Common signs of fittonia, recommendations for growing, tips for transplanting, fertilizing and reproducing, problems with cultivation, interesting facts, species. Fittonia belongs to the large family of Acanthaceae, which are dicotyledonous plants, as the seed divides into two cotyledons. Basically, all plants that belong to this family have a shrub or herbal form of growth, less often they can be vines. This genus includes four species of representatives of the flora of the planet, which are perennials and differ in evergreen leaf mass (in one species, the stem grows vertically upward, and in the other three, the shoots spread along the ground). The homeland of the plant is considered to be the territories of South American countries (for example, the humid forests of Peru, where a tropical climate prevails). The plant owes its name to the sisters Fitton Elizabeth and Sarah Mary, who lived in the 19th century. They worked on the creation of the first botany textbook corresponding to classical science and this ensured their fame.
The height of the fittonia is small, the plant rarely exceeds 60 cm, since the shoots are trying to snuggle up to the ground. There is also a slight pubescence on them. Leaf plates are of particular value in the plant. They are distinguished by their ovoid shape, painted in dark emerald or pale green colors. Venation occurs over the entire surface. The veins are shaded with whitish, pale yellow, dark pink and even purple colors. The length of the sheet plate varies from 2 to 16 cm.
It blooms with inconspicuous flowers of a yellowish-gray hue, which are located separately. From the flowers, spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, starting their growth in the bracts. The shape of the petals of the bracts is rounded-ovate with approximately one centimeter long and one centimeter wide.
Fittonia care recommendations
- Lighting and location of the plant. The bush feels good on the windows of the east and west orientation. It can show good growth on northern windowsills, as it loves shade, but sometimes the color disappears there due to lack of light, it also happens in winter, if the fittonia does not have enough daylight hours. For this, additional lighting is arranged using fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps. If the plant is on the sill of a south-facing window, then shade the flower with tulle or gauze curtains. It is recommended to place the pot at a distance from the window so that direct sunlight does not fall on the leaves.
- Content temperature. Fittonia is thermophilic, therefore, for its normal growth, it is required to maintain heat indicators of 20-24 degrees in summer, and with the arrival of autumn-winter days, it is important that the thermometer does not drop below 17 degrees. The variegated bush is afraid of drafts, sudden temperature changes. It is best to grow Fittonia in aquariums or florariums. Do not place the plant pot next to heating devices or central heating radiators in winter. If the heat readings decrease, the plant will begin to shed its foliage. Fittonia is intended only for indoor cultivation, therefore, it is not recommended to take it outside even in summer.
- Air humidity when growing, fittonia should be increased. The plant must be sprayed frequently if the heat readings exceed the permissible rate. This operation must be performed twice a day - early in the morning and late in the evening, so that the moisture drops have time to evaporate. Also, humidifiers or just vessels with water are placed next to the pot. You can install the pot in a container with sufficient depth and width, at the bottom of which a little water is poured and a layer of expanded clay is poured. It is important that the bottom of the flowerpot does not come into contact with the moisture level. Water for spraying is taken soft at room temperature. Fittonia leaf plates are not polished, as sometimes there is pubescence on them.
- Watering fittonia. It is necessary to moisten the soil so that it is constantly moist, but do not allow moisture to stagnate in the container.
- Fertilizer for a plant is introduced throughout the entire growth period, but the main thing here is not to overdo it, as this will immediately affect the health of the variegated beauty - the tips of the leaves turn brown in case of excess or underfeeding. Complex mineral fertilizers for decorative deciduous indoor plants are used for dressing. Only in winter they are brought in once a month, and the rest of the time, once every 14 days.
- Pruning fittonia. In order for the bush to be more lush and look decorative, it is necessary to pinch its shoots. Since over time the lower part of the stem is exposed (this is a natural process), the plant requires rejuvenation. It is necessary to cut the tops of the stems with the arrival of the March days. But it is worth remembering that if the leaf plates are completely removed, then the growth of the shoot will slow down, so it is worth pruning in several passes.
