Keep Your ZZ Plant Happy Throughout Winter With One Essential Tip

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), also called aroid palm, is a low-maintenance plant native to the forest and grassland areas of East Africa. This lovely plant could be added to the list of easiest plants to grow for beginner gardeners due to its easy-going nature. While typically hardy outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 10, the ZZ plant is a popular indoor choice for any plant lover who wants something that doesn't require a lot of upkeep. As winter sets in and indoor air becomes drier, one important tip for keeping your plant happy through the cooler months is to maintain the right humidity levels. Although these plants can adapt to varying levels of moisture in the air, they do best with humidity levels anywhere between 40% and 60%. This provides a nice, stable environment that ZZ plants thrive in.

If your home is particularly dry, especially during the winter months when the heat is on, you can add a humidifier to the room that your plant is in. Using a humidifier is probably the most effective way to add moisture to the air consistently. Choose a humidifier that has settings that are adjustable so have some control over the amount of moisture that is put into the air. Place the humidifier close to your plants that prefer a higher humidity level. You will only need to run the humidifier a few hours daily for your plants to get the benefits. 

Another way you can increase the humidity around your ZZ plant is to create a trendy humidity tray for your prized plants or leave bowls of water near your plants, which can raise humidity in the immediate area. This is a good option for very small spaces that can contain the humidity. Grouping your ZZ plant with other humidity-loving plants is also an efficient way to create a little microclimate around them that has higher humidity. Since plants release moisture from their leaves, when you place several plants together, this effect is magnified, raising the humidity around the plants. Make sure the plants are not crammed in together and that there is plenty of airflow around them to prevent problems such as mildew and mold from developing. 

If your home is extra dry, combining plant grouping with one or two other humidity-raising methods is more effective than just grouping alone. An easy option is to simply move your ZZ plant to a more humid room in the house. Kitchens and bathrooms are naturally humid due to cooking, showers, and running the water in the sink for shaving, etc. Since ZZ plants can thrive in low-light areas, bathrooms and kitchens can work nicely to increase humidity without affecting the health of the plant if they don't have access to as much sunlight.  Using one or more of these ways to increase humidity for plants will keep your ZZ plant happy and healthy during the winter and throughout the year.