Nerve Plant - Fittonia
Sprouts of BristolNerve Plants are some of the most eye-catching plants we stock, with their bright variegations drawing comparisons to spiderwebs, riverbeds, nets and nerves. They like consistent levels of water and humidity and can thrive as terrarium plants as well as in their own pots. Each pot contains a small group of Fittonia plants which grow together to form a bushy mound of bright foliage with its nervous system of red, pink or white tracing.
Scientific Name
Fittonia (Fittons' plant)
Once classified as Gymnostachyum argyroneurum/ verschaffeltii, these plants were reclassified under the genus Fittonia as the species argyroneurum for those with white veins, and verschaffeltii for those with red or pink veins. They were then reclassified as the same species, Fittonia albivenis, after research published in a botanical journal in 1979, with two cultivar groups: Argyroneurum, with white veins, and Verschaffeltii, with pin or red veins.
Fitton in the name of this plant is in honour of Elizabeth and Sarah Mary Fitton, authors of the 19th century book 'Conservations on Botany'.
Common Name
White Nerve Plant, Mosaic Plant, Silver Fittonia, Silver Nerve, Silver Threads, Silver-net Plant, Snakeskin Plant, Nerve Plant
Origin
Native to tropical rainforests in South America, especially Columbia and Peru.
Descriptio
Light
Bright, indirect light works best; if you notice yellowing lower leaves on your Fittonia, it could probably do with a little more light.
Water
Water when the soil starts to dry out to keep it evenly moist. Be careful not to leave your Nerve Plant with soggy roots in a darker spot or in winter as this can cause issues. If they get a little too dry, nerve plants will wilt dramatically; if you keep an eye out for this and water as soon as you notice it, they should perk right back up!
Humidity
Fittonia will thrive with higher humidity, so consider misting or adding a pebble tray to help them stay hydrated. Misting occasionally will also help stop the leaves from getting dusty!
Soil
Use a well-draining but moisture-retentive soil, perhaps with added perlite or coir. A mix designed for Calatheas or Marantas works well here. Repot every few years as your nerve plants grow; they will grow faster in wide, shallow pots as they're used to creeping along the ground.
Food
Feed every three waters in the growing season, reduce to every four in autumn and winter. To protect the roots, water before fertilising!
Temperature
Ideal temperature is 18-24°C; make sure it does not get colder than 15°C in winter.
Pet-safe
Yes, but too much nibbling won't be good for pets, small humans or the plant!
Sprouts Top Tips
Keep an eye on your Fittonia's leaves for signs of over- or under-watering. Either way they will wilt; you can tell which issue you are having by checking the soil. If it is wet to the touch or when you squeeze the top slightly, it has been overwatered and needs to dry out; if the pot feels light and the soil bone dry it will need a good water.
Important Information
If you have any questions, please check out the below or get in touch via our contact formWe're devoted to sending our customers quality plants with the best service around. Every plant is backed by our 7-day guarantee, so they arrive in good health.
Our team takes extra steps when prepping plants for transportation, but they're still sensitive to changes, so there may be minor cosmetic issues. We always aim to photograph and disclose any flaws before shipping, but a living creature travelling across the country in a box can take a hot minute to adjust to its new life.
If you have any issues within 7 days of receiving your order, holler at our customer support team on our contact form with your order details and some pics of the issue. After the guarantee has expired, though, we can't refund as we can't guarantee care and environmental factors. If you repot the plant during the 7 days, the guarantee is void.
We have been sending plants up and down the country for many year now and we like to think we have our way down to an art.
We protect the plant from falling out of the soil with tissue paper and tape if needed, then we wrap the plant in corrugated cardboard, and sometimes we protect the leaves with extra tissue paper if required. This is then placed into a box and if there is any empty space, we fill this with void fill to stop the plants moving around inside the box. Sometimes we will write a note on your packing slip to water the plant on arrival, so please look out for this. This is due a freshly watered plant going in a box will not only be soggy, but as the plant is in darkness this can sometimes make the plant unhappy when just freshly watered.
If your plant arrives to you unhappy, please send us a photo of the plant and packaging if relevant straight away, so we can advise you.
Online orders are packed and dispatched within a few days. Usually depending on volumes, we aim to get your order dispatched within 1 working day. We have collections from Royal Mail 6 days a week so deliveries tend to be speedy.
Our standard parcel delivery service is £4.99 for Royal Mail Tracked48, you can upgrade to Tracked24 for £2.50.
We do offer a Tracked48 Large Letter option for £2.99, and Tracked24 for £1 extra, but this only applies to products less than 2.5cm thick.
*Deliveries 7 days a week only included Tracked24 parcels.
Link to your shipping policy
We get a lot of boxes, packaging and whatnot at Sprouts from all our various supplier's deliveries. We re-use this packaging material where possible, plus we take in donations from local businesses and customers to our shop to avoid excess packaging going to landfill. Sometimes your delivery might look a little different, or come in a branded box from another company, but rest assured the items inside are carefully packed with love and attention inside. We use paper tape and all our branded materials included are fully recyclable. Sometimes we use polystyrene, bubble wrap or plastic wrap in the packaging, all these items are not new and where possible, please use them again.
We have partnered with Zedify to offer low-carbon deliveries in Central Bristol for £6.99.
Zedify collect and deliver orders from us Monday - Friday and will usually deliver your order the same day its collected. If you place your order before 11am, we will aim to get it collected the same day but this isnt always possible. When you have received your dispatch email, Zedify should be delivering your order the same day, anytime before 6pm.
We cannot give an idea of time, but if you would prefer delivery on a certain date (Monday - Friday) please get in touch or leave a note at check out with your preferred delivery date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Zedify deliver to the following postcodes BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8 (1, 2, 3A - 3N, 4), BS9 (1,3,4).
Select click and collect at checkout to collect your order from our Bristol shop.
You will get an email when your order is ready to collect, where possible please come and collect your order the same day as we have limited space. If you are going to collect your order at a later date, please let us know in the message box at check out so we know when to expect you. Some items such as gift sets, kits and pre-order items may not be ready to collect the same day, again please let us know what day you would like to collect and we will let you know if there's any issues.
We do not offer free returns, but if you are unhappy with your delivery, please get in touch. If your parcel or order has been damaged, please take photos and send these over to our team so we can look into this for you.
If you have ordered an item and you would like to exchange it, we should be able to do this for you. There may be an extra charge for delivery, but get in touch to discuss. For plants there is a 7 day return policy and 30 days for everything else, apart from sale items which are none returnable.
You can return or exchange in our Bristol shop for free.
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