The Ultimate ZZ Plant Care Guide For Beginners In Dark Apartments

Temperature, Humidity, and Grooming Tips for Urban Growers

I once set my favorite ZZ right under my apartment’s roaring AC vent during a brutal July heatwave. Poor thing started drooping like it had the flu within days, and I totally freaked out.

It turns out these guys absolutely hate freezing drafts, which is a major lesson for anyone trying to manage a tight urban space.

Keeping Things Cozy and Warm

ZZ plants love standard indoor temperature ranges, ideally staying anywhere between 65°F and 85°F. If you are blasting the air conditioning or living in a drafty older building, make sure your green buddy isn’t directly in the firing line.

Cold shock can easily stunt their growth or cause ugly brown spots on those glossy plant leaves. Just keep them somewhere stable and comfortable, and they will be completely fine.

Spas, Dusting, and Dealing with Leaners

Because dark apartments don’t get much sun, you need to make sure every single leaf is working at one hundred percent. Dust builds up incredibly fast indoors, which literally blocks what little light you have from hitting the plant.

I take a damp microfiber cloth every few weeks for cleaning houseplant leaves gently, which keeps them looking like a million bucks. If you notice leggy plant stems that are leaning awkwardly toward a distant window, just rotate the pot a quarter turn every time you dust to straighten them out.

Once your plant is looking perfectly groomed and super shiny, you are probably going to want to make a whole army of them for free, so click that next button because I am sharing my super simple propagation secrets.