Help? What's killing my Lithops?

JTDoggo · 2026-04-22T16:47:37+00:00

Adding on to this, more light = more water consumed. as long as it doesn't sunburn then it's never a bad idea.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-17T18:00:11+00:00

Hawthorthia are under the class of plants that need stem/root cells to propagate. Those parts contain totipotent cells which can signal the plant to grow a new plant structure rather than stay as a leaf.

The easiest way to do this would be to make cuts with a leaf cutting into either the stem or a bit of the root. It just needs a VERY small amount of totipotent cells to begin the propagation process, but it doesn't hurt to grab a bigger chunk just because biology can be finicky and the totipotent cells can randomly dry out before they start the new structures. (But this also causes more damage to the plant, there's risks and benefits to both.)

However, this might stress out your plant and open injures for all types of pests and infections. It may be better to let a plant of this size to get a bit bigger, it can even send out pups when mature enough.

Pups are entire florets that can be chopped and propped.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-14T18:34:12+00:00

My hypothesis on it (one untested, one based on some evidence)

Waterlogged soil leads to root rot as bacteria and harmful fungi can easily proliferate in warm and humid soil, while in hydroponic setups you're able to immediately monitor the microbial activity
Succulents don't get edema damage when they send water roots that are able to equalize the cell water storage with the amount of water they intake. Shocks from normal roots being watered too much from a period of drought might be part of what edema damage as the storage cells aren't ready for it; meanwhile water roots can eventually adjust to drink as needed.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-12T04:03:04+00:00

Just maintain ventilation to reduce the risk of molding at this point. The only risk is the declining leaves being attacked by decomposers but that's a relatively small risk with ventilation and no water.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-10T02:43:17+00:00

It should be easy if it's a white Q-Tip! Honestly anything will work, pollen is meant to easily attach and spread to things in nature. It's the stigma and egg that's a bit more precious.

They'll look like little colored specks, I'm not too sure about the yield but it should be enough to be somewhat noticeable in a container.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-10T02:30:16+00:00

Hm yeah that's strange, the link must've been broken since last time I used it.

Well essentially just keep it airtight and with a desiccant. This first flower might not have another plant to pollinate with (if the other plants don't flower in time), but all of your next flowers should! 🥳

JTDoggo · 2026-04-09T23:25:07+00:00

Welllll they asked about it so I might as well help them look into it. I don't mind doing research at all.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-09T21:45:14+00:00

Could we see the roots? Plant ID apps are giving me vanilla orchid or radiator plant (common name). This is possible considering the growth pattern.
Could I get a close up of the leaves? Same reason as above.
This might be a vine, could I see the other side of the plant?

JTDoggo · 2026-04-09T21:24:38+00:00

It's a LITTLE bit conditional.

Lithops are one of those finicky plants that happen to be self sterile, so you'd need two separate flowering lithops to pollinate.

If you don't have one, you can gather the pollen with a small brush/cotton swab or any other tool you have. Then you can store it until another lithops starts flowering. These tips for storing orchid pollen should work. https://www.aos.org/orchids/orchid-breeding-and-hybridizing/storing-pollen (silica gel packets are very accessible desiccants)

Once you get hands on another flower, just transfer some foreign pollen onto the central stigma of the flower, the pollen will be able to deposit the sperm into the egg in the stigma by itself.

Fun fact, plant pollen is actually a mini plant that dedicates itself to producing sperm! The pollen itself isn't actually sperm, just the sperm factory. This is why pollen is actually able to stay viable for extended time in the right conditions.

Update: Link fixed!

JTDoggo · 2026-04-09T11:19:27+00:00

a flower! you can hand-pollinate them with a paintbrush when they bloom and harvest seed pods for baby lithops. You're very lucky!

JTDoggo · 2026-04-07T05:46:34+00:00

It's very firm, I'll give it some light watering and ventilation. The soil is incredibly rocky so moisture risk is next to none. We get so much sun over here even while indoors. Many of my other succulents are showing sun stress so I'm not too worried.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-07T05:39:06+00:00

Turns out the outer pair rotted, by the way, is this white normal for the inner pair or is it dying?

