I Grew a ZZ Plant From Just Leaves

[00:00:00]15 months ago I decided to propagate my ZZ plant, but I wanted to try it in a way I had never tried before and see if it was even possible. Look, I've been working with plants for a long time.

[00:00:09]When I had my own nursery, I propagated thousands of cuttings in soil and occasionally rooted a few in water. More recently, while propagating a ZZ plant, I caught myself tossing the leaves in the trash and started wondering if I could grow an entire plant from nothing more than a handful of leaves. What I wasn't sure about was whether a single leaf could become a whole new plant. So, I decided to find out. I built a Styrofoam raft, floated the leaves in water, and waited. Over the next few months, they developed small rhizomes and roots and once established, I planted them in soil and figured the hard part was over. But honestly, that's when the waiting started. For months, nothing changed and the hardest part was resisting the urge to dig around and check on them because every time you do, you risk setting them back. Then about 5 months later, I finally noticed the first tiny leaves pushing through and I still was wondering what it looked like underneath the soil. But now, 8 months later, nearly every leaf I planted has produced its own stem, turning what started as a handful of leaves into a full ZZ plant. Now, I'm giving her a little more time to grow, but eventually, I'm going to pull one out to see what 15 months of growth looks like underground. So, stick around.