Fittonia, how to care for nerve plant

Intricate veins thread across the fleshy, evergreen leaves of the nerve plant (Fittonia), red in some varieties, and they are what makes it such a lush ornamental indoors. Native to the deep shade of tropical forest floors, it wants constant moisture and never a ray of direct sun; meet that and the foliage stays handsome all year.

Fittonia at a glance

Name	Fittonia
Common	nerve plant
Family	Acanthaceae
Type	indoor plant
Height	12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm)
Exposure	part sun
Soil	soil mix
Foliage	evergreen

Care, repotting, watering and exposure are small tasks that will make your fittonia even nicer.

It makes our houses and apartments look lively with its lush ornamental impact and uniquely veined foliage.

Planting and re-potting your fittonia

Upon purchasing, if the pot is too small, proceed to repot the fittonia so that it may grow adequately.

After that, every 2 or 3 years and preferably in spring, repot your fittonia in a pot of a slightly larger size.

• Fittonia roots hate having too much water.
  Double-check that the pot has a hole in the bottom.
  Increase drainage with a layer of gravel or clay pebbles along the bottom of the pot, to help water flow through more easily.
• Good soil mix is needed.
  The plant, when it lives indoors, needs soil mix because that is the only source for the nutrients it feeds on.
• Low but constant moisture levels must be maintained, without wetting the leaves.
  You must either mist the leaves almost daily, or rest the pot on a bed of gravel, rocks or clay marbles doused in water.

Where to place your fittonia at home

A fittonia’s staunchest enemy is the sun’s rays. This plant’s natural habitat is the deeply shaded cover of multi-storeyed tropical forests.

The best location for your fittonia is a spot where there isn’t any direct sun on the plant, ever.

• It is vulnerable to excess sun that might dry the plant up.
  The more light a fittonia receives, the more it suffers.
• Absolutely avoid setting it near heat sources such as radiators, because moisture is what this tropical plant needs most.
  Ideal temperatures are around 70°F (20°C).

Watering your fittonia

Regular but moderate watering is called for.

All year long and especially during summer, spray water on the leaves to recreate the moisture levels of its natural habitat.

In spring and summer:

Keep the soil mix a bit moist and check that water drains properly.

Add liquid leaf plant fertilizer every 8 to 15 days during this growing phase.

• Spray the leaves on a regular basis with soft water (like rain).

In fall and winter:

Reduce watering and wait for the soil to be dry before watering again.
Stop adding fertilizer.

Indoor winter heating tends to reduce indoor air moisture levels, so you’ll need to spray water on leaves often.

Fittonia care through the seasons

What a fittonia asks for changes with the time of year. Here is how watering, feeding and misting shift between the growing phase and the resting months.

In every season, water the soil and mist the foliage without ever letting the roots sit wet.

Common diseases on fittonia

Most often, problems that appear are the typical indoor plant diseases: red spider mite, scale insects and aphids.

• A fittonia that has flopped flat is usually just thirsty, not diseased, and it normally perks up within hours of a good watering.
• Red spider mites thrive in warm, dry air, so the consistently high humidity a fittonia prefers—maintained by a terrarium, pebble tray or humidifier rather than daily misting—makes conditions less favourable for them.
• Turn a few leaves over when you water and check their undersides for fine webbing, which spider mites may spin anywhere on the leaf rather than only along the veins.
• Brown, mushy stems at soil level suggest crown or stem rot from constant wetness, so empty the saucer after each watering and keep any pebble tray’s water level below the pot’s base.

Which fittonia to choose

Almost every nerve plant on sale is a form of Fittonia albivenis, and they differ mainly in vein colour and leaf size. Use the table below to pick between the tiny-leaved kinds that suit a terrarium and the broader-leaved ones grown as a pot plant.

Companion plants

Fittonia is a wonderful leaf plant, with intricate veins that contrast with the fleshy portions of leaves. It makes a lot of sense to pair this low-height grower with a taller, towering plant that matches its colors.

For instance, the red-veined fittonia above is a beautiful for a dracena bicolor in the same pot, creating two stages of emerald and ruby colors.

• Fittonia prefers bright indirect light, tolerates lower light, and wants consistently moist soil, so it pairs well with ferns, calathea or selaginella, though other humidity-loving companions can work equally well.
• Cacti and succulents can share a pot successfully when their light, water, and soil needs match; avoid combining them with plants that require markedly different watering, drainage, or sun exposure.

Learn more about fittonia

A fabulous indoor plant, Fittonia is vulnerable to aphids. To avoid this, spray it often with a pyrethrum-based insect killer.

Read also:

• Did you know that indoor plants can cleanse the air of pollutants?

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