All my plants are outside in the sun in the afternoon. I'm watching this plant carefully and it seems to be doing ok, but it's getting so hot now I'm wondering about the water intake.
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Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
I have a 'living rock' plant. It's growing and my question is: do I need to water every day since it's around 100 degrees here right now in Texas, and somewhat humid?
All my plants are outside in the sun in the afternoon. I'm watching this plant carefully and it seems to be doing ok, but it's getting so hot now I'm wondering about the water intake.
The plant has grown since this picture was taken in early June.
All my plants are outside in the sun in the afternoon. I'm watching this plant carefully and it seems to be doing ok, but it's getting so hot now I'm wondering about the water intake.
The plant has grown since this picture was taken in early June.
Life's a Cactus in the Great State of Texas!!!
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
This is Pleiospilos nelii. It is related to Lithops but not actually a Lithops. It looks weird. That growth in the middle would normally be another pair of leaves or a bud. On your plant it is way too small. The plant may not have been grown well just before you got it. There may be another pair of leaves coming which is a bit healthier, but don't expect too much just now.
Most mesembs have a tendency to summer dormancy. In extreme heat, and particularly when the nights stay warm, they do not grow and their need for water is reduced. Some of them become entirely dried up and need no water at all, but many stay green. The green ones benefit from frequent "spraying". This can be barely more than getting the plants wet each evening, or a little splash every few days, but what they don't like is being drenched and left in wet soil for days.
Although P. nelii is more tolerant of high temperatures than many mesembs, it might still need a little afternoon shade. If it appears to suffer in the heat then shade it rather than trying to give it extra water. Ideally the plants come into summer with an old pair of leaves which helps them to survive, but yours might not be able to do this. Plants that have been grown soft can also scorch. Introduce it to strong sun gradually and it should turn an even bronze colour as it toughens up. Sunken area, white patches, or bleaching are all signs of overheating and you need to move the plant into the shade.
Once the summer heat recedes, water it more regularly and it will develop a new pair of leaves or perhaps a flower. You can probably water right through winter except when it is particularly cold or dull, but not too much.
Most mesembs have a tendency to summer dormancy. In extreme heat, and particularly when the nights stay warm, they do not grow and their need for water is reduced. Some of them become entirely dried up and need no water at all, but many stay green. The green ones benefit from frequent "spraying". This can be barely more than getting the plants wet each evening, or a little splash every few days, but what they don't like is being drenched and left in wet soil for days.
Although P. nelii is more tolerant of high temperatures than many mesembs, it might still need a little afternoon shade. If it appears to suffer in the heat then shade it rather than trying to give it extra water. Ideally the plants come into summer with an old pair of leaves which helps them to survive, but yours might not be able to do this. Plants that have been grown soft can also scorch. Introduce it to strong sun gradually and it should turn an even bronze colour as it toughens up. Sunken area, white patches, or bleaching are all signs of overheating and you need to move the plant into the shade.
Once the summer heat recedes, water it more regularly and it will develop a new pair of leaves or perhaps a flower. You can probably water right through winter except when it is particularly cold or dull, but not too much.
--ian
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Thank you, Iann! I am new to Cacti and all that it entails, but I am learning and the experts on this board are a tremendous help!! I bet you never experience our heat in cool England, it must be a completely different growing environment there. Here it's gorgeous in fall and spring, and even in winter where it never really stays cold for very long. A Greenhouse is really not needed here, but large shading umbrellas are a must in the summer! I will move my P.Nelii to a different table with only morning sun. Good thing about overwatering....in this heat it dries out very quickly and wet roots would not be a problem! 
Life's a Cactus in the Great State of Texas!!!
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
If you are in Tyler, TX as your profile suggests it is much too cold in the winter to keep this or any other frost sensitive plant outside in the winter. I looked it up and the USDA hardiness zone is right on the line of 7b and 8a. That means it is likely to get down to around 10 degrees at least once per winter. If you have even a single hard frost (below about 28 degrees for more than a few hours) in the winter it will probably wipe out this and any other frost sensitive plant in your collection.
I say this not as a criticism but as sort of a warning that you need to make plans now for what you will do this winter to keep your plant happy and alive!
I say this not as a criticism but as sort of a warning that you need to make plans now for what you will do this winter to keep your plant happy and alive!
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Thank you! Yes, it can get cold here sometimes, and I am fully aware of possible consequences for my cacti. I will put them in a spare room during the winter and baby them there.
Life's a Cactus in the Great State of Texas!!!
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
I have a question and it seems this is the topic to ask under... I planted about 20 lithops seeds (mixed pack I ordered offline from seedbloc.com) on 09/07/2012. It is now 9/09/2012 and after only two days I have two-four little seedlings popped up already. My question is, is this normal? Should I have seedlings in just two days or should I suspect that some how my soil got it hit with some other seeds while I was sowing? I'm really careful about separating my seeds and only pulling out one pack at a time while I'm planting so it is unlikely I accidentally cross-planted but I just want to be sure.
