Hi Angel, Thx for the pic. While I root many things in water, Fittonias are not one of them. I only ever pinch & return the pinched bits (2-3 prs. of leaves usually) into the mother pot to root there. I'd try a much smaller container to water root them. I'd pot them up after the root attains an inch in length & them cover the entire thing in plastic, blow up the bag & seal it shut. Wait 'til you see new growth to gradually open the bag a bit at a time. Until you see that new growth, open the bag every 3 days or so, blow into it again & seal it back up. This both restores humidity & circulates the air in there, both necessary for good growth (& to stave off any rot). Fittonias grow as a forest ground cover but require a lot of humidity. I've only ever succeeded in growing it either in terrariums or in my bathroom window. Also may I pls. disagree about NOT changing their water, just top it off by adding to it. The reason is that it's said that water rooting cuttings exude a growth hormone that helps / makes them grow, so I leave it be. In readings I've seen mention of this same effect of helping them (like a rooting hormone), in something like willow cuttings (IIRC - if I recall correctly). When I first moved into my current apartment some 25 yrs. ago, I carried in my arms as an armful (in the moving truck) a large terrarium full of small leafed green & white Fittonias (just like yours). The mover must have asked to buy it at least 3 times, no dice. I had it for a number of yrs. before I got tired of it & the space hog that terrarium was (needed for other plants). When my sister took a new apartment about 5 yrs. ago, I gave her as a housewarming present, a terrarium full of the larger, red veined Fittonias. I got in her house & hid it, 'til she stepped away & I could put it out in a showy place. She took one look & started jumping up & down w/ glee -- I just love a well planned housewarming gift! Good luck w/ yours!

Hi Frank, Don't feel bad about not wanting to repot your plant. No novice wants to repot their plants. I'm assuming that you are a novice. It's a little bit like skydiving. You just have to go for it and know that the parachute will open. Yes you are correct in that you can start a new plant from just stem cuttings. They don't need to have any roots on them to begin with. With this plant stem cuttings root very easily if put into moist soil and then put into a clear plastic bag (not in direct sun light). It's even possible they may root without the plastic bag but why put these plants under that kind of stress. My feeling is do what is going to maximize one's success. Along with starting a new plant you can also try to save the mother plant. Again I gave you those instructions. If anything about saving the mother plant doesn't make sense to you then ask away. I am perfectly happy to explain things in more detail if need be. With a porous soil, goldfish plants should do very well without having to work very hard. Giving the plant a good watering until water comes out the bottom of the pot is the way to do it. This is pretty much true of any plant for that matter. Then let the soil are you heard so you've already too are OK every 5 minutes to do this dry out and stay dry for about a day and then repeat the cycle. I don't think you did anything wrong. I think that problem is with the soil. Many greenhouses plant their plants in very dense soil. I'm not sure why. It may be that they don't have to water the plants as often. But I really don't know. All I know is that it happens and it is a real problem for people when they bring their plants home. The reason I don't think you did anything wrong is because you only watered the plant two times in six weeks. That should've been plenty of time for the plant to have dried out in between waterings. The fact that the soil did not dry out is probably because of two factors. First the plant is not absorbing any water from the soil because of root damage and the soil is so dense that it is holding a tremendous amount of water that will not evaporate very quickly. Goldfish plants are not bog of plants. They need to have some air in the soil for the roots to be healthy. If the soil is too dense then there is no place for air pockets to exist. When this happens the roots basically drown. Goldfish plants are epiphytes or tree dwellers. These epiphytes grow in trees in the rain forests of the Americans and the Caribbean. They basically grow in the area where branches meet the trunks of trees. There's usually a little cavity where decayed leaves and such collect. The goldfish plant seeds germinate there and that is their native habitat. The medium is very airy and not saturated with water. You ask about light. Goldfish plants like to have strong indirect light or direct light that is before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. They can get a little sun burnt if they get direct sunlight in the middle of the day. That's about all I can think of at the moment. Again if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask. Good luck on your plant propagating. Larry

it seems the problem is the soil. for most plants with browning edges - the plant cannot absorb enough water thru the roots. the abovementioned cj-speciosa fab plant (see link) was planted in miracle grow peat-based soilless mix. jkatz, if your soil does not dry out 1" from top in one week - you need either a. to change the soil to a faster draining mix, b. remix what you got with may be 30-50% perlite c. or at least put it back into a smaller pot - so it'll dry out the top 1" in a week - and then you water it until it drips from the bottom. cj-speciosa lets it stand in water ... which is surely against all advice, but if it works - why not? go see the plant... but you can try experimenting to see how fast it'll absorb some small amt of standing water. if it's fast, it should be ok. the bathroom should be fine - tiny so window into proly will be great, since it won't get that much sun. try it but watch it closely. if it starts folding leaves daytime - it's too much light. oh, and these prefer wide shallow pots - like azalea/mums or hanging! pots. asleep - aquarium heater is a great idea. optimally I need smth with zero-maint when I am away for 2-3 weeks :).. but i'll keep it in mind for the future. the added bonus of dry-cleaners bag tents: you can set it up anywhere the plant is and it's free! and you can put them on rather large plants, I use them for 2'-3' high plants which would be impossible to stuff into aqua/terrarium. rooftopbklyn - am dying to know what size is the pot and what soil it's in. you have a great plant! when you water you plant how moist /dry is the top soil? and how large is your plant? it looks like a 3' wide giant!

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!