Fittonia albivenis verschaffeltii (The Nerve Plant, Mosaic Plant) likes to be indoors when temps dip below 50 degrees & does not like direct sunlight. Cold hardy outdoors year round in Zones 10 - 11 in shade. Normal room temperature inside is ideal.
Soil should be kept moist, as they get very dramatic and could die when allowed to dry out. If your nerve plant’s leaves collapse, water thoroughly with room temperature water in a small dish, checking occasionally to ensure it has not dried up and allowing the plant to absorb all the water that they need to perk back up.
These plants do not like cold water, so be sure to leave water out to reach room temperature so that the roots are not shocked. Prior to arriving at its new home, your plant has only been given rain water and may need some time to adjust. Fertilize weekly during the growing season from Spring to Fall with a very weak and balanced fertilizer. Up until this point, your plant has only been fertilized aquaponically to ensure that they are safe for pets in terrariums.
Nerve plants do not like to be placed in direct sun or in windows where direct sun is strong enough to burn up their leaves.. They like bright, indirect light and should be protected from being fried by direct sun rays. Especially if magnified by glass windows in older houses.
To increase humidity, mist twice daily or place on a tray of rocks or pebbles so that the pot has, at most, “wet feet” but is not sitting in deep standing water, allowing the roots to suffocate and rot. In especially dry conditions, such as during Winter in heated homes, a humidifier may be especially beneficial.
Nerve plants are easy to grow and will spread or trail in a hanging basket if not pruned. To prune plants, pinch shoots that grow leggy and place the leaf tips back in the soil to propagate and help them grow fuller and more bushy. If your plant looks sad or has damaged leaves upon arrival, don’t panic. Once it has been repotted and given a chance to get established in its new home it will stop focusing on new roots and will start focusing on new leaves. Upon arrival, water thoroughly and let it get settled to help it perk back up.
To propagate, take leaf tip cuttings about 1 - 2” tall and replant them back in the soil or in another container with a peat based soil mixture and keep moist to allow new roots to grow.
If you have questions or concerns regarding fittonia care, feel free to shoot us a message and we will help in any way that we are able. And if you have questions about other plants that we carry, please check our other care guides to see if they can be of help
Remember: No care guide is going to be perfect for every situation. Plants in rainy Seattle will have different needs than plants in hot and dry New Mexico. We recommend that all customers read their care guide thoroughly, follow the instructions, listen to what your plant is telling you about what it needs and adjust accordingly.