Hi there. I've just started with houseplants so, apologies if this is silly.

I've just received a ZZ Plant which I had to buy on-line and it doesn't look right to me.

I can see some kind of "bulb" near the surface, some leaves are buried and I think those are roots coming out the pot?
This doesn't seem like an acceptable condition to receive a plant. Am I wrong? Does it need a bigger pot? I've already bought the decorative pot for the nursery pot size.

Should I ask for my money back?

Thanks
John

John! It looks like your ZZ Plant was dislodged from its pot during delivery and then badly crammed back into the pot. I doubt that the seller shipped it in that condition, but the seller is responsible for the shipping. Why not send a photo to the seller and see if they will send you a refund.

if you keep it, remove it gently from its pot. Some loose soil will fall away on its own but don't try to remove any more than that because it risks damaging the roots. You will probably need a pot just one inch larger so the roots fit into it snugly. The pot must have drain holes. Add some porous potting mix to the bottom of the pot and around the sides, but none on top except to barely cover any exposed surface roots.

Thanks for the reply, Will. Yes, I want to keep him. Should the bulb thing be quite deep under the soil? I'll get better at this. I promise...

Is that a plastic pot? I'd definitely repot it into something just a bit larger. It looks like it's really pushing against the sides of it's pot.

It doesn't need to be potted deeper into the soil. But it does need to be set about an inch lower in a deeper pot. Add just a little soil to the top of what is there now, no more than a half-inch.

I think the in the middle picture, the one stalk that looks like it has a white onion on the bottom, the 'white onion' needs to be covered. It appears to have been uprooted, but just the white part and also the roots that are now dangling in the air.

Thanks for all the transatlantic help guys . Much appreciated