Well, since nobody else has answered, Larry, I'll try. Haven't grown a ZZ from a leaf yet, but I'd probably leave it 'til spring. That may be because I tend to put things off, but I find plants often surprise me. Put a little puny begonia leaf down a few months ago, just 'cause I had it, and thought it was decaying but didn't get around to dumping it--busy with the holidays, figured it could wait--Well, a couple days ago I noticed, at the back of the shelf, a nice little plant with three leaves already! Y'never know--Good luck!

I just now saw this message! Funny thing. Wow! So you can grow some aroids from leaf cuttings, like begonias? I used to be a begoniac, and propagated tons of the rhizomatous and rex begonias this way. You can nearly cut the leaf into pieces and get tons of plants this way, so long as you have a piece of vein in your leaf cutting. And yes, they can look as if they have died and still there are little roots growing and developing unseen by the human eye, beneath the soil before the leaves push up thru the soil.

Not ALL begonias can be rooted this way, like the canes, shrubs, semperflorens, thick-stemmed. But the rhizos and rexes can. Personally, I never grew the rexes. I had less than the ideal conditions in which to grow them. Most are grown by the Californians in lath houses, who DO have the ideal conditions for them. A few people had "some" luck with them here in greenhouses, but they are very particular. Kathlyn Calvert grew some in her greenhouse that had leaves to 18" across.

Susan

Susan, I think ZZ is as interesting for its story as for its appearance. Its specific name, zamiafolia, means it has leaves like Zamia, a cycad. They are long, sort of like a fern, and what most folks think are leaves are actually leaflets on a long stalk. Both the individual leaflets and the whole leaf will root, tho' I think the leaflets are slower (like months I think I've read!) It's not the most dramatic aroid I grow, but definitely attractive, and it has the advantage of being just as pretty in the wintertime when my big stinkies are dormant.

GE - I've seen the pictures posted here of this plant, and heard the stories that the plant itself is a very slow grower. I would try it, except for the fact that it is an indoor plant. I have to grow mine outdoors, and I push the zones a bit to do it.

Most of my "ears" are okay and have been so for the past 3 or 4 years in my south facing backyard, which is my microclimate area. It is partly shady in summer. But stays quite warm due to the direct sun in winter when the trees have dropped their leaves. Also, the added protection of the trees, buildings, fencing, decking, etc., make for a toasty yard compared to an exposed area.

How many big stinkies do you grow, and were you affected in any way by the hurricanes?

Susan

I don't really know how many I have--kinda depends on what comes up when it gets a little warmer. Sure hope we don't get our two or three days of winter after they start growing! Have a couple I haven't succeeded in identifying that I've had for years, and A. cuculata which I've also had for a long time. Kept trying to find one I fell in love with many years ago but couldn't identify--may be the A. paeonifolia I was advised on this forum several years ago, but it isn't as tall yet as what I saw originally. Have a whole patch of bulbifer from an earlier try. Have a number of things like 'Black Magic' and 'Illustris' and falax and A. mac. May have some others, including some I can't remember I'm sure, and of course I'll be ordering some if I can thin the horde I want down to what I think I can take care of (and afford of course!)

Well, I don't want to hijack this post or anything, but you might want to post a pic of it again to see if anyone can now ID it for you. Lucky you because you're in a zone where you can grow some of these tropicals safely. I have to stick with the hardier ones. I can push a zone 8 sometimes, but that's about it. I have everything you do, except fallax. I have fontanesii, lutea, plumbea nigra, ruffles, wentii, Thai Giant, remusatis vivipara. I really want Coffee Cups this year.

Susan

I think we've already kinda hijacked it! Got a new digicam for Christmas, and if I can figure out how to post pictures I thought I'd try, later when they look better. Might actually have some good looking plants this year, since my son moved here to help with his very sick dad, and works in the yard to try to get things under control. I couldn't get much done out there before he came, 'cause I didn't feel comfortable leaving Bill alone for more than fifteen minutes or so at a time, and everything GROWS here! Say, Larry, I see you get all these off-topic things sent to you--has your ZZ leaflet sprouted yet? Don't suppose spring is threatening there like it is here. That's when it's most likely to show up. Funny how plants know when spring is coming, even when you grow them under lights on an inside wall.

GE, it hasnt sprouted yet but Im going to pot it up on its own soon, increase watering and hope it sprouts!

I'd be careful about watering it too much. Mine always seem to be happiest when I'm neglecting them the most (oh, it's been 2 months since I've watered you?). If the soil feels wet I'd back off. As long as the soil has a little darkness from moisture below the surface and feels cool instead of bone dry it will probably be happy. This is the plant that I give to people in offices since it seems to get along well with less-than-ideal light and sporadic watering.

Thanks for the info laiquatan :)

Ok, here's trying a pic. The leaves are just ones my cats knocked off the pot and fell onto the surface of the soil (or rather on and amongst other knocked-off leaves) some several weeks or months ago. You can see small brown knobs on the stems - these are where the new roots will come out and bulbs form. I've done nothing at all to these (though if they had fallen on the carpet they would indeed have gotten too dry to do this), and think I'll go ahead and stick them in some moist soil and I have no doubt I'll have 3 new zz plants. (I've never tried starting a plant from a whole leaf rather than a leaflet though.) So as you see, they're pretty tough little buggers. The soil I'm putting them in is moist (because my daughter just tried to drown my amorph) so I expect I won't have to water it until it gets rather dry - the leaf will shrivel, the bulb will enlarge and put out a few roots, and in a couple or few months it'll send up a 2-leaflet new plant. As for digging them up, I see them as transplantable any time in this process.

{{gwi:395867}}

Very cool to see this as info on ZZ propagation is few and far between!

I sure agree. I've *read* stuff about propagating, but have so far only divided mine. Really neat to see pictures!

Well, I potted it up in its own pot, just have to wait now.......

I saw some ZZs at HD yesterday for $10 in a gallon bucket. I'd love to have one, but don't have the room indoors for one. Do they like a lot of sunlight indoors? What is the culture for them?

Susan

Well, mine seems pretty happy in the biggest window I've got--it would be a great plant window since it faces south-west, but I planted a tree out there. It grew! Now it shades the window, which is great for the air-conditioning bill in the summer, but it's really not light enough for most plants. It's in a clay pot that's not much bigger than the one I bought it in--think I'll pot it up this spring. I water it occasionally. It sits there and looks green and glowing, and is unfolding a new leaf that is about four inches longer than the rest of the plant, but doesn't look like it's reaching for the light or anything.

I abuse mine horribly, I admit it. Yes, they'll love it if you give them light such as through a window or outside in the shade (seems to me direct light tends to burn them, but that could partly be mine not being used to much light). And they'll lap up rain and give you all sorts of pretty growth. But mine also is doing fine having been inside all winter, not near any windows, and getting watered at most once a month. The way I tell when complain about lack of water is when the leaves aren't as shiny and start to look a little old and limp. Mine is still telling me it's still happy. :P

Unfortunately it rotted away after potting up.Oh well you win some you lose some....