Fittonia Care: Nerve Plant Watering and Humidity

Fittonia care is mostly about water and humidity. The nerve plant, Fittonia albivenis, comes from the rainforest floor of South America, where the air is damp and the soil never dries out. Indoors it rewards steady moisture and humid air with a carpet of small leaves veined in white, pink or red. Let it dry out and it collapses dramatically, which is alarming but usually reversible. It's a small, pet-safe plant and one of the best choices for terrariums.

Fittonia care at a glance

The NC State Extension profile notes it needs high humidity and is often grown in terrariums.

Light

Fittonia prefers medium to bright, indirect light: near a north or east window, or a few metres from a brighter window. Direct sun scorches and bleaches its thin leaves. In very low light it becomes leggy and the vein colour fades. It also grows well under LED lights; check light levels with the plant light meter converter.

Watering

Keep the soil evenly moist, never soggy. Water when the surface just starts to feel dry. In warm rooms that may be every three to five days; in cool winter rooms, once a week or so. Bottom watering works well; see bottom watering plants.

The fainting fittonia. When it dries out, fittonia wilts flat. Water it thoroughly, ideally by soaking the pot for 20 minutes, and it usually recovers within hours. Repeated collapses cause brown, crispy leaves and leaf drop, so try to water before it faints.

The plant watering schedule builder gives a starting check interval.

Humidity

Fittonia needs high humidity, ideally 60 percent or more. In typical heated homes at 30 to 40 percent, leaves curl and crisp. Options:

• Terrarium or cloche: the easiest way to keep fittonia lush.
• Bright bathroom: steam from showers helps.
• Humidifier near grouped plants.
• Pebble tray: small but helpful.

Check whether your room is humid enough with the plant humidity checker.

Soil and pots

Use a moisture-retentive but airy mix: peat-free houseplant compost with some perlite and a little coir. Small pots (8 to 12 cm) suit it, as it has shallow roots and a small pot is less likely to stay wet in the middle. Always use drainage holes. Repot in spring if the roots fill the pot; it doesn't need frequent repotting at all.

Temperature

Keep it at 18 to 27°C and away from cold windows, doors and air conditioning vents in summer. Fittonia sulks below about 15°C, dropping leaves and growing very slowly until it warms up again.

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertiliser at half strength. Fittonia is a light feeder; too much fertiliser causes leaf burn. Use the fertilizer dilution calculator.

Pinching and flowers

Pinch stem tips every few weeks to keep fittonia compact and bushy. It occasionally produces small spikes of whitish flowers; pinch these off to keep energy in the leaves, as the plant often gets leggy after flowering.

Fittonia in terrariums

Fittonia is a classic terrarium plant because it loves humidity and stays small.

1. Choose a container with an opening big enough to reach in for pruning.
2. Add a drainage layer of small stones or LECA, then a thin barrier (mesh or moss), then 5 to 8 cm of moist mix.
3. Plant fittonia with other humidity lovers such as small ferns, mosses and baby tears.
4. Water lightly so the mix is moist but not puddled.
5. Place in bright, indirect light, never direct sun, which overheats the glass.
6. Open occasionally if heavy condensation builds up, and prune fittonia so it doesn't swamp other plants.

Propagation

Fittonia roots easily from stem cuttings:

1. Cut 5 to 8 cm tips with a few leaf pairs.
2. Remove the lowest leaves.
3. Root in water, or insert into moist mix and cover with a clear bag.
4. Roots form in two to three weeks.

Stems also root where they touch moist soil, so you can pin them down and cut them free later. See how to propagate houseplants.

Varieties

Reviving a fainted fittonia

If you find your fittonia flat on the pot:

1. Check the soil. If it's dry, the plant has simply run out of water.
2. Soak the pot in a bowl of room-temperature water for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Drain and put it in a shaded, humid spot, such as a bathroom.
4. Wait. Most plants stand back up within two to six hours.
5. Trim any leaves that stay crispy the next day.

If the soil is wet and the plant has still collapsed, the problem is rot, not thirst. Check for black, mushy stems at the base. Take healthy tip cuttings straight away, because a rotting fittonia rarely recovers.

Fittonia on a desk or in an office

Fittonia's small size makes it tempting for desks, but office air is often dry, especially with air conditioning. If you want one at work, plant it in a glass cloche or a lidded jar terrarium, or pick a tougher desk plant instead. See plants for an office with no windows for low-maintenance choices. At home, a bright bathroom shelf or a kitchen windowsill away from the hob suits it well.

Common problems

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists nerve plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. It's a good choice for homes with curious pets that like to nibble leaves. See pet-safe houseplants and low-light plants safe for cats.

Water quality

Fittonia can be sensitive to hard tap water and fertiliser salts, which show up as brown leaf edges. If your water is very hard, use rainwater or filtered water, and flush the pot with plain water every month or two to wash out built-up salts.

Seasonal care

Companion plants

Fittonia mixes well with other small, humidity-loving plants: polka dot plant, small ferns, peperomias and mosses. Keep companions with similar water needs together so one doesn't rot while another dries out.

Bottom line

Fittonia needs evenly moist soil, high humidity, warmth and medium to bright indirect light. Water before it collapses, keep the air damp (a terrarium is ideal), pinch it often, and enjoy one of the most striking small pet-safe plants you can grow.

Sources: NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Fittonia albivenis; ASPCA, Nerve plant.