Identium
ZZ Plant and Philodendron Care: Two Plants You Can Genuinely Neglect
Two of the three plants worth recommending to somebody who has killed everything else.
These two get grouped together for a reason. Both tolerate low light, both forgive irregular watering, and both are hard to kill by neglect. They fail in opposite directions though, and the mistakes are worth knowing.
ZZ plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Thick glossy leaflets on wand-like stalks rising from underground rhizomes that store water like potatoes. That storage is the whole story.
Water: once every three to four weeks in summer, once every six to eight in winter. Genuinely. Let the soil dry out completely, all the way through, then wait.
Overwatering is the only reliable way to kill one. Because the rhizomes hold reserves, a ZZ plant that is drowning looks fine for a long time and then collapses suddenly, by which point the rhizomes have rotted.
Light: anything from a dim hallway to bright indirect. It genuinely tolerates poor light, though it grows faster with more. Direct sun scorches it.
Soil and pot: free draining mix with plenty of perlite. Terracotta is a good idea here for the same reason it suits succulents. Keep the pot snug, because a big pot means a lot of soil the rhizomes cannot dry out.
Signs of trouble. Yellowing lower leaflets with damp soil is overwatering, and the rhizomes need checking. Wrinkled stalks and dropping leaflets with bone dry soil is thirst, which is rarer and easier to fix. Leaning stalks usually means too little light.
ZZ plants are slow. Two or three new stalks a year is normal and is not a problem to be solved.
They are toxic to cats and dogs, causing mouth irritation and vomiting if chewed.
Philodendron
A huge genus, but the common houseplants split into two groups that need slightly different things.
Vining types. Heartleaf, Brasil, micans, Lemon Lime. Trailing or climbing, fast growing, very forgiving.
Upright types. Birkin, Congo, Xanadu, selloum. Self heading, growing outward from a central point rather than trailing.
Water: when the top third of the soil is dry, thoroughly. Roughly weekly in summer, every two to three weeks in winter. More than a ZZ plant, less than a fern.
Light: bright indirect is ideal, low light tolerated. In poor light you get small leaves with long bare gaps between them, which is the classic leggy philodendron.
Support. Vining types climb in the wild and produce noticeably larger leaves when given a moss pole to attach to. Left to trail, leaves stay small. This is the difference between a philodendron that looks like the photos and one that does not.
Fixing a leggy philodendron
Same approach as pothos, and it works well.
- Cut vines back to the length you want, just above a node. The plant branches from below the cut.Prune
- Root the cuttings in water, then push three or four back into the parent pot to fill it out.Reuse
- Move it closer to a window so new growth comes in with shorter gaps.Light
- Add a moss pole for the vining types and tie the stem loosely to it.Support
Telling philodendron from pothos
Constantly confused, and the tell is reliable: new philodendron growth emerges wrapped in a thin papery sheath called a cataphyll, which dries and stays on the stem for a while. Pothos has none.
Pothos leaves are also thicker and slightly waxy with an asymmetric base. Philodendron leaves are thinner, softer and more evenly heart shaped.
Care is close enough that mixing them up is not dangerous, but philodendron tolerates lower light a little better.
Both plants, shared notes
Feed at half strength every few weeks in spring and summer, nothing in winter.
Repot every two years or so, one size up, when roots come out of the drainage hole.
Both are toxic to cats and dogs through calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing causes mouth pain, drooling and sometimes vomiting. Rarely dangerous, but philodendron vines dangling off a shelf are exactly what a cat plays with.
If you are not sure which of these you have, or whether an upright glossy plant is a ZZ or a young philodendron, photograph a leaf with the stem visible. Identium will name it and give you the watering interval, which between these two differs by a factor of three.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I water a ZZ plant?
Every three to four weeks in summer and every six to eight in winter, once the soil is completely dry all the way through. ZZ plants store water in underground rhizomes, so they tolerate long gaps easily. Overwatering is the only reliable way to kill one, and the damage is hidden until the plant collapses suddenly.
Why is my philodendron leggy with small leaves?
Not enough light, and usually nothing to climb. Vining philodendrons produce larger leaves when attached to a moss pole, and stay small when left to trail. Prune the vines back just above a node so the plant branches, root the cuttings back into the same pot, and move it closer to a window.
How do I tell philodendron from pothos?
New philodendron growth emerges wrapped in a thin papery sheath called a cataphyll, which pothos never produces. Pothos leaves are also thicker and slightly waxy with a noticeably asymmetric base, while philodendron leaves are thinner, softer and more evenly heart shaped.
Why is my ZZ plant turning yellow?
Almost always overwatering. Yellowing lower leaflets with damp soil means the rhizomes are sitting wet and may already be rotting, so unpot it and check them. Yellowing with bone dry soil and wrinkled stalks is thirst instead, which is much rarer and recovers quickly after a thorough watering.
Are ZZ plants and philodendrons safe for pets?
No. Both contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so chewing causes immediate mouth pain, drooling and sometimes vomiting. It is rarely dangerous because the pain stops an animal after a mouthful, but trailing philodendron vines are exactly what cats play with, so placement matters.
References
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, searchable by species for cats, dogs and horses
Every claim with a number attached to it in this article traces back to one of these. Checked September 5, 2026.