Fittonias
Belinda writes~
My fittonia is not doing well at all. Perhaps I have it in too
large of a pot; overwatering is always a possibility with me,
and Missouri did not have the humidity last winter which my
plants love. I repotted it today in African violet soil in an
8" clay pot and tried to give it some Miracle-Gro water
- the roots seemed very dry. The soil repelled most of the water
resulting in only top 1/4" soil moisture. I thought I would
give it a couple of weeks to show signs of improvement, but
did I do something wrong or could do something additional?
A. First of all, those packages of soil mix need to be lightened
and thus aerated. Accomplish this by adding equal parts of vermiculite
and perlite to the soil [or soilless] mix. This will allow the
water to run all the way through the medium and be held there
until rewatering. Keep a saucer with pebbles beneath the pot
and empty of any water which is above the bottom of the pot.
Also, as to pot size, is the fittonia, a creeping vine, twice
as wide as the 8" pot diameter? It seems awfully large
to me, but maybe you have a very established plant. If you overpot,
it is the same as overwatering. That is because the root system
is not large enough to use all the water in the medium and therefore
the air pockets fill with water. The result is root rot and
probable death. You may need to consider potting the plant down
a pot size. Fittonias begin to look straggly after they are
about a year old, but new plants are easy to propagate.
Fittonias do best in the shadowless light of a north window.
They flourish best in the humid atmosphere of a terrarium, but
do reasonably well on a tray that has been filled with pebbles
and water to increase the humidity around them to 50%+. Night
temperatures of 65 degrees F to 70 degrees F and day temperatures
of 75 degrees F to 85 degrees F are ideal. Keep the soil moist
at all times. Fertilize established plants monthly with a houseplant
fertilizer diluted to 1/2 strength recommended on the label.
Repot overcrowded plants at any season. Propagate from stem
cuttings in spring or early summer. They are generally pest
free.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/Fittonia.htm
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