I have an old ZZ plant that I’ve kind of neglected for a few years. Yes really, a few years. It’s really big and I have it stuck off in a corner. I don’t give it much thought because they don’t need to be watered very often. I moved it a couple of months ago to make way for the Christmas tree. That’s when I noticed some of the stems were wrinkled. So if you also have a ZZ plant wrinkled stem, I’ll walk you through some causes and what you should do to fix it.
ZZ Plant Wrinkled Stem
As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t really looked closely at my ZZ plant for a while. Of course, I watered it occasionally. I don’t mean I completely ignored it, but I hadn’t gotten down and looked closely for a long while. If you’re questioning whether your ZZ plant’s stems are wrinkled, they will look similar to the picture below.
Notice some of the ZZ plant stems are more wrinkled than the others. Most of them are showing some wrinkling though. The reason for your ZZ plant wrinkled stem may depend on whether all the stems are showing wrinkles vs. only some. It doesn’t have to affect all stems evenly, just take note.
Causes for ZZ Plant Wrinkled Stem
Water Issues
Both overwatering and underwatering can cause your ZZ plant stems to wrinkle. It should be relatively easy to tell whether you have overwatered or underwater your ZZ plant. They require very infrequent watering. If you are watering more than once a month, look for signs of overwatering. Is the soil overly moist? Does it take a long time to dry out? Are you checking the soil moisture before you pour more water on it? Overwatering is more likely to show other troublesome signs like yellowing leaves before your stems actually start to wrinkle from rotting. More info on treating overwatered plants in this post.
Similarly, for underwatering ask yourself. When was the last time I watered? This can actually be hard to remember because ZZ plants need such infrequent watering. How much are you watering? Are you giving your plant small sips or a full waterings. An underwatered ZZ plant may show wrinkled stems before showing other signs like yellowing leaves.
Watering issues should affect all of the stems on your ZZ plant. Yes, some stems may be more wrinkled than others, but the signs will be present in all stems. Watering issues can be tricky to diagnose. A great way to remove any doubt is to use a ZZ plant moisture meter. A tool like this helps remove any questions you have about soil moisture. I use mine every time I water my plants. Moisture meters can be a bit tricky to use with ZZplants because the root system is rhizomes. Just be careful to try an mis the rhizomes to get an accurate soil moisture read.
Needs More Room
This is somewhat water related and somewhat nutrient related. The most likely culprit for ZZ plant wrinkled stems is definitely water, so start there. However, your ZZ plant could be wrinkled because it needs more room in its pot. The ZZ plant roots are really thick and bulbous and need the proper amount of room. The more the they grow the more soil is displaced. Soil hold moisture and delivers nutrients to the plant. A really full pot could mean nutrient or moisture problems due to lack of soil.
If you lift your ZZ plant out of its pot and it has completely filled out the shape of the pot, you probably need a repot. A good rule of thumb for potting up is to choose a pot that is two inches in diameter larger than your current pot. This gives you enough room for your roots to expand. When you repot, use new soil to replenish nutrients as well. A good ZZ plant soil mix is about a one to one ratio of potting soil and perlite (for drainage). Your new pot must also have proper drainage holes or you’re in for more problems.
ZZ plants aren’t really heavy feeders in terms of fertilizer. It’s unlikely that lack of nutrients is causing your ZZ plant stem to wrinkle over the other suggestions list so far. However, it can be reassuring to know that the soil has the proper nutrients and ph. Soil rapitests are a convenient way to measure the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium, or n-p-k, and ph of your soil to make sure your ZZ plant has the optimal environment.
It’s Dying or Damaged
Occasionally ZZ plant stems die off. It can be due to many factors and if its just a one or two stems of many it’s not a big deal. They could be old or smaller stems. Or maybe the stem has be damaged from be bumped into. If you notice this where just one or two isolated stems are wrinkled, you can let them die off themselves or you can remove them. To remove them, you just want to use clean sharp pruning shears and cut the stem close to the soil line.
Do you have a ZZ plant wrinkled stem? Hopefully this post helps you fix the problem. Let us know in the comments.
I'm a long time plant lover on the quest to happily coexist with as many plants as I can. Let's grow!