Nerve plants originate in the tropics. To get the best growth, try to recreate that environment, starting with the soil. Fittonia prefers well-draining soil with a lot of organic material, which you'll find in peat-based potting mix.

Nerve plants prefer temperatures about 60 degrees F, so they are usually grown as indoor plants, though in some tropical climates, you may be able to grow them successfully outside.

In their native habitat, nerve plants spread across the ground of rain forests, which explains why they prefer partial shade or indirect sunlight. North-facing windows are best, but you can also place them in a corner or behind a curtain sheer in rooms with east or west-facing windows.

If these plants get too much sunlight, the leaves will burn and get crispy.

The most difficult part of caring for a nerve plant is making sure it gets the right amount of water. Letting the soil dry out results in the plant collapsing and wilting. Generally, the plant will bounce back if you water it right away, but it's best not to let this happen.

Water your nerve plant when the top layer of the soil is dry. Soak the soil thoroughly, then let it drain completely to avoid excess water collecting in the bottom of the pot.

Common pests to worry about with a nerve plant are aphids and mealybugs. Aphids are not always easy to catch early. These small, soft-bodied insects can stunt plant growth, but they are generally easy to treat. You can often spray them off with a stream of water or remove them by hand.

Mealybugs appear on the leaves and stems as white fluff. Minor infestations just stunt growth, but they can quickly escalate and cause plant death if not treated with neem oil or insecticide.

Nerve plants are not generally predisposed to disease, though they may get leaf spot, a bacterial infection that causes the leaves to die. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. Nerve plants with leaf spot should be destroyed so that they do not infect other plants.

Nerve plants can also suffer from blight, a fungus that affects the entire plant but is most often seen on the leaves and stems. There is no cure for blight.

Nerve plants generally grow pretty quickly, which makes propagating them easy. Use sterile scissors to take a node cutting in the late spring or early summer. Cut at an angle, and make sure your cutting has at least two nodes (bumps where another leaf would grow). Put the cutting into peat-based potting soil. Roots typically appear in about three weeks.

If you try this method and are unsuccessful, use a rooting hormone the next time. Rooting hormones can stimulate root growth in less-than-perfect conditions, but they aren't usually necessary.

There are many varieties of nerve plants to choose from, each with unique features. Angel snow fittonias feature smaller leaves with white veins, while the Stripes Forever variety has darker green leaves with stripe-like veins.

Ruby red nerve plants have red veins, and the Juniata and pink angel varieties have pink. For more color, go for the red star with its dense red patches or the Frankie for leaves that are more pink than green.