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INDOORPLANTCARE
Pruning · ZZ Plant

How to Prune a ZZ Plant

Rarely — once a year at most. Best time: Spring or early summer.

Frequency
Rarely — once a year at most
Best season
Spring or early summer
Tools
Sharp pruners or knife; isopropyl alcohol
Aftercare
No special care. ZZ plants are extremely slow to react to anything. New shoots take months to appear from the rhizome.

Where to cut on a ZZ Plant

Cut individual stems (the entire stalk with all its leaflets) at the soil line. Do not trim individual leaflets — the half-leaf looks unnatural and the plant cannot regrow the leaflet from the cut.

Step-by-step

  1. 1
    Identify entire stalks to remove: yellowing, falling-over, or simply too tall.
  2. 2
    Sterilize your pruners.
  3. 3
    Cut the stalk at the soil line, as close to the underground rhizome as possible without nicking it.
  4. 4
    For propagation: cut the removed stalk into 4-6 inch sections with at least 2 leaflets each, and root each in soil.
  5. 5
    New shoots emerge from the rhizome over 3-6 months — ZZ plants grow very slowly.

Why prune a ZZ Plant

  • Removes damaged or unattractive stalks
  • Controls overall size on a plant that wants to spread
  • Generates leaflet/stem cuttings for propagation (slow but reliable)

What ruins a ZZ Plant when pruning

  • Trimming individual leaflets — the truncated leaflet looks bad permanently and cannot regrow from the cut
  • Cutting into the rhizome — damages future shoots
  • Pruning when the plant is overwatered — pull the plant out and dry it first; the issue is not stalk-related

Botanical reference: Missouri Botanical Garden — Zamioculcas zamiifolia

For full ZZ Plant care, see the ZZ Plant care guide. To repot the same plant, see how to repot a ZZ Plant.