How To Prune Fittonias (Nerve Plants) | Step-By-Step Guide With Photos

Fittonias are great houseplants that can start to look… well awkward when they are left unattended and grow tall and leggy.

So the best thing to do is to prune this plant so you can give it a much needed “haircut” and make your nerve plant look aesthetically pleasing once again.

However, fittonias are known for being overly dramatic plants that will display signs of stress for even small issues such as the air not being humid enough.

So how do we prune a fittonia plant correctly knowing this plant can be sensitive?

Fittonia plants can be pruned similar to any other house plant. Simply use sharp shears to cleanly cut the plant to the desired height. The fittonia cuttings can be used to propagate new fittonia plants so ideally you want to make sure each cutting has at least four leaves. Transplanting the cuttings back into the original pot will help create a bushier fittonia plant which are usually the most aesthetically pleasing.

So let’s cover the basics of how to properly prune or trim the fittonia plant and how to propagate the cuttings. The goal of pruning the fittonia plant is to have a beautiful bushy plant full of leaves with stark contrasting colors.

Here’s a video walk through of pruning and propagating fittonias:

How To Prune Fittonias

Fittonias can be trimmed similar to any other house plant. The plant can be trimmed leaf by leaf and inch by inch but this will not leave you with cuttings that can be grown into new fittonia plants.

The goal of pruning or cutting correctly is to take off as much of the plant as you want with the fewest amount of cuts.

This means if you want to shorten your nerve plant by 2 inches that you should cut about 2 inches from the top. This way the part of the plant that is cut off, also known as the cutting, can be used to grow a new fittonia plant.

Tools Needed To Trim Fittonia Plants

The only tool needed to trim fittonia plants are a pair of sharp pruning shears.

I just used my outdoor pruning shears since I already had this laying around the house. You can get a pair of pruning shears off Amazon if you don’t have a pair already.

Try to use garden shears instead of scissors. Typically scissors are not as sharp as shears and scissors might smoosh the plant’s stem more than it actually cuts the plant’s stem.

Once again, fittonias are dramatic plants that don’t handle stress very well so make sure the cutting tool you use is sharp.

Prune Above A Leaf Node Or Joint To Create Cuttings

When pruning the fittonia plant, try to cut off as much as possible in one cut.

In the photo below, you can see that I trimmed the fittonia plant where I have 3 joints or 6 leaves on this cutting. I trimmed the plant as far as I wanted and made sure to trim above a leaf node or joint on the plant itself.

fittonia cutting from pruning

This means the cutting will have a stem on the bottom then a leaf joint which eventually leads to the tip of the cutting.

The reason why its best to cut above a leaf node or joint is so that there is not leftover stubs on your fittonia plant as seen below. These stubs can be trimmed off or they will eventually dry out and fall off your plant.

Fittonia Stubs From Pruning

Preparing The Cuttings For Growing New Plants

Now that the main fittonia plant has been pruned, you should be leftover with a few cuttings.

These cuttings can be used to start new fittonia plants that you can gift to friends and family. Not to mention these cuttings can be transplanted back into the original pot to make the original fittonia plant bushier.

So lets cover the basics of how to prepare these cuttings to grow new fittonia plants. For more details, I have an in-depth guide on propagating or growing fittonia cuttings in soil and water.

Trimming Fittonia Cutting Leaves To Encourage Root Growth

The most critical step is that each of the fittonia cuttings needs to have the bottom most leaves trimmed off. The leaf nodes or joints are where the roots are going to grow out of.

In order to encourage root growth, we need to trim these leaves off.

Trimming the fittonia cutting

As seen in the photo above, I trim the bottom two leaves from this cutting that has 3 joints or 6 leaves total.

After trimming, the plant will only have 4 leaves and the bottom joint will be placed in water or soil to encourage root growth.

Propagating Fittonia Cuttings In Water And Soil

The fittonia cuttings can be propagated or grown in soil and water (hydroponics). Whichever method you decide, you need to make sure that the trimmed leaf joint or node is placed in the soil or water so that the roots can grow.

After about 1 month, your cuttings will have roots that are at least 1 inch in length as seen in the photo below:

fittonia cuttings with root growth

Cuttings that have roots that are about 1 inch in length can be transplanted to their permanent home.

I transplanted these cuttings back into the original pot to make my fittonia plant bushier but these cuttings can also be placed into small pots and gifted to friends and family.

Frequently Asked Questions On Pruning Fittonias

Q: Why Is My Fittonia (Nerve Plant) Leggy?

A: Fittonias get leggy when they are not pruned or trimmed. These plants will continue to grow taller and will produce new leaves near the tip of each stem. This means the plant will appear leggy unless trimmed.

Another common reason for leggy fittonia plants is that it is not receiving enough indirect light. Plants in general will get leggy when they need more light and will stretch toward the nearest light source.

Q: How Do You Trim Fittonias (Nerve Plants)?

A: Fittonias can be trimmed using a sharp pair of shears. Similar to other plants, fittonias can be pruned or trimmed to their desired height by cutting off the extra height. These cuttings can be used to start new fittonia plants so try to trim the plant using the fewest amount of cuts possible.

Q: How Do You Root Fittonias (Nerve Plants)?

A: Fittonias can be rooted or propagated in soil or water. See this in-depth guide on propagating fittonia cuttings in water and soil.

As long as the fittonia plant has its roots or some leaf joints submerged in damp soil or water, the plant will root. If the fittonia is still not rooting then ensure that it has enough indirect light and humidity in order to grow.

Q: How Fast Do Fittonias (Nerve Plants) Grow?

A: New nerve plants or cuttings will grow roots in about two to three weeks. After four weeks each cutting will have roots approximately 1 inch in length.

Adult nerve plants grow fairly quickly when they have bright indirect sunlight, high humidity, and are not exposed to air vents or drafts. Fittonias growth rate is affected by its conditions and how stressed the plant is since these plants are known for being dramatic when all of its conditions are not met.

Q: Why Is The Fittonia (Nerve Plants) Leaves Curling?

Fittonias are dramatic plants that will display signs of stress when all of its conditions are not met. Typically curling leaves are a result of low humidity which is covered in-depth in this fittonia plant care guide.

Low humidity may be a result of an air vent or drafty walk way or simply because most homes are not humid enough. Fittonias are found in nature growing underneath a jungle canopy so they prefer to have bright indirect sunlight and high humidity.

Final Thoughts

Pruning fittonia plants are a great opportunity to grow new fittonia plants to gift to other and make existing plants bushier.

Not only does the pruning itself make the plant bushier and more aesthetically pleasing. But also the new cuttings can be replanted to make the original plant thicker.

So bring out those garden shears and give your fittonia plant a much needed haircut if its getting too leggy or tall. Your plant, and potentially your friends and family, will thank you.

Steven

Learn how to catch, grow, and cook your own food. Whether you're searching for food tips and recipes or growing your own plants, there's something for you here! So let's learn how to catch, grow, and cook our food together.

Recent Posts