How to Make a Fittonia Terrarium (Simple & Easy Guide) (2024)

FAQs

Can Fittonia grow in a terrarium? ›

Fittonia are a truly classic terrarium plant. Loving warmth, moisture, and humidity; they thrive in a closed terrarium environment. With characteristic bold colors and deeply veined leaves (hence, Nerve Plants) they draw the eye and demand your attention.

Your Fittonia will thrive in average room temperatures between 65-80 degrees. Avoid cold drafts and direct airflow from heaters in the winter months. Your Fittonia will appreciate higher humidity levels. You can boost the humidity with frequent misting, placing a humidifier nearby, or using a pebble tray.

Fittonia roots well in both water and potting soil. You only need a small bit of the mother plant to cultivate a whole new nerve plant.

Their high humidity and moisture requirements make Fittonia great for terrariums. Though they're also commonly used as houseplants and as filler plants in hanging baskets.

Terrariums are easy to make, and you can make them in almost any size. Start with a clear, clean glass container. It will be easier to add the plants if you choose one with an opening large enough to let you reach inside, but you can make a simple tool to use for small openings.

A terrarium is a miniature garden grown inside a covered glass or plastic container.

The objective here is to open the terrarium and spray the interior glass walls. Ensure the water is running down the sides of the glass, rather than being sprayed directly onto the soil. Rotate in a 360-degree motion. Continue spraying until all sides of the glass are covered, then close the terrarium.

Terrariums love bright INDIRECT sunlight, a place near a bright window but not in beams of the sun. A north-facing window is great. Aim for 4 to 6 hours of indirect sunshine a day. Do not move your plants around to follow the sun or to avoid it.

How often should I water my Fittonia terrarium? ›

In the growing season you should water your Fittonia every 3-4 days, but let the soil dry out between each watering. In the Winter, once a fortnight should be enough. Nerve Plants don't like having wet feet so avoid letting them sit in water for prolonged periods of time.

If you don't keep your Fittonia in a terrarium, just make sure to mist it every day, just to keep the humidity high enough. Luckily the plant will let you know when it's not getting enough water. It'll start to droop and its leaves will get crisp.

Fittonia can be finicky: They don't like direct sunlight, which damages their leaves, and they need careful watering or their leaves will dry up and become brittle or brown around the edges. Keep soil barely moist at all times and give it a regular misting or place it on a tray of wet pebbles.

Fittonia grows well in standard potting soil with a peat moss base. It prefers a slightly acidic soil pH (6.5). The soil should retain some moisture but should also drain well.

Temperature and Humidity

Since Fittonia are from Peru, they need a humid environment to thrive. A bathroom with enough light or a kitchen windowsill would be a great place for your Fittonia to grow. They also love a humid terrarium.

Fittonia Albivenis is NOT an aquarium plant. Submerging this plant in an aquarium will kill it!

Terrarium containers do not have drainage holes, so it is important to create drainage layers to prevent plant roots from rotting. Start by putting a 2-inch layer of coarse gravel, sea glass, or beach stones on the bottom of your container.

What type of soil works best in terrariums? Coco – coir, peat moss or houseplant soil works with most plants, besides succulents which prefer a well-drained inorganic medium. Some people choose to make their own soil but if you're short on time, garden store houseplant soil works just fine.

Step 1: Begin with top down visual inspection of your fittonias. Step 2: Identify the secondary branches from the main branch. Step 3-4: When pruning a small branch, cut a lateral branch or bud. The cut must be sharp and clean.

What ingredients do you need for a terrarium? ›

For moss terrariums, they need a light water once a week. For plant-heavy terrariums, they need to be watered twice a week. Use a spray gun or a terrarium water bottle that has a pointy nozzle to help guide the water. Make sure your terrarium is not in direct sunlight to avoid the plants over heating and drying out.

Sand and Charcoal for Drainage

Your DIY terrarium will need a layer of sand and crushed charcoal to help with drainage so the plants don't rot. And in the average-sized terrarium, a 1-in. layer of a sand/charcoal mix is sufficient when your learning how to build a terrarium.

A terrarium is like an aquarium, but for plants instead of fish. It is made in just about any glass container. It is planted to look like a miniature garden or forest enclosed in its own little world. You can easily make a beautiful terrarium yourself.

A terrarium basically has 4 main layers. They are, in order from the ground up, the gravel, moss, soil and decorative layer.

In theory, a perfectly balanced closed terrarium – under the right conditions – should continue to thrive indefinitely. The longest known terrarium lasted on its own for 53 years. They may even outlast us!

