Many gardeners are attracted to this small plant with unusually colored tender leaves. However, not everyone decides to have a fittonia in their home, fearing that an exotic guest will require too complicated care. Is it really? In part, this opinion is true, because in natural conditions the culture grows in moist forests, where dry, dry days are a rarity. That is why the main difficulty in growing Fittonia at home is to create the necessary level of humidity.
In the dry air of a city apartment, the plant feels uncomfortable and often dies. In detail about the features of this exotic flower, about growing it, about how care and reproduction of Fittonia are carried out, you will learn by reading this article.
Spread
Fittonia is a plant species that grows naturally in South America. It belongs to the acanthus family. Under natural conditions, the plant is found in the wet marshy forests of Peru, where it was first discovered, less often it can be found in Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia.
The genus is not numerous - according to various sources, it numbers from 3 to 10 species of these herbaceous perennials. The name was given to the plant by the Fitton sisters — Sarah Mary and Elizabeth. Ladies living in Victorian England co-authored a book, Conversations on Botany. In those days, Fittonia was used to create living green carpets in conservatories and greenhouses.
Plant description
The plant is stunted, almost all species are creeping. This feature of fittonia allows you to grow it as a ground cover or ampelous culture. Florists appreciate Fittonia for the beautiful, decorative look of the leaves. They are located on graceful, thin and rather short shoots, so it seems that the shoots create a solid green carpet.
Leaves are paired, located opposite each other throughout the shoot. They are oval in shape, with a pointed tip, painted in light green or in saturated dark emerald color (depending on type). A characteristic feature of this plant is the presence of a pattern on leaf plates, consisting of stripes and spots of contrasting color, located randomly between the veins.
Flowering Fittonia at home is quite rare, and breeding hybrids do not bloom at all. But I would like to reassure those who did not see the flowering of this plant: they lost a little. Small flowers are dull brownish-yellow or grayish in color. Inflorescences in the form of a spikelet or panicle are practically hidden by foliage. Experienced flower growers recommend cutting the buds, preventing their disclosure. Too much power takes a plant to bloom.
Fittonia is not used as a medicinal plant. But the flowers are not poisonous. They can be safely placed in children's rooms. Feng Shui practitioners consider this flower a symbol of the elements of metal. They believe that Fitton discharges the tense atmosphere in the family, absorbing the negative energy that is stored in the house after conflicts and scandals.
Home Care
This beautiful flower is successfully grown in indoor floriculture. As we already said, this plant comes from the tropics, so it needs a rather complicated care.
The culture needs diffused bright light, since direct sunlight can cause burns on the leaves, and a lack of light negatively affects the color of the foliage. In winter, the plant needs to extend daylight hours using special lamps.
Temperature mode
Throughout the year, the indoor temperature should be maintained in the region from +20 to +25 ° C. Sudden changes in temperature and drafts should not be allowed. Fittonia does not apply to plants that feel great outdoors in the summer - this crop can only be grown indoors.
Watering Rules
It is very important that the soil in the pot does not dry out, but moisture stagnation should not be allowed, since the soil will become acidic and root decay will begin. In the summer, watering is carried out after drying of the upper layer, and in winter, the flower is watered two to three days after drying of the top of the soil. For irrigation, only settled soft water is used, slightly above room temperature.
Humidity
Fittonia needs high humidity. This indicator should not be less than 75%. To fulfill this condition, you should spray the air around the plant twice daily. In addition, a container with a flower can be placed in a tray filled with raw pebbles. The foliage should not be sprayed, there is no need to wipe the leaves, as is often done with other plants.
Fertilizer fertilizer
Fittonia fertilizers are needed year-round. A complex mineral top dressing is applied to the soil, in the summer - two times a month, in the winter - once. But the norm indicated in the instructions for the drugs should be halved.
Do I need to transplant the plant after shopping?
Yes, such a procedure is necessary. Having become the owner of a small ornamental plant, the owner should be prepared for the fact that he will have more worries: transplanting, propagation of phytonia, creating suitable conditions for the development of the plant.
