Fittonias

Q. 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 65ø to 70ø and day temperatures of 75ø to 85ø 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.