Water straight from the tap isn't ideal for terrariums. Chlorine isn't great for plants, but at the levels present in tap water, it's unlikely to do much damage. You can always let tap water sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate off.

A closed lidded terrarium is a contained eco-system. Over time it will maintain a stable level of moisture on it's own and require very little water or care. The moisture from the plants will condense on the ceiling and sides of the glass and then recycle their droplets like rain.

NEVER pour water into your terrarium. Water should be added a little at a time using a misting bottle to avoid overwatering as there is nowhere for excess water to go. If your terrarium has large droplets of condensation on the glass then it has plenty of moisture and shouldn't be watered.

Why is my terrarium dying? ›

In the case of a terrarium, the most likely causes are either too much water or too much sunlight. Check the soil to see if it's dry or still wet. If it's dry, it just needs more water. If it's wet, your plants roots may be rotting, potentially due to overwatering.

Please water using a spray bottle once a week, with at least 10 to 15 squirt sprays (not mister) per plant. Heating and hot weather can dry out your terrarium quickly, so if your plants are looking dry and thirsty please spray some water more than once a week.

Any LED grow light near a terrarium is most likely going to do the trick (provided it's a regular size). Here's a flexible terrarium lighting setup I use (usually just in the Winter).

Your fittonia does not need a lot of food. Feed it every couple of weeks in spring and summer with a liquid plant food, diluted to half the recommended strength. If the plant becomes straggly, prune the stems with sharp scissors or shears. New leaves will form at the cut tips, creating a fuller more compact shape.

To water fittonia plants, put the pot in a sink or bathtub and wet the growing media until it is fully saturated. Let the excess water run through the pot's drainage holes. It does not matter how much water is applied at once, as long as there are drainage holes in the pot.

Growing Fittonia Albivenis is very easy for beginners, since it doesn't mind low light. This pretty little indoor plant adds a distinctive touch to your home decor. The variety of fittonia is also known as Pink Angel. and is a distinctive plant with dark green leaves which have brightly colored pink veins.

Otherwise known as the nerve plant or mosaic plant, Fittonia is a popular air-purifying houseplant due to its lush, patterned leaves. Not only is it a beautiful plant, but it also has some amazing air-purifying benefits. It is effective at removing benzene, toluene, and trichloroethylene from the air.

Incredibly dry soil

Be sure you're not underwatering your Fittonia. Keep a consistent watering schedule–water when the top 1-2” of soil are dry. If you accidentally let your Fittonia's soil dry out completely, you may see fronds droop, crisp up, and leaves fall.

Fittonia grows well in standard potting soil with a peat-moss base. Any conventional potting soil mix and standard houseplant pot with bottom drainage holes will work for Fittonia. Repot Fittonia annually in spring or early summer, around the same time you repot the rest of your tropical houseplants.

Keep It Trimmed

If your fittonia starts to get leggy, as they often do, trim it back to keep it full and use the cuttings to make more plants or put them back in the pot to keep it full and looking good.

Can Fittonia leaves get wet? ›

Never let your Fittonia sit in water. Always discard excess water. Wilting Fittonia plants can also occur if the soil is too dry, and this is one of the most common reasons for wilted, droopy looking plants. When you notice your plant wilting, again, check the soil with your finger.

Succulents, violets, moss and many tropical plants grow well in terrariums—just make sure your plant choices all have the same watering needs.

This terrarium plant can also be placed in a paludarium or aquarium. Very popular and different to other plants with red leaves with green nerves. As with all other live decoration plants the life span is a couple of months in an aquarium.

Stay away from selecting succulents or semi-succulents as they will eventually rot due to the high humidity. Mosses are regularly used in terrariums because they grow well in high humidity, don't need a lot of light, and don't have roots, which is a win for the other plants you plan on using.

Do terrariums need air? Yes, but plants in airtight, or closed terrariums, recycle air. During the day, sunlight promotes the growth of sugars during the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, releasing it into the terrarium.

A terrarium basically has 4 main layers. They are, in order from the ground up, the gravel, moss, soil and decorative layer.

Terrariums love bright INDIRECT sunlight, a place near a bright window but not in beams of the sun. A north-facing window is great. Aim for 4 to 6 hours of indirect sunshine a day. Do not move your plants around to follow the sun or to avoid it.

Fittonia grows well in standard potting soil with a peat moss base. It prefers a slightly acidic soil pH (6.5). The soil should retain some moisture but should also drain well.