Caring for Fittonia begins immediately after a small flower is in your home. The plant needs to find the most suitable place, but first of all it needs to be transplanted. After removing the flower from the store pot, gently brush off the roots, but do not expose them completely. When a plant's root system is open, it is more difficult to take root.
Prepare a low and wide dish (for example, a bonsaynica dish), as the roots of the phyton are located close to the surface. Such dishes, according to gardeners, are more suitable for this exotic plant than others. For hanging planting, as a rule, use a cache-pot. A soil mixture is poured onto a claydite layer. It should be not only wet, but also warm - otherwise your exotic beauty may die.
Annual transplant of an adult plant
In mid-spring, the flower should be replanted every year. At the same time, you can conduct anti-aging pruning, which stimulates the appearance of new shoots. The container for fittonia should be shallow and wide. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom. It can be expanded clay or small pebbles. The following is a layer of soil, which can be independently manufactured in two ways.
Method number 1
To prepare the soil mixture you will need:
- Sand - 1 part.
- Coniferous land - 2 parts.
- Peat - 1 part.
- Sod land - 2 parts.
Method number 2
In this case, one part of the garden soil, pine bark, coconut soil, and also part of the sand are taken. The soil reaction should be slightly acidic, neutral has a bad effect on the well-being of the flower, alkaline is unacceptable.
Fittonia: care and reproduction at home
Fittonia grows very quickly, and a year after planting, a magnificent bush flaunts in a pot. And a year later it begins to decay. The lower leaves on the branches dry and fall off, which does not decorate the plant. Undoubtedly, shaping pruning can be used. But young Fittonia look much more spectacular than the old, even rejuvenated, bush. That is why the reproduction of Fittonia at home is necessary. Not only the appearance of the flower, but also its health depends on this.
Propagation by cuttings
During pruning, collect the cuttings, which should have at least three leaves, their length should not exceed seven centimeters. Planting material is rooted in the sand, covered with a glass jar on top, which will create the effect of a greenhouse. The temperature in it should be at least +25 ° C. From time to time, the jar should be removed to spray and ventilate the handle.
After a month, it can be removed, and when the seedlings get stronger, they can be transplanted into a substrate for adult plants. Most gardeners believe that propagation of Fittonia by cuttings at home is the most reliable and easiest way.
Bush division
During the annual transplant, a large bush can be divided. This method of propagation of Fittonia flowers is extremely simple. You can start it in the spring. The bush is divided by hands, as if breaking it into pieces. It is better to refuse to use a knife so as not to accidentally damage the plant. Despite the fact that the roots of Fittonia are thin and thick, they are quite easily separated. Separated parts are immediately planted in separate containers.
Since they already have a developed root system, they take root quickly and without loss. This is a simple and convenient method of reproduction, which even beginners in floriculture can handle.
Propagation by layering
If your bush has released long shoots, take advantage of this situation and make layering. Breeding Fittonia in this way is quite effective. To do this, remove leaves from the central part of the twig and dig it in the same container. If there is not enough space in the pot, put an extra pot with light and nutritious ground next to it.
In the place of instillation, fix the stalk with a regular paper clip. The top of the twig with leaves should remain above the surface of the soil. This will be the new bush. When the layering strengthens the roots, it is separated from the mother bush with a sharp knife.
Original methods of growing Fittonia. Aquarium
Planting a plant in a special aquarium, a glass jar, and even in a bottle - these are spectacular and simple ways to grow this plant. In addition, they relieve the owner of constant care about the necessary moisture. Pick up a container that closes tightly with a lid. Pour a suitable, abundantly watered substrate to the bottom. Carefully drop the fittonia and close the jar. The composition can be supplemented with colored pebbles, decorative figures, moss. After the appearance of condensation, the lid is removed for a half to two hours. After a week, this will stop, because the microclimate is normalizing.
Paludarium
If you want to reproduce at home as close as possible to the natural conditions of habitat fittonia, you will have to purchase a paludarium. This is a special aquarium that simulates a swamp. Equipment is attached to it, which allows maintaining the humidity and illumination necessary for the plant.