---
title: "Can anyone tell me what to do with this? I'm thinking this is a nerve…"
description: "Can anyone tell me what to do with this? I'm thinking this is a nerve plant, but when I bought it, it was several different color varieties in one pot. It…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/BAlhcvNhQzatWyxRCJGLLA/FE7P7R6bRJ3qVU8UoPVZRs"
community: "Foliage Plant Haven"
author: "Kelly"
published: "2025-11-04T01:38:57.694495Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/3E05bKMHLpKS36_TH_BNBbXTSjmnE-uuq08Xf0kgSFo/0k49KHKJSE67DRE11R_RbA.webp?size=large"
---

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# Can anyone tell me what to do with this? I'm thinking this is a nerve…

_Posted by Kelly on 2025-11-04_

Can anyone tell me what to do with this? I'm thinking this is a nerve plant, but when I bought it, it was several different color varieties in one pot. It always gets very tall and leffy and looks terrible, but when I prune it down it looks even worse! I just reported it into this huge pot because the roots are huge. Also, it's always dropping leaves no matter what I do. Can it be saved??

![Attachment 1 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/3E05bKMHLpKS36_TH_BNBbXTSjmnE-uuq08Xf0kgSFo/0k49KHKJSE67DRE11R_RbA.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/3E05bKMHLpKS36_TH_BNBbXTSjmnE-uuq08Xf0kgSFo/5n5A10oETlGAJKA46dPkwA.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 3 of 3](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/3E05bKMHLpKS36_TH_BNBbXTSjmnE-uuq08Xf0kgSFo/WETlOp2NT96gtV3aKg0qZw.webp?size=large)

## 5 comments

### Waspinator commented on 2025-11-04

That's definitely salvagable. It's a polka dot plant, not a nerve plant. It needs bright indirect light and good soil drainage. Polka dots are fairly average on water needs (while nerve plants like relatively frequent watering). Yours probably wants more light

#### Kelly replied on 2025-11-04

Thank you! The root system is huge on this thing... Think I should just let it go in this big pot? Also, any idea how to encourage it to fill in, rather than get really tall and leggy? Is that a light issue?

#### Waspinator replied on 2025-11-04

Leggy growth is s sign that it needs more light. Once you get the light amount right so new growth comes in okay, you can prune it back to make it come in more bushy. The pot is a tad big but if the root mass is large, it'll be fine. It is a bit deep though; if there's a lot of extra durt under the plant it may help to add higher drainage soil at the bottom to help prevent it from retaining too much water

### Kelly commented on 2025-11-04

Thanks for taking the time to help! I might try to get more of the soil out of the roots and squish them into a smaller pot... I was surprised how big the roots were in relation to the plant. I'll put it in an east-facing window to get the most light

### Aussie Mimi commented on 2025-11-08

Mine did that and was awful and I pitched it

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