- Transplantation and selection of soil. Often it is not required to transplant Fittonia, since the root system is not very developed. When the plant is young, then it is possible to change the pot and the substrate in the spring (March-April) If it is clear that the bush has grown enough and it is cramped in the pot, then a transplant can be made. A new container is selected, small and wide, and only slightly larger than the previous one. At the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to make holes for the outflow of moisture that has not been absorbed by the roots, and pour a layer of drainage material. It can be a medium fraction of expanded clay or pebbles, or you can use finely crushed brick.
The transplant substrate is selected lightweight, with good air and water permeability. The soil mixture is compiled on the basis of the following options:
- deciduous soil, coniferous, peat soil, coarse sand (all parts are equal);
- leaf land, peat, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 2: 1);
- sod soil, leafy soil, peat substrate, coarse sand (in proportions 2: 2: 2: 1);
- coniferous soil, sod soil, apical peat, river sand (taking 2: 2: 1: 1 parts);
- turf, narzan sphagnum moss, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1).
Self-breeding tips for Fittonia
To get a new bush with decorative leaves, it is necessary to use cuttings, bush division and air layering.
Fittonia in nature can successfully reproduce with the help of air layers, root shoots appear in internodes, which, when the shoot reaches the soil, take root. When growing a plant in a room, you can help him. At the same time, the part of the stem, which is bare and devoid of foliage, bends down to the pot, into which a suitable soil is poured, it can be held in a new container using a wire or hairpin. The soil in the pot of an adult plant and in a small container should be moistened as usual. Sprinkle the stem a little with soil. In a place that is covered with earth, root shoots will soon appear (if there are none yet) and then the young plant must be carefully separated from the maternal fittonia and put in a permanent place of growth. Sometimes, if the pot in which the adult grows allows the stem to sink to the soil, then rooting occurs on its own.
When dividing a bush, it is required to combine this operation with a transplant in order to less disturb the root system of the plant. After the Fittonia is removed from the old container, it is necessary to carefully divide the root system and plant the divisions in different pots with drainage and a suitable substrate. To propagate a plant using cuttings, it will be necessary, with the arrival of spring, to cut the cutting from the top of the shoot (but many growers propagate by cuttings year-round). Its length should not be less than 6-7 cm, but no more than eight, and the twig should contain 3-5 leaf plates. Planting is carried out in moistened sand or any other lightweight substrate. The cuttings must be wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with a glass jar to create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with constant heat and humidity. For successful rooting, temperature indicators should not be less than 22 degrees. The seedlings are regularly opened to ventilate and moisturize the soil. After about a month, the cuttings have roots and can be transplanted into separate pots with a diameter of 9–11 cm. It is recommended to place several cuttings in one container in order to make the future bush more magnificent.
You can wait for the appearance of root processes by placing the cuttings in a vessel with water poured one centimeter. But still, they need to be covered with a film or glass jar (you can put it under a cut plastic bottle). Approximately every 2-3 days, the package is removed and the leaves are sprayed. In this case, the temperature should not drop below 26 degrees. When the roots that appear in length reach a centimeter, then young fittonia plants can be planted in pots prepared in advance with drainage and soil.
Trouble growing fittonia
Most of all troubles arise when cultivating Fittonia, if the conditions of its keeping have been violated. At the same time, the following difficulties are distinguished:
- sudden death of the plant could occur due to abundant watering at low temperatures of the content or due to a sharp drop in heat indicators or its strong decrease;
- the fall of the foliage from the bottom of the bush is a natural process, and at the same time, the stem begins to not aesthetically become bare, and to rejuvenate it, cut off old runs;
- the yellowing of the foliage leads to the flooding of the soil with moisture, it is required to reduce moisture and allow the soil to dry out between them;
- the tips of the leaf plates become brown or yellow-brown in color in the case when there is an excess or lack of fertilizing, it is necessary to look at the fertilization;
- Fittonia leaves began to deform and wrinkle due to too low humidity in the room or in strong light, in direct sunlight.
