Fittonia

The genus Fittonia includes 4 perennial decorative-leaved species, 3 of them with creeping, creeping shoots and 1-erect. These are very delicate plants, and growing them at home is quite difficult, especially if the environment is dry. Fittonia argyroneura is characterized by oval-elliptical leaves of dark green color with silvery-white veins; the stems are tetrahedral with pubescence. This "flat" plant grows up to 40 cm wide (and the height of the plant is 5-20 cm). Fittonia gigantea (F. gigantea) is an erect bushy crop that grows up to 60 cm in natural conditions. The leaves are dark green with pink or carmine veins up to 10 cm long. Fittonia verschaffeltii (F. verschaffeltii) is similar to silver-veined fittonia, but the former is much easier to grow at home. It is a species with creeping shoots and oval dark green leaves with pink veins.

The genus Fittonia includes 4 perennial decorative-leaved species, 3 of them with creeping, creeping shoots and 1-erect. These are very delicate plants, and growing them at home is quite difficult, especially if the environment is dry. Fittonia argyroneura is characterized by oval-elliptical leaves of dark green color with silvery-white veins; the stems are tetrahedral with pubescence. This "flat" plant grows up to 40 cm wide (and the height of the plant is 5-20 cm).

Fittonia gigantea (F. gigantea) is an erect bushy crop that grows up to 60 cm in natural conditions. The leaves are dark green with pink or carmine veins up to 10 cm long. Fittonia verschaffeltii (F. verschaffeltii) is similar to silver-veined fittonia, but the former is much easier to grow at home. It is a species with creeping shoots and oval dark green leaves with pink veins.

Cultivation

Fittonia is grown at home in pots. In summer, they can be placed in the shade-on the balcony or terrace. The next year after transplanting into a new pot in the warm season, the plant should be fed every 15-30 days, adding 10 g of full mineral fertilizer to a bucket of water.

Location

The plant should be kept in a well-lit place, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Temperature

Fittonia like warmth, even in winter it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high temperature: 15-16 °C for silver-veined fittonia and 12-13 °C for other species. Plants tolerate summer heat if the environment is sufficiently humid. The ideal temperature for them is 18-22 °C.

Watering

During the period of intensive vegetative development and in the warm season, they are watered abundantly, in winter-a little less. Often, plants are sprayed with water to maintain optimal humidity levels.

Transplant

Transplanted in late spring in pots or flat vessels, always-larger than the previous size, until the diameter of the next bowl does not reach 20 cm.

Care

Yellowed or wilted leaves are removed. An adult plant can be pinched if it is too developed.

Reproduction

To get new specimens, you can use creeping shoots as layers. They are planted in containers filled with peat soil with the addition of leaf humus (25%) and sand (20-25%), and a full mineral fertilizer of preferably prolonged action is also applied there. It is also easy to get cuttings from the shoots. They are planted for rooting in a soil consisting of sand and peat in equal parts, in a moist environment, covered with a piece of plastic film or glass.

Diseases

Fittonia is prone to rotting when watering is excessive or the soil is too compacted. Maintaining optimal growing conditions will prevent this problem from occurring.

Acquisition

On the leaves of the plant should not be necrotic spots and yellowing.