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My nerve plant (Fittonia) was recently not doing too well, and I suspected (correctly, as it turned out) that it was getting more light that it needed — after moving it to a shadier spot in the house, it has since recovered and is growing some new leaves.

However, even in this new spot, there seem to be a few oddities... specifically, some (not most) leaves seem to look bleached (as opposed to burnt): bleached nerve plant leaves

And even though new leaves are growing, it's nowhere near as fully grown as it once was — most of the stems look healthy, but it's not nearly as bushy as before: some stems, but not very bushy

Should I move it somewhere yet more shaded than its current location? As it stands, it receives ~1 hour of direct sunlight in the afternoon. Should I be pruning it in some way? Any help to bring this nerve plant back to full health would be much appreciated :)

Jeff Sisson
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This plant does not appreciate direct sunlight - it likes a relatively bright daylight situation, but tolerates a shadier situation. You need to move it somewhere out of direct sun. Fittonia produces creeping stems - if they are in direct contact with soil, the stems will put out roots, but if you don't want that, I'd be inclined to cut back the straggly stems and give it some houseplant feed, something like Baby Bio, if you can get that where you are.

Bamboo
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