Lithops

One of my lithops is splitting! #livingstones #lithop

Just saw all your pics and you have so many of them! I just bought a pot on eBay after not being able to find any locally for over a year. So, now I have 5. 4 small ones are splitting, and one larger one is not. So I separated them as to not water the splitting ones by accident. Really hoping to have flowers in a couple years :D

@mushroomsinabag you may get flowers soon! One of mine did last year. I found these at Home Depot surprisingly. I have seen them at Walmart too, but it's really hard to find ones that haven't been overwatered. I ended up buying a lithop seed mix online and I have some seedlings going right now 😊

I remember how finicky they can be, so I didn't want to start with seeds. Although, I did look, and couldn't seem to find a seller for them. Best of luck with those seedlings, one day I hope to raise my five into a glorious clump.

I either bought them from MesaGarden or Cactusstore.com but I love both of those sites for seeds. I have a really high success rate with their stuff @mushroomsinabag if you ever decide to grow from seed!

My lithops are looking so happy. I got three new ones on the right that were so overwatered!! They were on clearance so I figured I would dry them out and see if they survive.

Matt just bought some from Lowe's that were in similar condition... we haven't watered them at all since then, and they seem to be making a comeback ☺️

Question.... @Frankenstank If u cover the top layer of soil completely with stones/sand/rocks/etc...... how can u tell how much moisture the soil has and when u need to 💦? (Not sayin u specifically, just asking in general... I see a lot of people do it) just wondering why....

Awesome! They had four things of them, but I only grabbed one just in case. I kinda want to go back for more. @aes239

@bpetty55 there really isn't much soil in this pot. It's all rocks and perlite all the way down. And with these you don't need to water until the outer leaves are completely dead. And then I just water them a tiny bit. I don't ever soak these like I do other succulents.

@bpetty55 I really water each plant individually if that makes sense. I pour water down the sides of each lithop to get it's roots wet. But, like I said only when the outer leaves are dead. I haven't watered these in months. And those ones that are swollen won't get water for a long time.

@Frankenstank thanks for the insight!

@Frankenstank We accidentally killed a couple last summer from overwatering 😞 but I think we got the hang of it this time... by completely ignoring them! lol

The butts are finally breaking free! #lithops #livingstones

They look like lizard/dinosaur eyes opening 😮👀

An update on the progress of my butts opening!

One of my butts is finally opening!

Hahaha!

😂😂😂😂😂

I'm glad I'm not the only one that calls them butts. 😁

It bloomed!

Almost there.

@rwoot I've been taking a couple pictures a day of it's progress. It's moving pretty slow.

Oh wow!!

Looks like a salmon pink flower. I can't wait to see your new flower. It's like waiting for your present to show up. It's that exciting for me, anyways. Lol. Thanks for sharing

My lithop is going to flower soon!

Something made off with half my lithops this week. But, two of them are finally starting to open up to a new leaf pair!

Yikes.... so sorry to here that...

Idk why but these plants freak me out. But I totally want one so I was gawk at it

I was able to get all my living stones separated. Thanks to @alovealoe

Yay!

@Frankenstank @alovealoe awesome! Why do you separate them?

@blocherr Well, mostly because I'm just starting out with these and still learning. But, they take different amounts of water depending on where they are in their life cycle. So, I don't want to kill one by overwatering. Now they can each be watered depending on individual need!

@Frankenstank oh I had no idea. I will need to read up. I have 5 different ones that are all separated, however was going to pot them together once I finished painting a pot for them. Now I don't know what to do! Thanks for the tip!😊

My dream plant <3

Are these yours?

Yes @alovealoe I got them yesterday!

Nice! Don't water them!

Haha. @alovealoe thank you! I read a ton of articles on them last night because I'm super scared of killing them. I've wanted them so badly.

Yeah me too. I received a pair of lithops a few months ago. I potted them up and didn't water them but a few weeks later they rotted. I finally figured out it was because the soil was slightly damp from being in the bag, even though it's cactus soil and I amended it with pumice. Even the littlest moisture can rot these guys quickly. My new pair I made sure the soil was bone dry and haven't watered them yet and they are doing great.

@alovealoe I used cactus mix and put in a ton of perlite and some gravel. I let the pot of soil sit out in the sun all day to make sure it was dry before I potted them. The roots were so tangled though I couldn't separate them. Were you able to?

That's good what you did with the soil. I always cut the last inch or so of the roots off when I get new plants. I read somewhere that this helps the plants adjust to the new soil and encourages root growth.

@alovealoe I think even if I cut them they would still be tangled. I'm thinking about going back to get a couple more and I might try to separate them again. I just don't want to hurt their roots. They were smushed together in a tiny cup.

Even though they are sensitive to water, they are tough plants. Growers actually cut off all of the roots and a good part of the tap root before shipping.

@alovealoe Thank you! That makes me feel better. I will probably pull them apart tomorrow. I want to put them in separate pots.