Also, the plant can be annoyed by harmful insects:
- thrips, which grow mainly on young plants and suck out their sap, while yellow spots appear on the leaf plates, which tend to increase;
- the mealybug is usually visible at the base of the leaf plates and on the petiole - the plaque is similar to waxy lumps (waxy secretions of the pest's vital activity), with a strong defeat of fittonia, all leaves are completely covered with a similar bloom;
- red spider mite, in addition to spotting on the edge of the leaf, punctures are visible, which the pest leaves, sucking out the vital juices from the plant, and soon a thin cobweb appears covering the upper and lower surface of the leaf.
To combat these parasites, soap, oil or alcohol sets are used, which are applied to a cotton pad and manually remove the pests by wiping the leaves and shoots. Spraying is also carried out with the same means. If the sparing solutions did not help, then it is necessary to carry out the treatment with systemic insecticides (for example, "Aktara", "Aktellik" or "Karbofos").
Interesting facts about Fittonia
If you decide to put this plant at home, then Fittonia will be able to clean the air in the room from harmful microbes and saturate it with moisture. There are bioenergetic opinions that this beauty has a positive effect on a person: it neutralizes the energy of passions, helps to get rid of irritability. If a person spends a long time in a room where Fittonia grows, he will lose secret evil intentions and heavy thoughts. Helps people build relationships with each other. It will help improve sleep.
Fittonia types
- Fittonia giganrea Lind. the largest of all representatives of the genus, reaches a height of up to 60 cm. The stem is upright or obliquely ascending, the shoots tend to lignify over time, are colored violet-red, have pubescence along the entire length. The shape of the leaf plate is in the form of a wide ellipse, reaching a length of 16 cm and a width of 5–10 cm. The color is dark emerald, the surface of the leaf is glossy, speckled with reddish veins. The petiole of the leaf plate measures 4 cm. The inflorescences can reach 10 cm in length and sit on a flower-bearing stem 13-15 cm long. Flowering occurs with buds of a light red shade, shaded with brown undertones, on the lower lip of the corolla, which has a bend, there is a yellow spot … The plant has been grown as a pot culture since 1869. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the humid tropical forests of Peru.
- Fittonia Skeleton. The plant has creeping shoots, highly decorative. The leaf plates are small with a velvet surface, matte. They are completely covered by a pattern of a network of red veins. The color of the leaves is olive color, the color is so intense that it creates a glowing effect from afar.
- Fittonia Mix (Fittonia Gemengd). The plant is a perennial and stunted. Its decoration is leaf plates. Usually, several species are distinguished in this variety, which are grown together. The color of the leaf plates is painted in both light and dark green shades. Bright venation appears on them. It is because of the variety of colors that this plant is so loved by flower growers.
- Fittonia Verschaffelt (Fittonia verschaffeltii Coem.). The plant is distinguished by its short stature, creeping shoots, with short pubescence, rarely exceeding 10 cm in height. At the nodes of the stems, root shoots originate, with which the plant easily takes root, in contact with the soil. The stems of the plant have dense pubescence, are distinguished by numerous branching. When the shoot is still young, its "fluff" casts a silvery shade, later the color changes towards a rich green. The leaf plates grow to a length of 10 cm, are located on the shoots in a regular sequence, have oval outlines, with a rounded or heart-shaped base, are attached to the stem with petioles. The edge of the leaf is solid, the leaf plate is bare, although sometimes it is also slightly pubescent, shimmering with a matte top, painted in a dark green or olive color, permeated with a dense mesh patterning of veins in bright carmine-red shades. Flowering occurs in small, inconspicuous buds, yellowish tint, from which spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, located at the tops of the shoots. Each of the flowers is covered with large bract petals. It has been cultivated as a pot culture since 1867.
In addition to this species, there are hybrid forms with venation of a different shade:
- Fittonia silver-veined (var.argyroneura Nichols (Fittonia argyroneura Coem)) - on the surface of a dark emerald color, the veins show through a purely white (or silvery) shade;
- Dwarf Fittonia (Fittonia microphylla) - differs in the small size of the leaf plate (about 2.5 cm) with the color of the previous variety;
- Fittonia dwarf Perseus (Fittonia verschaffeltii Coem.) in contrast to the main species here, the plant has a bright pink shade of veins on a leaf plate of light olive with green color.
Learn more about Fittonia in this video:
