Hi Esther,

Not sure what's going on w/ this but I somewhat agree w/ Toni on this, these plants can be tricky to grow. Your 1st comment abt crisp leaves, curved downward sounds fine; I don't see a problem there.

They definitely don't want direct sun or strong light & they do require a fair amount of humidity. I have only succeeded w/ them in 2 distinct settings, both w/ high humidity.

One was the bathroom window, next to the shower, they got bright indirect light & lots of humidity from the shower. The other was in a terrarium (just a glass globe), which helped retain much humidity. Also made a terrarium as a housewarming gift, 2 yrs. later it's still going strong.

Generally speaking, letting a plant wilt to indicate when it needs water can eventually kill the plant (have lost some Peace Lilies like this) as it causes the plant stress. After a few times, it becomes more & more of a struggle for the plant to come back from it.

Wilty, spinach-lookling leaves in a Fittonia are signs of thirst. It'd be best to learn the plant's watering needs if you can, then adhere to that schedule.

EA plants can have strange mix that doesn't dry out right. You could change the mix completely (to something 'houseplanty', like equal parts of peat, perlite & vermiculite). You could also take cuttings of the plant & start them over in all new mix. When the plant recovers, they do best when pinched back often & put the pinchings back into the mother plant to keep it full & lush.

My home reference book suggest misting these is helpful. I never needed it as I grew it in naturally humid conditions. Pebble trays are an absolute must for this plant. Good luck w/it!

And don't forget that wilt symptoms can also be caused by chronic over watering, especially with potting mediums that are mucky and slow to drain. Root death caused by the soggy environment means that the plant is no longer able to take up moisture from the soil....even though there is plenty of it available. Results=wilt. :-(

I love fittonias and have several of them. I recentley moved and had to put all my plants in a truck where it was very hot and dark. I was devastated to find some of my fittonias extremely limp. I watered them lightley and put them in a air conditioned room. Within 1 hour or less they bounced back like nothing happend!! I was very surprised. I thought I had lost them for good. To me, fittonias have been extremely easy to grow and propagate. I have them on my kitchen counter next to a window a few feet away so they don't get direct sun but get plenty of light. I've also had them in places where there's hardley any light at all. I just make sure they keep moist not soggy. I let them dry out a little before I water them again and I never mist them and they do fine. Of course, I live in florida so our weather is really kind to all sorts of plants. My husband jokes with everyone telling them if one of my plants were dying next to him, i would save the plant first lol totally not true.

Wow, thank you all for responding. Well, for the past few days, the fittonia looks good. Thanks for the info on curling, crisp leaves; that did worry me. It is on a pebble tray and seems to be enjoying itself. I don't have a humidifier, but may get one as the winter progresses.

Thanks again!!
:-D
Esther

By the way, smithjm, my husband says the same thing--I greet the plants when I come home before I greet him. Ahhh well.... ;D

Otter, bet your husband's happy about that..plants first..pets second, and husband third..LOL..Toni

I am also having a problem with my fittonia drooping. I have had this plant for two years and it was doing great until a few weeks ago. Now the leaves are yellowing, the branches are drooping and seem to be curling up. I have been having relatives staying with me lately and suspect that the poor plant might have been over-watered by my well-meaning houseguests. I told everyone not to water for the last week or so, but it is still not getting better. I recently put one of those Miracle Grow plant food sticks in the pot with it (first time ever doing this), so could that be the problem? Yesterday, I replanted it in a bigger pot and used new soil this time so I am hoping it will get better. Any suggestions or ideas? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Sandra