Growing Lithops and Other Difficult Mesembs

[Tlaloc]

sigh. i don't suppose that making sandy loam is as simple as mixing sand, clay and some slit and humus in the right proportions is it? And i wasn't gonna turn a patch of my yard into it, i just figured since my whole yard is thick grey and black clay with lots and lots of organic material, i could use some of that in the mix instead of going out and buying some. OH! will crushed black lava rock work? that and a splash (say 10-25%) of mixed clay and potting soil work?what i don't get is how is it that a extreme succulent like lithops, that comes from an African dessert that has practically non-existent rain have such little heat tolerance and high cold hardiness. oh and what is Napa #8822? from my googling it's pumice or some kind of car part? o.O

[Tlaloc]

Sigh. i don't suppose that making sandy loam is as simple as mixing sand,clay, and a splash (say 10-30%) of humus and/or silt would it? oh! would black lava rock work? i think i know where to get some. what i don't understand is how is it that such an extreme succulent like lithops, that comes from an African desert have such low heat tolerance and high cold hardiness.

[iann]

Why can't plants from deserts be cold hardy? Why can't they be dormant in a Houston summer? Most Lithops aren't found in deserts anyway, and certainly not in hot Arizona-style deserts. Go to the Kalahari, no Lithops. They certainly aren't found in humid sub-tropical locations like south Texas.

[Tlaloc]

yeah, i guess i fell under the assumtion that just cause the plant comes from somewhere where it doesn't rain much means it's hot.and the desert does get REALLY cold at night anyway. And that's what i was thinking, i might just leave it out pretty much year around so it'll be dormant summer and maybe winter and hopefully grows in spring and fall. I am hell-bent on getting this little plant to grow!

[iann]

In case it all sounds a bit complicated, I have a very simple approach of leaving Lithops dry in winter and watering them whenever they need it in summer. Whenever they need it isn't very often, perhaps once a month. I think the whole dormancy concept is massively overblown in the case of Lithops. Certainly UK growers should not be following a dormant summer policy, but growers in hot sticky countries do report issues with summer dormancy, and if anyone is going to see it I think you will.

[Sutremaine]

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.

Turface.

Not cat litter, but the same kind of fired clay.

[Tlaloc]

thank again ian, you've been a life saver for me . and yeah i'm just gonna wing it with the water, if the main leaves start looking a bit shriveled i'll give them a drizzle or 2 and when if they start growing maybe a bit more. okay one last thing i promise, 2 parts red lava rock crushed up to 1/8-1/4 peices and some yard soil sound acceptable?

[Tlaloc]

OKAY. after all the endless questions and research i've repotted my lithops . first picture is what i repoted them in, it's 75-90% decomposed granite, the rest is clay. the bags got rained on so the stuff in my hand is already pretty moist. i put the rots in the mix and covered the rest of the plant with 1/4-1/2 inch pebbles of DG (after i took the pictures) to make sure it can breathe in my humid climate. and the last is the split rock i got the other day and i put it in about 75% DG and a quater clay. sound ship shape to yall?

[C And D]

You're a Saint Iann.
It's so hard to give advice for growing Lithops, and especailly if you live in England to someone that lives in Coastal Texas.
The heat and humidty is tough place for Lithops, but I think it can be done with less water during deep Summer.

My advice, try diferent things, and if you kill some, No Big deal, get some more and keep trying, and sooner or later you will be good at it.

I use 80-90% pumice, a little course sand, and 10% potting mix.
Lithops don't mind being repotted that much, and when you do, you should strip the roots down.

I just repotted some my old ones and the roots were huge and woody, which get more and more ineffective with age. So I had to just cut the heads off, and throw away the roots. I will reroot the heads, and they will grow with new vigor.

[Tlaloc]

i will, once i figure out a more reliable source of them other than the local garden stores. and i found out that the mix i planted them in sets like concrete when it fully dries out :/ . i think since the pieces of DG are so small and the clay so well mixed in when it dries the clay sticks EVERYTHING together. they seem to be okay though, other than the fact that since i planted them their sides have started to wrinkle alot, i think i should justgive them a drizzle since it's FINALLY starting to heat up around here too.

[iann]

That's the problem with trying to "make loam". The clay particles in true loam are so microscopic that they don't set into concrete, but that takes generations of earthworms, fungi, and probably all sorts of other stuff. Might not be the end of the world for a Lithops, but I bet it still makes watering difficult.

I repot at the end of winter. Everything except the perennial roots are gone by then, after 4-6 months without water.

[C And D]

I avoid clay and silt.

Think of a course cereal with the milk as the binder

Pumice, course sand and a binder, which can be anything. I use a commercial cactus mix as the binder, which is bark and leaf mold.

But!!!, many growers, including Mesa Gardens and Jurgan use a silty, clay like soil, and it works for them.

[Tlaloc]

uuurrrgggghhhhhh. oh well, can't blame for me for giving it shot . i'll just do what CandD said and mix some commerical cactus/succlent mix with the decomposed granite and call it a day. if it grows, it grows. i'ma water them a bit though before i try to repot them one last time, their started to look pretty wrinkly around the edges. THANKS ALOT GUYS, i'd be completley and utterly lost without yall's help. ill post pictures if they continue to endure my abuse

[Tlaloc]

on the upside, the split rock is doing just fine, it's lower 3rd pair of leaves are almost gone and it's darkening as it warms up more around here

[Tlaloc]

random thought: if clay holds on to water like a sponge, could i plant a water loving plant clay soil?