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Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Are they blobby or leafy?adrikbled wrote:I have a question and it seems this is the topic to ask under... I planted about 20 lithops seeds (mixed pack I ordered offline from seedbloc.com) on 09/07/2012. It is now 9/09/2012 and after only two days I have two-four little seedlings popped up already. My question is, is this normal? Should I have seedlings in just two days or should I suspect that some how my soil got it hit with some other seeds while I was sowing? I'm really careful about separating my seeds and only pulling out one pack at a time while I'm planting so it is unlikely I accidentally cross-planted but I just want to be sure.
If they're blobby then it's probably Lithops, if not, then I doubt it's a Lithops. 
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
So lithops seems complicated as i was warned. I live in Friendwood TX, right in between Houston and the Gulf of Mexico. It's high 90s-100 from late may-ish until the end of august and the nights rarely if ever dip below the low 80s. It is also eternally humid until winter. I was wondering should i give it some shade during the summer? And i've read that it shouldn't be watered until it's lower leaves are fully absorbed, but also that it needs water while growing and does anyone now around what temp will it go dormant? Should i just mist it a little bit to keep the root hairs alive? and as you can see one head sprouted 2 heads and one of those sprouted another. should i wait until BOTH lower leaves are absorbed or just the very outer ones to start watering?
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Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
As always, the best advice is "I wouldn't start from here". Your Lithops have been badly grown in the past and that will make your life difficult. I'd look for some decent soil, repot the three plants individually, and go from there. So in a couple of weeks you can water. The old leaves won't be completely gone, but tough. You can do it properly next year, but they need some water before summer.
Others can advise you better about what to do during summer, but "misting" is the usual rule when temperatures get stupidly hot. In the case of Lithops, misting can be more than misting, just don't be drenching them every few days. Or even every week or two. When they really get thirsty and hunker down into the soil you can give them a drenching, but not very often and preferably not during a heatwave.
Lithops will overheat easily in full sun and high temperatures (in a pot). Good ventilation can help avoid this, but probably you'll want some afternoon shade. Certainly this year, with fat soft plants. Watch out for any sign of bleaching. The sides of the plants will tend to wrinkle on hot days but watch out for the tops of the wrinkles going white. Shading the pots helps, because Lithops heat up from the inside and cool off into the soil.
Others can advise you better about what to do during summer, but "misting" is the usual rule when temperatures get stupidly hot. In the case of Lithops, misting can be more than misting, just don't be drenching them every few days. Or even every week or two. When they really get thirsty and hunker down into the soil you can give them a drenching, but not very often and preferably not during a heatwave.
Lithops will overheat easily in full sun and high temperatures (in a pot). Good ventilation can help avoid this, but probably you'll want some afternoon shade. Certainly this year, with fat soft plants. Watch out for any sign of bleaching. The sides of the plants will tend to wrinkle on hot days but watch out for the tops of the wrinkles going white. Shading the pots helps, because Lithops heat up from the inside and cool off into the soil.
--ian
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
thanks for the help. i can see why i should separate the franken-headed one but should i really separate the other two? i've read that lithops doesn't like to be repotted much and i'm sacred to untangle their root systems 
. and do the other two look healthy to you? they didn't look terribly bloated to me and seemed to be absorbing their lower leaves just fine. Where should i start from then? how often do you think i should mist them (my guess would be 2 or 3 or 5 days)? when you say heatwave do you unusually high temps for this region or like when it hits 100? oh and soil, would 2 parts gritty, inert coarse sand and one part standard top soil work? and i'm sorry about all the weird vague questions i just love these bizarre little plants and i don't want them to die this time. oh and anyone ever have an animal take off with their lithops? i got one last summer and i left it out in my backyard and one day i went to check on it and it was gone. pot still there but just a hole in the dirt where my plant used to be -.-
. and do the other two look healthy to you? they didn't look terribly bloated to me and seemed to be absorbing their lower leaves just fine. Where should i start from then? how often do you think i should mist them (my guess would be 2 or 3 or 5 days)? when you say heatwave do you unusually high temps for this region or like when it hits 100? oh and soil, would 2 parts gritty, inert coarse sand and one part standard top soil work? and i'm sorry about all the weird vague questions i just love these bizarre little plants and i don't want them to die this time. oh and anyone ever have an animal take off with their lithops? i got one last summer and i left it out in my backyard and one day i went to check on it and it was gone. pot still there but just a hole in the dirt where my plant used to be -.-Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
The other two aren't so bad. They shouldn't take much disentangling at this time of year. They *should* have been dry for months, although they probably haven't and all the fine roots will be dead. You'll just have the central persistent root left and it will be easy to move. It will grow new roots when it is watered, which might as well be in the right soil in the right pot.
