Have you grown a fittonia, also known as the nerve plant, mosaic plant, or net plant? I have and can admit to you that I have killed my share. Fittonia care is easy, as long as you remember the water and to make high humidity a priority.
I have found that the large-leafed, ‘Pink Wave’ shown below seems to be a little less fussy. It has thicker leaves than the smaller, thinner-leafed ground cover fittonias.
Love the veining you can see when the sun shines through the leaves.
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- The pink veins are the star of this show!
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- Love the color of these leaves.
Love the pink plant in the yellow pot
I found the perfect place for it!
Fittonia care is about the water
The key, in my opinion, is the watering practices when caring for your fittonia. This plant does not want to dry out completely AT ALL. Yet, it doesn’t want to be too wet, either….. So there is where the problem comes in. Is it too wet or too dry? I try not to let my plant dry out completely. It has wilted before and after watering it well, it does come back. But, it would be better if you did NOT let that happen. Keep the plant just barely moist at all times. Letting a plant wilt so you know it is dry is not the way to monitor your plant’s water needs. (Many people do that with peace lilies, too.) It may work a few times, but there will be consequences. Your plant will probably react by developing yellow or crispy leaves or may just give up and die.
Two colors of fittonia used as a ground cover in the Belle Isle Conservatory
Humidity is Key
Humidity is also a key factor in keeping fittonias happy. Many of the smaller types are perfect for a terrarium where the humidity is extremely high. As long the humidity can be kept high, it should do fine out of a terrarium and a pebble tray works very well. If you have enough light in a bathroom or kitchen, that would be ideal.
Fittonia
No Direct Southern Sun
When it comes to light preference, the fittonia would like to have a nice bright light, but never direct southern sun. If it were to be placed in too much sun, it would burn or at the least, develop crispy edges. Mine is in an east window and doing great.
Keep It Trimmed
If your fittonia starts to get leggy, as they often do, trim it back to keep it full and use the cuttings to make more plants or put them back in the pot to keep it full and looking good.
A little history
The fittonia plant was named after sisters Elizabeth and Sarah Mary Fitton, the authors of Conservations on Botany (1817). The diminutive plants are used as ground covers in warmer areas, but in colder climates, it is a houseplant and quite often, a terrarium plant.
Fittonia care isn’t too complicated but the extra care that this plant requires is well worth it. Look at that foliage! The veins and color are amazing. Who needs flowers?
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Have a great week!
Thank you for the Info! When I trim the stems (I go just above a node) I stick the trimming back into the soil to fill in empty spaces. But the leaves on the clippings get soft and droopy, even after a few days and it’s been watered. Is this normal?
Hi Nicole, Maybe root the cuttings in water just until the roots start to grow and then plant back in the pot to fill in. Lisa
Should I cut of the burnt leaves? It got too much direct sun light …
Hi Nicole,
If it has sunburnt leaves, yes, cut them off. Or trim them. The dead parts won’t come back. Lisa
Maybe put it in some water
Hi Chrystal,
Do you mean put cuttings of the plant in water?
Lisa
Hi Chrystal,
I have a Fittonia plant in houseplant soil. When I noticed crispy leaves, I started misting it well every morning. I have put a glass bowl over it but you can’t see the beautiful plant and it isn’t tall enough. I got some spaghnum moss to put down and thought to buy maybe a cake dome. Do you think this is a good idea?
Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Lisa, Putting it in a glass globe is a good idea. It is a perfect terrarium plant. Lisa
What are we going to do with the flowers? Am I going to remove/cut it
I usually cut mine off, too. I don’t want any energy going to making flowers. I would rather it go to the foliage.
Lisa
My leaves are becoming wavy, like crinkly. Is that due to lack of water? Soil seems to be well moist, it is out of sunlight, and sitting near a window and radiator.
Mine leaves aren’t flat, either. I’m sure that is how they grow. Sounds like it is in the perfect place. As long as the leaves aren’t brown or have brown edges, it sounds like it is fine.
Lisa
How fast do these plants grow? I got this plan almost two months back but so far I don’t see much growth.. it’s increased in height a few cms but the new leaves haven’t become bigger at all.. I have it my bathroom it had filtered light.. not too bright or not too dull.. any suggestions?
