Everything You Need to Know about Fittonia Plant Care
Fittonia, also known as Nerve plant, Mosaic plant or Net plant is a compact plant with striking patterned foliage. Fittonia are fairly easy to care for–they can tolerate a range of lighting conditions and like to be kept moist. They prefer humid environments and will benefit from regular misting. Check out our Fittonia collection.
Fittonia Plant Care
Nerve Plant Care is easy if you live in the humid parts of the country. They are creeping plants that cover the ground. One of the most popular and staple varieties of Fittonia is known for its deep green foliage decorated with striking white, nerve-like venations. The Fittonias are flowering plants, but when grown indoors, they rarely (almost never) bloom. Let’s discuss Fittonia Plant Care.
Light
Fittonia prefer bright, indirect lightor light through a filtered curtain (perhaps a few feet away from a sunny window). Never place this plant in direct sun.Lower light can cause it to lose some of its vibrant colour and growth will slow. Too much light can burn the leaves.
Soil
A peat-based potting mixtureor a loamy indoor potting soil are good options, since they offer both organic matter and moisture retention. To ensure that it doesn’t become waterlogged, be sure to include a little coarse sand in your nerve plant potting mixture of choice.
Always be sure the container your fittonia nerve plant is in has a drainage hole, and never allow it to sit directly in standing water.
Water
Your Fittonia loves water and to be consistently moist, but not soggy. Water thoroughly when the top 25% of soil is dry. If you let your Fittonia dry out too much, it will let you know with limp leaves. Not to worry! After a thorough watering, the leaves should soon perk up. The roots of fittonia nerve plants need constant moisture, but too much moisture will lead to root rot. To strike a good balance between these two, water your plant as soon as the top of the soil has become dry.
Temperature and Humidity
Make sure to keep fittonia at a consistent 16-26° C temperature, and place them away from drafty areas—chilly breezes can do permanent damage. Fittonia will thrive in average room temperatures.
Average household humidity is acceptable, but your Fittonia will appreciate higher humidity levels. You can boost the humidity with frequent misting, placing a humidifier nearby, or using a pebble tray. Another way to increase relative humidity is to group several humidity-loving plants together in a small area, creating a micro-climate.
Fertilizer
From spring through fall, you should feed your nerve plant small amounts of a balanced fertilizer every few months. If you use liquid fertilizer, dilute it by half. If you are top dressing with granular fertilizer, you should also be conservative with the amount.
It’s important that you water between feedings to flush the soil out and prevent the build-up of mineral salts. And stop fertilizing your fittonia during the winter months.
Common Problems
- Symptom: Leaf burns/Sunburn
Cause: Exposure to bright direct sunlight. - Symptom: Root rot
Cause: Poor drainage, water clogging. - Symptom: Wilting Leaves
Cause: Under-watering/soil dryness. - Symptom: Leaf drop/droopy leaves
Cause: Under-watering. - Symptom: Yellow leaves
Cause: Extensive water clogging/over planting.
The Fittonia plant, or Fittonia, is an eye-catching houseplant that is popular for use in hanging baskets, container gardens, and terrariums.Nerve plants are non-toxic to dogs, cats, and people. Fittonia typically grows to a height of 3 to 6 inches with a trailing spread of 12 to 18 inches. Although the slow-growing plant rarely flowers when grown as an indoor houseplant, it does occasionally bloom with insignificant reddish or yellowish-white spikes.
As beautiful as it is, Fittonia is somewhat temperamental and tricky to grow as a houseplant. It requires very high, constant humidity, such as found in a terrarium and cannot tolerate stagnant conditions. Nerve plant is also sensitive to strong, direct sunlight and will quickly suffer from leaf burn.
Aglaonema care reference: SmartGardenGuide