completely dry.
9. 9 In 3–4 months (sometimes up to 6 months), a tiny rhizome will form at the base of the leaf. You may notice the leaf slowly yellowing as it transfers energy to the rhizome.
10. 10 A new stem will eventually emerge from the rhizome, breaking through the soil surface. This can take an additional 2–4 months.
11. 11 Once the new stem has several leaves, treat it as a young ZZ plant.