Fittonia - planting, care and reproduction at home, photo species

Fittonia mix. A photo

Fittonia is a popular ornamental plant of the Acanthus family, famous for its unusual foliage pattern. A pot with this flower decorates the apartment and office, becomes a colorful accent, attracting everyone's attention.

The following information will help you create a brief preliminary idea of ​​this beauty.

• Origin. Homeland Fittonia - Peru. This South American country is characterized by tropical and subequatorial types of climate, so the plant is accustomed to warmth and abundant humidity.
• The size. The motley beauty reaches 10 cm in height and 30 cm in width

	Every year Fittonia grows by about 8-10 cm per year.
	Small greenish flowers are not valuable to the owner, it is recommended to even remove them.
	The plant is easy to grow.
	This perennial is recommended to be renewed every 2 or 3 years ...

Useful properties of Fittonia

In the room where the Fittonia stands, a comfortable atmosphere is created, because this plant perfectly cleans and disinfects the air. Often a pot with this colorful beauty is placed in the bedroom, because it normalizes sleep. Esotericists are convinced that the flower has a beneficial effect on the energy in the house. Since its leaves are non-toxic, you can not worry if pets want to eat them.

Fittonia care at home. Briefly

Fittonia at home will delight for a long time with beautiful and colorful conditions, if it is provided with optimal, comfortable care.

Temperature mode	In the summer of Fittonia, a temperature range of +21 is suitable0From to +270C, if the days are especially hot, to preserve the life of the plant, you need to provide it with increased humidity. In winter, you should not lower the temperature to +180FROM.
Air humidity	Fittonia requires a high level of humidity. You should regularly spray the leaves with warm water, and it is recommended to put the pot in a pan where there is wet gravel. In winter, when central heating radiators are very hot, you should not keep the pot away from them.
Lighting	The plant tolerates shade better than direct sunlight. A pot with it can be put on a window that faces east.
Watering	Fittonia needs abundant watering: 1-2 times a day in summer, but in winter irrigation should be reduced to 1 time per week.
Priming	The ideal soil for this motley flower is a combination of turf land, leafy land, coarse sand and peat.
Fertilizer and fertilizer	Additional nutrition is needed Fittonia 1 time in 2 weeks. A liquid fertilizer diluted with water is suitable.
Transfer	This process is recommended to be carried out once a year, preferably in the spring. An ideal pot should have a hole in the bottom, with a sufficient drainage system. You do not need a pot that is too tall, because the root system of this plant is not too large.
Fittonia breeding	Fittonia is propagated by cuttings. It is necessary to cut the stem from 5 to 8 cm long, and plant it in wet sand. Top should cover it with plastic wrap. If the temperature is comfortable for fittonia (+210C), the roots will appear very soon. Another method of propagation is by seeds, which are sown in a tray with soil consisting of peat and sand. Seeds need to be slightly covered with earth and covered with a film or glass. The seeds should germinate in a dark place, and then the sprouts must be transferred to the light.
Growing Features	The plant loves fresh air, but fades with drafts. To ensure its branching, it is recommended to regularly trim it. In young shoots, the tips are nipped.

Fittonia care at home. In detail

For every grower who has Fittonia, home care is well known. Every little thing is important so that the plant feels good and it pleases for a long time with its colorful beauty.

Landing

Planting Fittonia seeds is mainly performed in May. This process is divided into the following steps:

1. Soil preparation. It is necessary to mix peat, sand, turf and coniferous land. The soil is recommended to be pre-steamed or doused with boiling water.
2. Capacity preparation. Expanded clay drainage should be put at its bottom, and soil should be laid on it.
3. Planting seeds in moist soil. From above they need to be lightly sprinkled with soil.
4. Creating a greenhouse climate. To do this, cover the container with a plastic bag or glass.

Care must be taken to keep the soil moist. The temperature in the room is allowed in the range from +22⁰From to +25⁰C. As soon as the first shoots appear, the coating must be removed. When the leaves appear, you need to plant them in separate small pots.

Flowering fittonia

The owners of this plant differ in their attitude to flowering. Someone considers them unnecessary and cuts off. And someone is happy with their appearance.

The flowers are small, white. If the plant variety is hybrid, flowering is not expected.

Temperature mode

Interval from +20⁰From to +24⁰C is most comfortable for room fittonia. If the temperature drops below, the development of the plant slows down, the growth stops.

Temperature below +8⁰With fatal: Fittonia loses foliage, and then completely dies. Although the plant needs fresh air and the room needs to be ventilated, drafts and sudden temperature changes are not allowed. Therefore, it is not recommended to put the pot on the terrace or balcony, even in summer.

Spraying

Home Fittonia loves high humidity, there are three ways to provide it:

• Regularly spray leaves with settled water at room temperature.
• Place the pot in a tray with moss or wet expanded clay.
• Use an automatic humidifier.

In winter, it is necessary to protect the plant from direct warm radiation of radiators.

Lighting

Fittonia needs good lighting, but with intense light it can fade. If the pot is standing on a window facing the south or west side, it is necessary to provide protection from direct sunlight by hanging the tulle. If the window looks north, the plant does not receive enough sunlight, and it must be supplemented with fluorescent lamps.

