Is this house plant suffering / dying?

Hi folks,

Please see the image I've uploaded. This house plant hasn't been with me long. Only about a month. In that time I can't help notice the emergence of the brown shrivelled-looking leaves at the base and the one slightly lime-yellow coloured leaf buried near the centre. Is this plant telling me something? It's a Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ferm arum). It's positioned on a desk in my study about 2m from a window. Positioning notes from RHS read: " thriving in a range of shady, indirect light conditions."

Thanks for your help.

 

Hi @tommyrot Did you re-pot it when you got it? Does it show roots through the bottom holes?

It looks fine to me, but if it is very pot bound it's likely to look a bit sad until spring.

If it needs a bigger pot, I'd do it now regardless that it will not grow much over the winter. A good shower or misting, plus dilute seaweed in watering is often appreciated by any houseplants that look tired.

Lowest leaves going yellow and dying off is very normal for any plant. "Indirect light" in winter is probably more like North facing windowsill or a a meter or so away from a South facing one, depending on your situation.

Anyways, it looks fine to me. A nice plant

 

They have quite strong, bulbous roots which is why the plant’s pot can become a bit contorted as the roots expand. I’d repot it now, using fresh houseplant compost. They are often referred to as ideal first houseplants and almost impossible to kill . No need to test that, just keep it in indirect light and water it when the top couple of cm of compost feel dry.

 

Thanks @Selleri and @Plantminded. Right ho.

When you advise to repot, what exactly do you mean? At present, it's seated in the usual brown plastic pot with holes at the bottom. That is placed inside this white pot. I'd say the brown plastic pot sits about an inch from the floor of the outer pot. The circumference of the brown pot means it fits snugly inside the white pot. So, what would I achieve repotting from a plastic pot of this size for another of the same size destined for this same white decorative pot? Or do you mean it needs a wider base / white pot?

As you can tell, I'm not in the habit of managing potted houseplants.

Thanks for your help.

 

It looks fine to me too. The occasional older leaflet yellowing and dying off is normal.

The "brown shrivelled looking leaves at the base" aren't leaves, they are the leaf sheaths - they dry up and turn brown once the leaf has emerged from the sheath (each "stem" is technically a single divided leaf). It's just how aroids grow and is perfectly normal. You can carefully pull off any that are loose and completely dry and brown if you like.

If you're going to repot it it'll need a bigger pot (and therefore a bigger outer container). With some plants you can tease some of the old compost out of the roots and repot into the same pot with fresh compost, but ZZ plants have bulky fleshy roots that tend to fill the pot up.

They're fine in a fairly shady spot, just be careful not to overwater. You should let it get quite dry between waterings.

 

Thanks, @JennyJB.

Though we haven't had any real cold yet where I live (in Oxfordshire), my study – where this plant lives – averages 16º celsius during the day and probably 13º during the nights, according to a fairly cheap thermometer. Is this too cold? If so, I've bought the wrong plant. Given the poor insulation and heat loss in my house, in the height of winter, in the morning the temperature can be 8º.

 

For temperature, some online sources say minimum 10C, some say it will take a bit cooler. I think 8C might be bit on the low side - probably won't kill it but it will probably slow down a lot, so be particularly careful with the watering. A general rule is lower temperatures mean less water needed because the plant won't be growing much or at all.

At those winter temperatures I would leave any repotting until spring when it starts to warm up. As you haven't had it for long, it should be OK in the current pot while it's not trying to grow much.

 

In view of those winter temperatures it’s probably best to leave it @tommyrot as @JennyJB advises. It does look perfectly healthy to me. I think I’d move it from the study overnight to a warmer location during very cold spells though.

 

Thanks, @JennyJB and @Plantminded. I'll heed that advice and leave well alone until the spring. Interesting to note, based on your answers, that indoor temperatures of 8º C seem quite out of the ordinary. I haven't bought the wrong plant, I've bought the wrong house!

 

A Christmas tree will enjoy those temperatures @tommyrot .

 

I get worried when my greenhouse gets close to 8c.
Overnight.