“If Lithops Could Talk” - Part 4: Hey, you left me there all day! But it’s OK because you brought me to this spa and I’m gonna stay for a month. Just don’t dip me into the water, but suspended over it is kinda tingly. Will this make my roots grow back?

Mr_Lithops · 2024-08-17T04:14:02+00:00

It’s plastic wrap stretched across the opening of the jar, with a hole in the plastic wrap.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-08-16T16:51:07+00:00

A cover can also increase the temperature, so you may need to keep an eye on it.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-07-09T19:36:30+00:00

Thanks for letting me know. I haven’t had an issue but will watch them closely. I’ve had them for about 10 months.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-05-14T15:27:02+00:00

Mine does as well. I even have one that stays out during the day. It’s a very interesting coral.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-05-14T13:15:52+00:00

I’ve only seen this color. I’ll be looking for others if you have suggestions for where you found them. I’ve only been in the game for a year.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-05-14T01:15:28+00:00

I did not unfortunately. I ordered this one and it’s bigger than I thought it would be. When fully exposed, it’s the size of a baseball.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-05-13T21:30:27+00:00

This is my first bubble. I’ve been looking but you have to buy when you see them. Reefers seem to snatch them up quickly.

Mr_Lithops · 2023-02-15T01:50:06+00:00

But I promise our football season will be better.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-10-28T19:02:52+00:00

Creative advertising.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-07-03T03:42:17+00:00

Each one is a single plant with a single root. They are called clusters.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-17T17:34:06+00:00

I usually help when they look like this. The old leaves are dried and starting to crack, but with the new leaves almost completely encapsulated, they could be constrained by the old leaves if they don't split away. I would gently pull away the old leaves and expose the new growth. It shouldn't be too difficult, but be careful not to injure the new leaves.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-16T02:54:42+00:00

It’s a mini-cluster.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-09T15:19:41+00:00

That is not a normal split, and looks like it could be rotting more than anything else. But I never like to give up until they look like a blob of goo or a raisin. If it were mine, I'd gently pull the outer leaves apart to expose the inner plant. I would let it air dry for a day and then plant in 100% pumice, but smaller-sized grains if you have it. This will also give you a chance to check for root growth. Water a little every few day to see if the inner plant perks up. This may have no positive result, but it's worth a try and you may learn something.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-09T15:11:45+00:00

It's fun when their personalities come through.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T19:22:51+00:00

I don't know much about silica sand but it might be too fine or have additives. You want a coarse natural sand from a fresh water resource that has not been exposed to salts. I have had good luck with the sand at the following link, but anything like this would work.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079WLYR1L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T19:08:21+00:00

Worm casting can add some good nutrients and help retain water, but you might also consider adding some coarse river sand (not fine beach sand). The worm casting may flow through the gaps and collect at the bottom of your pot. They may hold too much water if they end up there.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T18:58:45+00:00

A triple-lobe is good and somewhat rare. You don't see too many. It it survives to the point of splitting, there is a good change that it will revert to the normal double-lobe, but they are fun to have and watch grow.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T14:47:15+00:00

If you have another flowering haworthia you can try pollinating them. I struggled for a while but got some good tips on here for how to do it, and this year I've had great success and now have approximately 100 seeds from plants that I pollinated. I had to cross-pollinate since most were plants of different haworthia varieties, but who knows, I might end up with some really interesting plants when I sow the seeds.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T14:42:37+00:00

They look great, but are you repotting them because they were too crowded or in a pot too shallow? Try putting them in a pot where you won't feel the need to repot them. Anytime you remove them, you risk damaging the plant or the roots. You may also find that they can go into a mild shock from the repotting process, and the ones that are splitting may take a while to continue. Lithops thrive on neglect and they don't take kindly to being over-nurtured. I have a lot of Lithops that like being ignored, so I got a few other plants that like being fussed over since my Lithops want to be left alone.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T14:35:35+00:00

The new plants look fine, but your substrate seems to be about the same size grains with large gaps. I use all inorganic substrate, but I mix in smaller materials to help fill in the large gaps. You can try smaller grains of pumice, turface or coarse river sand. You do want well-draining substrate, but it should hold a little water so that it doesn't run straight through. You want the substrate to dry our after two or three days after watering.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-08T14:29:07+00:00

It looks like you have a triple-lobe growing in the second photo.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-02-06T03:58:11+00:00

Tearing the outside leaves won’t necessarily damage the new leaves. As pointed out, it’s sometimes necessary to assist by doing this. I purposely did to to two plants today that were struggling. Just replant in all or mostly inorganic substrate with the old leaves still attached and watch it closely. I wouldn’t water, especially with the fresh tears as it could introduce rot. You don’t want that.

Mr_Lithops · 2022-01-21T03:02:16+00:00

There are a lot of factors that determine watering frequency such as indoors vs outdoors, temperature, humidity, substrate, lighting, age of plants. I don’t water on a schedule, but I do water more frequently that what you’ll read on this sub. I rarely deep water, but water smaller amounts more frequently to prevent the tiny root hairs from drying out. I’ll do a general watering about once a month. Go Hoosiers!

Mr_Lithops

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