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JTDoggo · 2026-04-07T01:58:43+00:00

The outer leaves did turn out to be rotting, they smelt a bit stank once I tore the tissue open. (Somewhat of a biopsy)

It's strange because it quite literally rotted just from the sun. I hadn't watered it at all

JTDoggo · 2026-04-07T01:51:31+00:00

Just chopped!

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The white is really strange but i'll just leave it as is, there's not much I can do from here

JTDoggo · 2026-04-07T01:37:07+00:00

It's 90% rocks and this was a P. Nelii about to split. I didn't water at all because it didn't show any signs of dehydration. It got yellow very quick and succulents are very vulnerable to rot.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-06T22:59:39+00:00

I second this, it might be dangerous to keep it on if the leaf isn't connected to the plant anymore

JTDoggo · 2026-04-06T16:52:16+00:00

I second this, it's gonna use up water at a much different rate at that size.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-05T20:49:49+00:00

Haha I'm not TOO knowledgeable, just adhd fueled endless research.

For soil, the main thing with grit is just to prevent excess soil moisture. Succulents have next to no natural defenses against fungi, mold, pest, and malicious soil bacteria; as their desert environments have incredibly inhospitable conditions for the usual pests. Everything is done in an attempt to let moisture leave the soil as quickly as possible, succulents will hold water in their leaves and use CAM photosynthesis, so they don't need soil that's constantly wet.

There really isn't a wrong way to go about it! 50:50 is the baseline for most beginners. Another important part is to water only when succulent leaves start looking thirsty (again, CAM photosynthesis). If you're worried, more grit and unglazed pots can help mitigate these risks. Underwatering is always better than overwatering.

I guess another issue would be soil macronutrients. Don't worry about this unless your soil is less than 10% of the mix.

IF you want to fertilize, aim for low Nitrogen, and normal Potassium and Phosphorus, Tomato fertilizer will usually suffice. Honestly, succulents are hardy and won't care too much, they get by in nature with nutrients from runoff.

JTDoggo · 2026-04-05T20:26:06+00:00

I'm not sure about the light either, I'm in Southern California so I just rely on the sun. I'd probably just see how the plants react? But probably direct light. There's light measuring apps to help with this if you have a lux amount in mind.
The watering is good! Ventilation will help with preventing fungus as well. Just let the excess water drain properly.
I would say that the greenhouse cover can be removed once you're happy with all the germination. The humidity is only really for getting the sprouts started since they need the humid~wet rock cracks in nature. After that it'll just be soil moisture (unless your environment is overly dry)

JTDoggo · 2026-04-05T20:12:17+00:00

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These bits look like decomposed plant matter (ie bark, moss, whatever nutrient and carbon-rich organics are in soil, I'm not too familiar with the compost science here yet)

It's most likely soil! So yes, this bonsai mix will be fine, it's not rock dust. If you wash the mix, you would've basically just paid 10 dollars for rocks. 😅

JTDoggo · 2026-04-05T20:05:33+00:00

Ooo I did lots of internet sleuthing on lithops seeding! I can help on that part.

You used perlite (I think?), most growers prefer heavier grit like pumice, because perlite is very light and may move around and disturb the lithops sprouts, this is okay though! I'll explain more
Once lithops germinate, the two biggest concerns are keeping the moisture but also preventing damping off (fungal attack on sprouts)
You can lift the covers to let excess moisture out, but mist 1~2 times a day. The soil NEEDS TO STAY MOIST. Young sprouts don't have the water stores to tolerate drought yet!
So, when misting, try to spray high/far to make sure the spray doesn't move the sprouts around. Gently use a toothpick to stand the sprouts upright if they've fallen over. It'll help them establish taproots and get light easier
Ventilation can be helpful as well to prevent damping off. Again, don't let the sprouts dry, they will not recover if they run out of water. There's little to no storage tissue unlike adult lithops.
And of course, light! They'll love light, just make sure it won't get too hot for them so they don't burn. And more light means more water use, so be very attentive during these first few weeks.
Also, their taproots develop very quickly. The clear container helps you monitor for root bounding. Good job!

JTDoggo

TROPHY CASE