Hi Chris,
If you have given it good light and plenty of water, it should be doing well. Maybe it is still acclimating to its surroundings. You could give I some fertilizer as well. Lisa
Hello I am not new to plants. I do have a variety of them.
I am wanting to try my green thumb on this beautiful Pink Wave plant I just got. I have a few plants that need humidity I have them in my all season porch for now during the summer months. Do you think this plant will do good out there. The porch does get morning sun and then afternoon sun. I do have blinds up so the plants do not get direct sunlight. I can bring it inside and put in my kitchen which does get light all day. Which do you think is better for this plant?
Hi Linda,
I think as long as you can keep it watered well, it should be fine. I would place it where it gets more morning than afternoon sun, though.
Lisa
Roughly how many days between waterings for a 4 in pot Fittonia? And how many cups? I am new to this plant thing (love it) but, I do best with a start of physical number (I know I may need to change).
Thanks for any help!
I would check a fittonia, depending on the weather (was it cloudy or colder so didn’t use as much water, etc.) at least every couple of days. They do not like to dry out and are water hogs. I would give it water until it runs out the bottom and then leave it in the saucer and let it soak up as much water as it wants. After 30 minutes or so, dump out any water it hasn’t used. Don’t leave it standing in water.
Hope that helps.
Lisa
What a self watering pot be good for my fittonia?
I actually think it would do great in a self-watering pot. The larger mine gets, the more water it needs! I would try it and if it seems it is staying too wet, plant it into a more porous soil and place back in the SW pot.
Lisa
How do you increase the leaf size? Mine are just as small as when it was new, about a year ago.
Thanks, Anita
Hi Anita,
Mine is ‘Pink Wave’ so it is a large type of fittonia. You may have the small version and they have much smaller leaves and are a much smaller plant.
Lisa
Hi! Can I put fittonia in a place where there is no sunlight? I will take it out in the evening to bask in the sun. Does this method work?
Hi Sing Yi,
I would never place a plant where there is no light. Taking it outside could cause the leaves to burn as it isn’t used to being in the light. I would try to find a different place for your fittonia.
Lisa
Hello I have my Fittonia on my desk as work it only gets artificial light as I have no windows in my office. My leaves seem to be spaced out and my plant is not very full looking. Could this be from the artificial light or could it just need a little fertilizer or what how do I make the leaves fill in?
Hi Tracey,
It probably is stretched out because it needs more light. The only way to fill out the leaves is to make sure it has enough light so it stays compact, not stretching for the light. When you put it in more light you may want to prune it back so it will grow out fuller. You can also propagate the clippings and then place them back in the pot with the original plant to help fill out the plant.
Lisa
Hi! My fittonia is dropping leaves. I’ve had it now for about 6 months. I keep it on a schedule for watering and use a moisture meter to keep from overwatering. I use full spectrum grow lights for my plants as they are indoor plants. I will say though when I had it on my balcony this past summer, it really flourished. Now that I have brought it back inside now (for 2 months at this point), it has been dropping leaves. What could I be doing wrong?
Hi Carolyn,
I don’t water my plants on a schedule or use moisture meters. I use my finger to test the soil moisture. It will drop leaves if dried out or kept too wet. I’m sorry this is a late answer and hope your plant is doing better. It also may drop leaves if the humidity is too low or it has any insects or mites present. Do you see any of that? You could send a picture to my email-lisa@thehouseplantguru.com
My fiancé accidentally left our plant in the truck during freezing temperatures and ended up freezing, after warming the plant up and watering it’s still extremely droopy and crispy. Any advice on how to revive this plant?
Braeden, I’m sorry this is so late. I hope it revived, but after becoming too cold, they often do not recover.
Sorry,
Lisa
Sometimes I find care tips to be confusing and contradictory. In this article #3 says no bright light. And then in the first sentence it says the fittonia prefers bright light.
In any event mine does well in an indirect light from a west window followed by a plant light until 11pm.
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for pointing that out. I need to be more precise in my care tips. I changed it to say it needs bright light but not direct southern sun. That could lead to burnt leaves.
Have a great day and thank you for following along on my plant journey.
Lisa