Nerve plant: Diseases and Remedies (3-minute Read)

NOTE: The terms Nerve plant and Fittonia albivenis are identical in this text; in reality, Fittonia albivenis is Nerve plant’s biological word.

The nerve plant is a spreading evergreen perennial with deep-green leaves and is normally grown as a potted houseplant. Although the most popular vein color is silvery-white, you can also find varieties with veins in red, pink, white, and green. The slow-growing plant rarely flowers when grown indoors, but it does occasionally bloom with small reddish or white spikes. In the right zone, the plant can sometimes be grown as a creeping ground cover.

Why does my Fittonia albivenis roots have rot?

Root rot on your Nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis) can be dangerous if left untreated. In order to keep your plant alive, we strongly suggest that you follow our advice if the signs start to show: blackened and mushy roots.
Nerve

Why does my Nerve plant have gray mold spots?

A particular fungus that frequently affects flowers and spreads quickly is known as gray mold spots. This fungus is most likely to blame if you see any brown (or gray) spots. Don’t ignore these signs because doing so could cause your plant to die.

Our Solution

The solution is quite logical when you know the cause of the problem. Most of the time, it is due to overwater of the Fittonia albivenis. We advise you to remove the infected parts of the plant, cut off the infected roots and leaves, then repot your plant using sterile potting soil and a clean pot.

Why does my Nerve plant have leaf spots?

Leaf We provide you with all the information you need to identify and save your plants if they display signs like leaves that suddenly change color or wilt/droop. This sort of sickness is one of the most aggravating for Nerve plant owners.

Why are my Nerve plant leaves turning yellow?

This is probably the most common problem in the gardening world, yellowing leaves. There are 2 main reasons for this phenomenon, overwatering, or a lack of nutrients.

Reduce your watering frequency when you fear your plants are being overwatered, and follow these steps to determine whether they may be lacking in nutrients:

Here are some indicators of yellowing on the Fittonia albivenis brought on by its numerous flaws:

  • Magnesium deficiency starts as yellow patches between leaf veins on older leaves. Veins stay green as yellow moves from the leaf center out. Leaf edges turn yellow last.
  • Yellowing between leaf veins is another sign of iron shortage, but young leaves on plant tops and branch tips are initially affected.
  • Sulfur deficiency starts with the newest leaves, turning them yellow throughout.
  • Insufficient potassium causes the leaf edges to turn brilliant yellow while the interior of the leaf stays green. Older leaves show the symptoms initially, and the leaf edges quickly darken.
  • Nitrogen deficiency shows up as a general yellowing. Older, inner leaves turn yellow first. As it progresses, yellowing moves outward, eventually reaching young leaves, too.

Our Solution

You only need to act in accordance with the symptoms listed above. You can address a potassium or nitrogen deficiency by buying a particular soil, and a gardening store consultant will be able to advise you on how to do that. Furthermore, you can also limit how frequently you water your plants.

Is my Nerve plant sunburned?

It is quite easy to find out if your Nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis) has been burned by the sun. Just like on us, your plant will change color in this case, it will start to turn yellow or white.

Sunburned

The leaves of your Nerve plant can also change color in case it gets too much water or not enough light, as we saw above.

However, there is a way to tell if it is sunburn; look at the bottom of the yellow leaves, the ones that have a shaded area closer to the root, if this area stays greener, it is probably sunburned, not something else.

Why are my Nerve plant leaves turning brown?

Most of the time, leaves of a Nerve plant that turn brown is a sign that your plant has been sunburned, it has probably been exposed to too much direct sunlight. Don’t panic, your plant probably won’t die from this, but its growth will take a hit.

Should I leave my Fittonia albivenis in direct sunlight?

No! If your Fittonia albivenis (or Nerve plant) has the symptoms described above, don’t leave it in direct sunlight, that’s the reason why your Nerve plant is in such a state!

Our Solution

As stated in the paragraph above, the cure is straightforward: simply position your plant’s Nerve plant so that it is out of direct sunlight. With proper watering and this method, your plant should quickly come back to life.

Why are my Fittonia albivenis leaves drooping or wilting ?

In most cases, this happens when your Fittonia albivenis lacks water. This is especially the case for large plants, naturally they need more water than others.

Drooping

You may quickly determine if your Fittonia albivenis plant needs water by under-weighing its pot; if it seems light, the soil and roots are probably fairly dry and require water.

Our Solution

In order to ensure that the roots of your plant receive the water’s benefits, you must first moisten the soil in the container if it is absolutely dry. One common error is to immediately drown the Nerve plant after a dry period in the belief that it requires a lot of water.

This is true, but the easiest way to end it is to give too much water at once. Instead, you should water the soil properly, returning to a peaceful watering rhythm.

Caring Tips for Fittonia albivenis

Water Occasionally

Water is essential to the survival of your plant, however, it is important to balance the rate of watering. As we explained above, overwatering could have fatal consequences for your Fittonia albivenis.

The best way to know if your plant needs water or not is to touch the soil, if you feel it is still wet, it is probably a good idea to wait a few more days.

Always keep temperatures stable

It is also a good idea to keep your Fittonia albivenis at a stable temperature (especially if it is kept indoors!). At GreenShack, we generally recommend staying in the 65 and 85 degrees F range. Of course, do not place your Fittonia albivenis near a source of hot (or cold) air such as A/C units, radiators or the like.

Keep your Nerve plant Dust-Free

This one relates to indoor plants. Just like your furniture, dust collects on the leaves of your indoor plants. The issue is that this can block the photosynthesis process from starting, which would cause the plants to gradually lose their color.

For your Nerve plant, this would be a true descent into hell, and it would also appease the pests.

Take a microfiber cloth and gently massage the plant’s leaves to get rid of the dust. Use a damp cloth to make dust removal easier, but avoid using corrosive materials like rubbing alcohol!

Keep drainage in mind

If you tend to overwater, you need to pay attention to your drainage, and we advise choosing a saucer and a pot with drainage holes if they are not already there.

You can add volcanic rocks (or any other pebbles with holes) to the bottom of your pot in the interim if your pots don’t already have holes in them. This will help to form a channel so that the water doesn’t pool there for too long (preventing the rot of the roots!).