Optimal lighting from windows facing east.

Watering

Indoor fittonia requires regular and plentiful watering, since a large amount of moisture evaporates from the surface of its leaves. However, even here excess water is dangerous, because of which the roots of the plant begin to rot. Lack of moisture is dangerous because the plant will lose leaves. Watering in winter is less intense than in summer.

Water for irrigation is used rain, filtered or settled.

Fittonia pot

It is important to choose the right pot for this plant, since its quality depends on the comfort and longevity of Fittonia. Drainage holes are required through which excess moisture is released.

The size of the pot should not be too large, otherwise the root system will develop deeper, and Fittonia at home will grow more slowly.

The material for the pot is opaque plastic or glazed ceramic.

Fitton soil

Mixtures of "Violet" and "Geranium", which are sold in stores, are not bad for a fittonia plant. You can also prepare the soil yourself by mixing turf soil, coniferous land, peat and sand.

It is necessary to ensure that the soil is loose and moist.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

At the end of the dormant period, the phytonthium begins to grow intensively, and then it is recommended to help her with regular feeding. Mineral complex fertilizers are often used, which must be applied once every 2 weeks.

It should be remembered that the flower Fittonia at home is highly sensitive to minerals and fades when they are in excess, therefore, it is necessary to plant mineral fertilizers in water in a volume that is half that specified in the instructions.

Fittonia transplant

When the plant is young, it must be transplanted every year, in the spring. When the home Fittonia is already adult, this procedure is carried out less often: 1 time in 2-3 years.

A suitable transplant method is transshipment, as replacing soil can damage fragile shoots.

How to prune fitany?

The pruning procedure is the same as the transplant. This is done to rejuvenate the plant, improve its condition. Cut shoots that are stretched during the dormant period.

In addition to pruning, you still need to pinch the tops of young shoots so that the fittonia does not grow up, but in breadth.

Rest period

This is such a period during which the plant "rests", it requires less watering and fertilizer. Autumn and winter months enter the resting period of Fittonia, however, and during them you should not forget about watering - although it is reduced, it is necessary. It is also necessary to ensure a constant temperature throughout the year.

Fittonia breeding

There are three main ways of propagating this plant:

Propagation of Fittonia by cuttings

This is the most popular and easiest method. The top of the shoot is taken as a handle, which is cut off with a sharp blade or scalpel at the level of the 4th pair of leaves, counting from above. The lower leaves of the handle need to be removed, and then it is planted in the prepared soil. The container with the handle is covered with a package to get a greenhouse effect. After a few days, the stalk roots, leaves new leaves. Instead of a container with soil, the stalk can also take root in a jar of water. This method is more convenient, because through the transparent walls you can track the appearance of roots.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

The mother plant is removed from the pot, its roots are cleaned, and then its "daughters" are separated with a sharp knife. It is necessary to cut, not tear the plant. Separated "daughters" need to be planted in pots, and then the soil at their roots should be compacted so that no sinuses appear.

Breeding Fittonia by layering

To get layering, you need to choose a shoot, remove the lower leaves from it, tilt it to the ground and sprinkle it with soil to keep it in this position. The plant needs to be watered and fed as usual. After a few days, layering is rooted. Then it should be separated from the donor plant and transplanted into an individual pot. The appearance of new leaves confirms that the plant has taken root and feels great.

Diseases and Pests

When growing Fittonia, the following problems may occur:

• Fittonia leaves dry and curl - the air in the room is too dry or the sunlight is too intense.
• Leaves curled and sagged - the plant does not have enough moisture. Apparently, they forgot to water it for a long time.
• Fittonia leaves drooped - the room is too cold.
• Lower leaves turn yellow - the plant is subjected to too intense watering.
• Fittonia leaves fall - the plant is cold.
• Fittonia leaves lose their color - the plant is exposed to too much solar radiation.

The following pests can also attack Fittonia:

• aphid;
• whitefly;
• spider mite;
• thrips;
• mealybug.

Types of home fittonia with photos and names

The most popular types of this plant are:

Fittonia Vershaffelt

This low plant has large oval leaves and branching stems.

Fittonia Silver-veined

The name describes the pattern of leaves: silver streaks cover their entire surface.

Fittonia Fortissimo

The leaves of the plant are round, bright green with pink veins.

Fittonia Frankie

The coral elongated leaves are decorated with an olive strip around the entire perimeter.

Fittonia Josan

Red leaves are complemented by a green border.

Fittonia Pearcei

Pink veins adorn velvety green leaves.

Fitton Mosaic Kings Cross

This plant has an unusual appearance: the leaves are distinguished by a soft white shade, and their edges are not straight, but wavy.

Fittonia Skeleton

A network of red veins covers the entire surface of olive-yellow leaves.

Fittonia is a beautiful plant that is highly regarded for its bizarre patterns on the leaves. Although this Peruvian beauty can be called picky, it is in our power to provide her with the necessary warmth and care. And in gratitude she will decorate the room for a long time, raising her mood with her colorful outfit.

Watch the video: Fittonia Propagation. Soil vs Water (November 2024).