Herself's Houseplants

fittonia

Fittonia is a native of Peru and loves moisture and warm temperatures.

I did every thing you could do wrong with this plant and still it thrived. I think as long as you give it high humidity and don’t let the soil dry out it will forgive anything else you might do to it. I’ve grown this one almost entirely under the table lamp in the parlor. It is in a north facing room that has a covered porch outside the windows and so it is a very dark room. And the plant is not even near the window. This will make a great office plant.

It is in a bowl with out drainage and likes being wet. It will die if the soil dries. Be sure to check it daily. If you find your fittonia wilted you did not water it enough. Sometimes if you water it and keep up the watering it will come back to life for you.  But the recommended method is to grow it in well drained soil and water frequently.

This is a fast growing plant, it has doubled in size in the month since we acquired it. It will only get to about 6″ tall, new growth is spreading.  It also works very well in hanging baskets.

See also:
Pruning house plants

I killed off many of these before I got the hang of growing them. They do not like heat, nor do they like to have the soil be dry.

Soil should be kept moist. Do not let the soil go dry. Put the fern in the sink, let the water run over it. Once the water stops coming out of the bottom of the pot hang it back up.

They prefer it to be both cool and damp. So if you have a drafty window or door you can place the plant near it’ll be much happier. Or place it near your humidifier.

Light needs are minimal for ferns. They will be happy in a north or east facing window. Or you can place them in the interior of a well lit room. They are one of the few plants that can do well indoors away from a window.

Ferns are excellent plants for cleaning the air in your home.

See also:
Clean the air with house plants

Credits:
Thanks for the photo

More information:
Ferns require humid conditions