How to Grow Fittonia? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Fittonia is a plant with very high ornamental value, and its main ornamental feature is its leaves. The leaves of Fittonia are covered with many patterns that look like fishing nets, which is how it got its name. Fittonia is currently very popular among consumers on the market, and many people want to grow it. However, before growing it, you first need to have an in-depth understanding of its cultivation methods.

How to Grow Fittonia

1. For the soil for Fittonia, you should buy expanded clay pellets, leaf mold, and medium-coarse river sand from a flower market to prepare it. Place the expanded clay pellets at the very bottom with a thickness of 2 cm, and mix leaf mold and river sand into soil at a ratio of 4:1, spread it on top of the expanded clay pellets with a thickness of 4 cm.

2. Fittonia is very afraid of cold, and the ambient temperature must never be lower than 13 degrees C, otherwise Fittonia will easily drop leaves, stop growing, or even die. It is best to place it indoors in a relatively warm spot, with room temperature at 20 degrees C-25 degrees C, so that Fittonia will grow more vigorously.

3. Fittonia can neither be without light nor have too strong light, so it is best to place it by a south-facing window, or in another spot with diffused light that will not be directly exposed to sunlight, to avoid direct sunlight causing the leaves to curl and become dull, which affects its ornamental value.

Fittonia Cultivation Methods

1. Light and temperature. Fittonia prefers a semi-shaded growing environment and does not like direct sunlight. In summer, Fittonia needs to be shaded, blocking most of the sunlight. In winter, Fittonia can be moved indoors to a place where it can receive sunlight for care. The suitable temperature for Fittonia growth is between 18-24 degrees C. It is relatively intolerant of cold, and the best overwintering temperature in winter is above 10 degrees C, not lower than 8 degrees C.

2. Soil. When planting Fittonia, you can choose soil rich in humus, which requires strong air permeability and also strong water retention capacity. Peat soil can also be used.

3. Watering Fittonia requires a certain amount of skill, because the root system of Fittonia is relatively shallow, so when watering, whether there is too much water or too little water, the effects are both bad. Basically, keep the potting soil slightly moist, and it cannot be too dry or too wet. Too dry will cause the leaves to lack water, and too wet will cause the rhizomes of Fittonia to rot.

4. Fittonia has a relatively high need for fertilizer, but fertilization should follow the rule of light application and frequent fertilizing. During the vigorous growth period of Fittonia, you can fertilize Fittonia once every half month. In order to make the leaves emerald green, you can spray some manganese sulfate solution on the leaves.

5. Pruning and cuttings. Sometimes the top branches can be properly pruned to promote the growth of side branches. If they are to be used for cuttings, then the length of the pruned branches cannot be shorter than 10CM. Insert the branches into medium-coarse river sand, with watering and light the same as for the plant. It is best to choose summer for cutting propagation.

Precautions for Fittonia

1. During the growth process of Fittonia, pests and diseases will often appear, but there are also diseases such as leaf rot and root rot, as well as pests such as scale insects, snails, and red spider mites.

2. During the growth period of Fittonia, in order to encourage it to branch more and to control the height of the plant, it needs to be pinched back frequently. In this way, it is beneficial for vigorous growth of Fittonia.

Pests of Fittonia and Their Control

1. The more common pests of Fittonia include cabbage caterpillars, red spider mites, aphids, scale insects, snails, and woodlice.

2. When pests appear on Fittonia, if the infestation is light, you can first adopt manual capture to kill the pests that appear. If there are many pests and manual capture is difficult to carry out, safe killing methods can also be used, such as some non-chemical methods, using chili water, garlic water, and so on to repel insects. In addition, chemical methods can also be used to repel insects, that is, spraying pesticides. A 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate can be used for spraying, and specialized insecticides can also be used to kill insects.

3. In addition to these pests and diseases, in the daily care of Fittonia, be careful to avoid excessively strong direct sunlight, which will cause leaf scorch, produce small holes, and affect the ornamental value.

The cultivation methods for Fittonia are actually not difficult. First, you need to understand its growth habits. In summer, it needs shading, and in winter, the temperature should be maintained at around ten degrees. The soil ratio is also very important, and in the later stage of cultivation, fertilizer and water management also need to be strengthened. Only in this way can its growth be ensured.