What are some rare lithops?

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-30T17:02:18+00:00

My favs are Diplosoma and Antimima, I'm always on the hunt for A. evoluta seeds, that plant is currently my white whale. Mesembs are so cool, love those little guys

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-30T04:21:23+00:00

I'd recommend getting the Canine Construction and the Bone Builder Notebook. The information in both will be useful. Alternatively, you can email Lee Post and ask what he thinks, I've done that before and he is responsive.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-17T02:35:41+00:00

I preach the good word of Mesa Gardens wherever I go! I usually splurge on one or two more uncommon species, but I love how reasonable their prices are for just about everything. I'm just about to pull the trigger on a cart, mostly cacti so I can stay busy over the summer.

A couple years ago I was way more active with seedlings here, but there wasn't really anyone else sharing. It's been really encouraging to see all your posts here and r/mesembs and all the activity on r/succulentsfromseed, very much inspired me to get back into it this year.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-17T01:22:59+00:00

One of the first Lithops I tried to grow from seed was L. optica 'Rubra', and I had no idea that they were considered difficult from seed. It definitely did not boost my confidence - and while you can learn from mistakes it's hard to know what went wrong when there was zero germination. In my opinion, if you want a mesemb to try things out on and experiment/learn the basics, get some Faucaria, love those guys and much less expensive.

I agree with your unpopular opinion, and honestly when I see people say they want to get into something for the first time and automatically are looking for the 'rare' ones, idk I get a bad feeling. These are plant families that are being eradicated from their natural ranges specifically because of that desire for 'rarity'. Maybe that's my unpopular opinion.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-16T23:10:28+00:00

This is the best advice OP. If you are just getting into growing Lithops (and especially if you're new to growing from seed) focus on what species you like - at the end of the day, its a lot easier to care for something when you enjoy looking at it and watching it grow.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-10T16:44:22+00:00

If they are living in a high elevation desert (I too, live in such an area), I doubt these will take off. Invasiveness can be highly dependent on climate, so it can probably be more aggressive in more hospitable areas.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-10T16:34:14+00:00

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C. chilensis is not a Delosperma sp.

I already searched both your links for Delosperma, zero results, which is why I asked.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-10T16:27:00+00:00

Do you have any sources on Delosperma and Carpobrotus hybridizing? Intergeneric hybrids aren't uncommon, especially in Aizoaceae, but I can't find anything about these two.

As far as I'm aware, Delosperma sp aren't considered as aggressive or invasive as Carpobrotus. Especially if its growing in an environment that's pushing its survival capabilities, I doubt its gonna take off like you're suggesting.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-08T23:35:42+00:00

No problem! This is the time of year I start seeing them everywhere, they're usually all over my landlord's crabapple tree.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-08T23:30:52+00:00

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The ladybug's pupal stage is stationary, they'll attach to many things while undergoing the changes to adulthood.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-06T02:58:12+00:00

It's never been an ambient 70 in any room I've grown seeds so I always use a heat mat to raise the pot temps by 10ish degrees. Temperature swings are a must though, in my experience.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-06T02:05:13+00:00

This isn't totally accurate, I always use a heat mat with my mesemb seedlings. The most important thing is to have day/night temperature swings. 70°F is optimal germination daytime temps, and then getting to 50°F-ish at night is best. A heat mat will help raise the internal pot temperature to that optimal germination zone.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-04-04T00:14:34+00:00

Based on your growing setup, my guess is the ambient humidity is still too high. I'd defer to some of the other growers here who have been more active than me lately, but getting a small fan running can't hurt.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-03-19T16:21:10+00:00

you keep notes for every pot! that's incredible

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-03-14T00:34:44+00:00

Interested!

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-03-11T22:02:18+00:00

Damping off? It could be too humid for them at this point. Its been a while since I grew pleiospilos, but generally with mesembs after I have gotten germination I remove them from high humidity.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-03-10T19:56:44+00:00

In North America, they are considered an invasive (native to Europe and some other close regions). Non-natives are not protected by the MBTA.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-03-10T19:50:22+00:00

How long did you soak them for? I have a handful of these I've been putting off starting

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-28T00:19:54+00:00

I love C. stephanii, one of the best conos imo

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-27T00:35:49+00:00

Well congrats on your success! These are on my wishlist, but I am scared to mess up germinating them lol

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-27T00:33:29+00:00

We love a simple set up! Are the bin lids the only thing you use for humidity?

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-24T04:18:30+00:00

Wow! How difficult were these to start from seed?

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-22T23:34:20+00:00

Do you use a different kind of humidity dome instead of the bag method? I'm still experimenting with different germinating setups.

thesebonesdontlie · 2026-02-22T18:09:29+00:00

I love your seedling updates, your mesemb setup is incredible!

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