Fittonia is also known as the nerve plant is a tough plant. But can fittonia plant grow in your low-light place!
In this article, I will answer this question. Plus I will tell you the best light intensity for fittonia. And where you should put your fittonia in your indoor place.
But before diving deep into the details I will put the answer for our main question as simple as this: can fittonia grow in low light? Fittonia can grow in relatively low light. But it will thrive in bright indirect sunlight. While it will not tolerate direct sunlight as direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.
Keep reading to know why fittonia needs light. And the best spots for your indoor fittonia.
Why fittonia needs light
Fittonia needs light in order to make its food. Fittonia turns water and carbon dioxide into food ( sugar) through a process called photosynthesis.
This process requires energy. The required energy comes from sunlight rays. Therefore fittonia needs some amount of light in order to survive.
The secret to successful gardening is to understand how your plant lives in its native habitat. Then trying to mimic its native habitat in your place as much as you can.
Fittonia is native to the rainforests, in the rainforest fittonia grows on the forest’s floor where there is low indirect light.
Because tall rainforest plants block direct sunlight from reaching fittonia plant.
This is the type of light a fittonia evolved through thousands of years to cope with. And your indoors fittonia has the same lighting needs.
How to give fittonia the right lighting
If you want to grow your fittonia outdoors make sure to locate it in a location that gets only indirect sunlight ( shaded spot).
And make sure that the temperature does not fall below 40 F. Because fittonia will die in such temperatures.
If this is the case it is better to bring your outdoor fittonia indoors during winter.
On the other hand, If you want to grow your nerve plant indoors locate it in a place that gets bright indirect sunlight.
A north-facing window is a window in your home that has bright indirect sunlight and it is guarded against direct sunlight during the whole day.
This is the best spot for your indoor fittonia. The second best spot in your indoor place is the east-facing window.
The east-facing window only gets one to two hours of early morning direct sunlight. While it is guarded against the afternoon direct sunlight.
I know you may be confused because I said fittonia does not tolerate direct sunlight and now am saying put it in a location that gets early morning direct sunlight!
Your fittonia will benefit from exposure to very early morning direct sunlight. But not the afternoon one.
The hot afternoon sunlight especially during summer is what can burn your plant’s leaves.
Avoid putting your indoor fittonia in the south or west-facing windows as those windows are exposed to hot direct sunlight.
What happens if you grow fittona in low light
Fittonia is one of the houseplants that can grow in low light. If you have a corner in your indoor place that needs a touch of green you can put fittonia there.
But, as I mentioned earlier fittonia and all other plants need at least some amount of light in order to survive. And the brighter indirect sunlight it gets the healthier it will be.
If you put your fittonia in a deep low light or complete darkness its stem will be leggy.
It became leggy because the plant in serious need of light and it tries to go upward in order to reach the sunlight.
In such a case cut your plant back and move it to a spot that has brighter indirect sunlight.
What is beautiful about fittonia is its compacted foliage. And when it is exposed to too low light it will lose its beauty.
How to know it is too low light for fittonia
As I told you fittonia will not survive and thrive in complete darkness nor deep low light. But how to know which is which!
Fittonia that suffering from lack of enough light will have a leggy stem. And its leaves will start to wilt and drop.
To assess the lighting, look to your fittonia if it casts a shade it means it gets enough light to survive. If not it is better to install grow light or move it to a brighter spot.
Can fittonia take full sun?
The general rule is that fittonia can’t take full sun. Because direct sunlight will burn the plant’s leaves.
But there are exceptions to this rule. Fittonia can take very early morning direct sunlight.
Plus you can put your fittonia in a spot that gets direct sunlight if you live in a place where the winter sunshine is very weak.
But those are the only exceptions. Otherwise, put your plant away from direct sunlight.
Other low light plants
The following are other plants that can grow in low light conditions:
