How to Grow Fittonia

Place the fittonia in a growing environment where the humidity is high. Fittonias are a good addition to a terrarium or bottle garden. If you do not have either of these, put the potted plant on a waterproof container filled with pebbles to which you have added water. The evaporating water provides enough humidity for the plant. Replenish the water after it dries.

Choose a location for the fittonia where it gets bright indirect light but no direct sunshine. Keep it a distance away from grow lights, which can be too intense for the plant. Since it's a rainforest plant, it acclimatized to filtered light rather than direct sunshine. Shriveled leaves indicate the plant is getting too much light.

Keep the plant in a warm location. The plant does not like temperatures below 60 degrees F and it does not do well with cold drafts blowing on it. When the plant drops its leaves and does not grow new ones, move it to a warmer location or out of drafts.

Check the plant daily to keep the soil moist. The top surface should feel slightly damp to the touch. The plant does not like high pH water where salts may be present. If you have hard, salty water, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a gallon of water and stir or shake the water to distribute the vinegar. The plant needs good drainage, since the roots do not like to be waterlogged. Yellow leaves indicate that the plant is receiving too much water.

Feed the plant lightly once a month during the growing season during the spring and summer. Choose a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer. It's better to make the fertilizer solution weaker than the label of the fertilizer recommends because too much can actually harm the plant by burning its roots.

Snip off any dying or spotted leaves with a pair of scissors. Fittonia does bloom, but the flowers are inconsequential, and gardeners often clip the flower shoots off so that the plant uses its energy to generate more leaves.

Repot the plant once a year or when the roots start to grow through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. Choose a larger pot, take out the fittonia from the original pot and place enough potting soil in the bottom of the new one to bring the fittonia level with the top of the container. Leave about 1/2-inch clearance at the top so you can water the plant. Fill the sides of the pot with the soil and tamp it down with your fingers. Water the plant, adding more soil if it compacts. Do not add fertilizer when you repot the plant.