Image - Wikimedia / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
Visiting a nursery, you may have seen the common zamioculca (or ZZ plant as it is sometimes called), which has green leaves. It's very pretty and easy to care for, but... Did you know that there is a cultivar with very dark green leaves that look almost black?
Its full scientific name is Zamioculcas zamiifolia cv Black Raven, although in specialized stores they sell it as zamioculca raven or black zamioculca. Would you like to know the care of him?
What are the characteristics of the black zamioculca?
Actually, the only difference between the green zamioculca, that is, the typical one, and our protagonist is the color of its leaves and stems, which are much darker. For the rest, we are talking about a rhizomatous, succulent plant that reaches an approximate height of 50 centimeters, so it is possible to grow it in a pot.
Very interesting for beginners, since resists drought very well, so if at any time you forget to water it, nothing will happen to it (as long as they are punctual forgetfulness: we don't have to go to the extreme of seeing how the earth cracks from how dry it is).
The flower is very rare to see, but you should know that more than a single flower, it is actually an inflorescence shaped like a small white vase.
All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested, so it should not be placed within the reach of children or pets.
How do you take care of yourself?
Image – plantingman.com
In Spain, as well as in other countries where the climate is temperate, It is often used as an indoor plant., since it does not resist the cold. However, if we have a patio, balcony or terrace where the sun does not shine directly, we can take advantage of spring and especially summer to have it there.
Therefore, We are going to explain how to take care of yourself both inside and outside the home so you know how to keep it in great health:
Location
- If you are going to be inside the house, we will put it in a place where there is a lot of light, but at a certain distance from the windows. This is very important, because if we put it right in front of them, the leaves would burn. For this reason, it is best to put them either under the glass, or in another area of the room. Also, make sure that it is not exposed to air currents, such as those generated by fans, air conditioning, etc., otherwise it would also have a bad time: its leaves would dry out and end up falling.
- if you will be out, what we will do is put it in semi-shade, in an area where there is a lot of light but not direct sun. The black zamioculca is somewhat more sensitive to direct light from the sun than the green leaves, precisely because it has less chlorophyll, which is the pigment that gives plants their green color and is also involved in photosynthesis. That is why it is very important to be very careful about leaving it in a place where the sun's rays reach it directly, even if it is only for a moment, as the plant would burn.
Irrigation
We will water the black zamioculca from time to time. It can go a few days without water, since it resists drought, so we will only water it when the land has dried. We can easily know this if we take the pot and notice that it weighs little: when the moist soil weighs much more than when it is dry, so this difference in weight will serve to know when we have to rehydrate it again.
But if you want to know, more or less, how many times a week you should do it, one or two in summer will suffice, and less the rest of the year.
Earth
It is a plant that grows in well-drained soilsThey don't get waterlogged easily. For this reason, if it is going to be in a pot, we recommend mixing peat with perlite in equal parts, or getting a high-quality substrate such as the universal one from Flower o Westland.
And if we want to have it in the garden, it is important that it is planted in light soil. In case it is not, we will have to make a planting hole about half a meter wide and deep, and fill it with some substrate that we just mentioned.
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Image - Wikimedia / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
The black zamioculca it must be fertilized occasionally, in spring and especially in summer with a liquid fertilizer for green plants such as this following the directions for use.
Transplant
It has to change the pot every 2 or 3 springs, and plant it in the garden also in that season only if the weather is warm and there are never frosts.
Rusticity
Being a tropical plant, can't stand the cold. Therefore, it should be kept indoors if temperatures drop below 5ºC.
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