I don't live in Texas, never have, so I can't tell you exactly how to water. Even if I'd spent my entire life in Houston, my soil isn't your soil and you're just going to have to feel your way a bit. I don't know what you're calling topsoil so I don't know if it is suitable. If it is general semi-composted green waste in a bag, then no. If it is sandy loam, such as from your back yard, then yes. Go coarser than sand. Lithops don't grow in sand, they grow in broken rock. Go eighth inch or even quarter inch, mixed about 2:1 with your soil. Better yet look for a more porous granule like pumice or calcined diatomite (eg. Napa #8822 or some cat litters).
Danger times are hot nights. Lithops don't grow well if nights are above 70F, certainly not above 80F, so you can't water them much. I've had a Lithops stolen by a bird. Mice like them, probably other stuff too. Mine are rarely left in the open air so not a problem here.
I don't live in Texas, never have, so I can't tell you exactly how to water. Even if I'd spent my entire life in Houston, my soil isn't your soil and you're just going to have to feel your way a bit. I don't know what you're calling topsoil so I don't know if it is suitable. If it is general semi-composted green waste in a bag, then no. If it is sandy loam, such as from your back yard, then yes. Go coarser than sand. Lithops don't grow in sand, they grow in broken rock. Go eighth inch or even quarter inch, mixed about 2:1 with your soil. Better yet look for a more porous granule like pumice or calcined diatomite (eg. Napa #8822 or some cat litters).
Danger times are hot nights. Lithops don't grow well if nights are above 70F, certainly not above 80F, so you can't water them much. I've had a Lithops stolen by a bird. Mice like them, probably other stuff too. Mine are rarely left in the open air so not a problem here.
--ian
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
I'm guessing from the list here that I shouldn't put my Pleiospolis and Fenestraria in the same pot, eh? One is listed as a summer grower, the other as winter. x-D
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Indeed. Fenestratia is (should be) dormant during summer. But to be honest, I think Fenestratie will survive a summer growing watering regime. Just like Argyrodermas and maybe some Gibbaeums. But if they will flower if you do so, I doubt it.Geeklet42 wrote:I'm guessing from the list here that I shouldn't put my Pleiospolis and Fenestraria in the same pot, eh? One is listed as a summer grower, the other as winter. x-D
Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
Thank you Ian, the soil info is EXACTLY what i needed to know . do you mean clay cat litter,i work in a petstore and we have like 15 kinds of litter. vermiculite or perlite are just about the only things i know i can find for sure around here that are really coarse, will those work? Maybe i should just keep it indoors and put it on a western window. And how cold hardy is lithops anyway, cause nights are mid-40s-60s right now outside i could just put a pane of glass or something over it to protect it from the rains. And lastly from what i've read sandy loam can be made with around 50-70% sand, less than 20% clay and 10-50% silt or humus. we have mainly clay soil here so i think i could use like 30% yard dirt and then some kind of sand to make sandy loam that sound suitable for lithops? and thanks again for putting up with my endless questions
. do you mean clay cat litter,i work in a petstore and we have like 15 kinds of litter. vermiculite or perlite are just about the only things i know i can find for sure around here that are really coarse, will those work? Maybe i should just keep it indoors and put it on a western window. And how cold hardy is lithops anyway, cause nights are mid-40s-60s right now outside i could just put a pane of glass or something over it to protect it from the rains. And lastly from what i've read sandy loam can be made with around 50-70% sand, less than 20% clay and 10-50% silt or humus. we have mainly clay soil here so i think i could use like 30% yard dirt and then some kind of sand to make sandy loam that sound suitable for lithops? and thanks again for putting up with my endless questions Re: Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs
All Lithops are entirely hardy to freezing, and most quite a way below. Cool nights are better than warm ones.
Cat litter must be a type that does not become mushy in water, often sold as "lightweight". It is made from clay, but it is fired to it is hard and doesn't clump. Maybe someone can recommend a brand, but I don't know of any available in the US. Perlite is OK, but nasty stuff. Vermiculite is to absorbent and crushable. Both are good in spongy soils like peat because they are so light. Adding solid grit to peat just squashes it.
Making sandy loam from clay loam is not for the faint-hearted, but give it a try. You'll probably end up with something good for rendering your house, but who knows
Cat litter must be a type that does not become mushy in water, often sold as "lightweight". It is made from clay, but it is fired to it is hard and doesn't clump. Maybe someone can recommend a brand, but I don't know of any available in the US. Perlite is OK, but nasty stuff. Vermiculite is to absorbent and crushable. Both are good in spongy soils like peat because they are so light. Adding solid grit to peat just squashes it.
Making sandy loam from clay loam is not for the faint-hearted, but give it a try. You'll probably end up with something good for rendering your house, but who knows
--ian