Any advice please on keeping lithops ( alive that is ) l hav'nt kept any for 20 - 30 years and when l did l kiled them all.
l have sown 100 seeds and waiting for them to sprout.
l saw a small lithop in the garden centre for sale 2.50€ so bought it the other day, now ive got it l dont want to kill it.
many thanks on any advise.
Lithops Advice please.
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Re: Lithops Advice please.
This site might work too
https://lithopsblog.wordpress.com/
https://lithopsblog.wordpress.com/
Re: Lithops Advice please.
Thank you both for your replies.
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iann
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Re: Lithops Advice please.
Good to see Terry again, but a little light on actual growing advice. So ...
Now is a good time to start, because they'll just be starting to need attention after winter. Especially with a new plant, check it over to see if it is in the "right" stage of growth and whether it needs repotting. Lithops bought from a non-specialist may well be in a soil that won't be good for them over the long term. Consider something with (much!) better drainage and less organic material than the typical commercial potting mix. Now is a good time to repot, but no rush because they likely won't need watering for another month or even two. Also a good time to inspect the roots for pests and to see if they're healthy. A strong healthy Lithops will have a "taproot", quite thin on young plants, more thickened and branched on older plants. In growth, it will also have a surprising amount of fine roots, but these are lost when the plant is dry for a long period. Very old plants are hard to maintain on their thickened roots and can be rejuvenated by taking cuttings.
Check that the plant has just one pair of leaves, possibly with another starting to appear between them. The general advice in the UK is to leave them completely dry until they new leaves have fully emerged and the old ones dried up. In hotter climates, you might need to modify this so that the plants are watered earlier in spring if they need a rest during the hottest months.
So now find a spot with plenty of sun, but also good ventilation. Lithops will thrive on as much as anyone in the UK can find, and as much as you can get in most parts of central to northern Europe, but they can overheat surprisingly quickly if they're in direct sun without air movement. Behind glass is even worse, but of course more or less essential in the UK. Use a fan if necessary on hot sunny days.
Once you've got the right soil and the plant is ready, water it. You can give it a light splash if it has been dry for a long time or even spray it from time to time, but generally you'll want to water deeply. Make sure you allow the pot to drain afterwards so it isn't left standing in water. Then you can wait a few, or many, weeks until the plant looks a little wrinkly. Then do it all over again. You'll find it very difficult to underwater a Lithops, but fairly easy to overwater them, so wait a bit longer if you're unsure.
At the end of summer, or sometime in autumn depending on the species, you can hope for a flower. Each pair of leaves on a mature healthy plant will produce one yellow or white (very occasionally pinkish) flower, but some species are unreliable without the best conditions. The flower is a good signal to stop watering. Except in very hot climates, they won't need any water at all in winter, until they've grown another pair of leaves.
Seedlings ... almost need another book. Germination, at the right temperature, is fairly easy. Don't keep them too warm, especially at night. You should see tiny sprouts after 1-2 weeks, but perhaps a bit longer. Give them bright light. Direct sun is OK, but they can overheat even more quickly than the adults, so best to give partial shade during most of the day, or make sure they have a fa or breeze on them. You can grow them in humid enclosed (in the shade!) conditions for a few weeks, but not too long or they'll explode. Then keep them moist, or at least regularly watered, for the next month or two. They should develop their first pair of true, patterned leaves, after 3-4 months, and after that treat them more or less like little adults.
Now is a good time to start, because they'll just be starting to need attention after winter. Especially with a new plant, check it over to see if it is in the "right" stage of growth and whether it needs repotting. Lithops bought from a non-specialist may well be in a soil that won't be good for them over the long term. Consider something with (much!) better drainage and less organic material than the typical commercial potting mix. Now is a good time to repot, but no rush because they likely won't need watering for another month or even two. Also a good time to inspect the roots for pests and to see if they're healthy. A strong healthy Lithops will have a "taproot", quite thin on young plants, more thickened and branched on older plants. In growth, it will also have a surprising amount of fine roots, but these are lost when the plant is dry for a long period. Very old plants are hard to maintain on their thickened roots and can be rejuvenated by taking cuttings.
Check that the plant has just one pair of leaves, possibly with another starting to appear between them. The general advice in the UK is to leave them completely dry until they new leaves have fully emerged and the old ones dried up. In hotter climates, you might need to modify this so that the plants are watered earlier in spring if they need a rest during the hottest months.
So now find a spot with plenty of sun, but also good ventilation. Lithops will thrive on as much as anyone in the UK can find, and as much as you can get in most parts of central to northern Europe, but they can overheat surprisingly quickly if they're in direct sun without air movement. Behind glass is even worse, but of course more or less essential in the UK. Use a fan if necessary on hot sunny days.
Once you've got the right soil and the plant is ready, water it. You can give it a light splash if it has been dry for a long time or even spray it from time to time, but generally you'll want to water deeply. Make sure you allow the pot to drain afterwards so it isn't left standing in water. Then you can wait a few, or many, weeks until the plant looks a little wrinkly. Then do it all over again. You'll find it very difficult to underwater a Lithops, but fairly easy to overwater them, so wait a bit longer if you're unsure.
At the end of summer, or sometime in autumn depending on the species, you can hope for a flower. Each pair of leaves on a mature healthy plant will produce one yellow or white (very occasionally pinkish) flower, but some species are unreliable without the best conditions. The flower is a good signal to stop watering. Except in very hot climates, they won't need any water at all in winter, until they've grown another pair of leaves.
Seedlings ... almost need another book. Germination, at the right temperature, is fairly easy. Don't keep them too warm, especially at night. You should see tiny sprouts after 1-2 weeks, but perhaps a bit longer. Give them bright light. Direct sun is OK, but they can overheat even more quickly than the adults, so best to give partial shade during most of the day, or make sure they have a fa or breeze on them. You can grow them in humid enclosed (in the shade!) conditions for a few weeks, but not too long or they'll explode. Then keep them moist, or at least regularly watered, for the next month or two. They should develop their first pair of true, patterned leaves, after 3-4 months, and after that treat them more or less like little adults.
Cheshire, UK
Re: Lithops Advice please.
Thank you for your very informative information