Lithop Seedling Water Restriction?

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KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Lithop Seedling Water Restriction?

Post by KittieKAT »

Been reading and heard alot of mixed information on the topic of when to start keeping the soil of sprouted lithop seedlings dry. At the moment everything is looking great with the medium being on the damper side for germination to happen- but I'm not sure when i should start the actual process of letting the soil get dry before watering the seedling sprouts yet again. I'm growing L. optica "maculate" seeds and the children's pots for the growing program are of mixed seeds that were donated. I heard optica rubra seeds are really fussy growers not sure if that's the same for all optica's or just rubras, so I'm digging thru advice and info on here and online and it seems everyone has different info on the subject and it gets all mixed up. I live in Salem, MA USA i think that's zone 7-8? Not sure but the weather is erratic and we sometimes get CRAZY winter's so I'm kinda stuck on what to do but don't wanna wait until they start dying off to figure out what to do with these little guys. This is my first attempt of growing lithops in winter instead of spring and that's partially due to the fact we had to wait for the seeds donations once we found that some that is, and i just kinda lucked out running into some L. Optica "maculate" seeds from a friend who had some to spare. And the children couldn't wait to try sowing the seeds soo we ended up sowing them in the winter.
Anyone have and advice/experience on this subject it would be greatly appreciated if shared below. Thanks
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One of the children's soil test sowing trays for Lithops they are growing.
One of the children's soil test sowing trays for Lithops they are growing.
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iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: Lithop Seedling Water Restriction?

Post by iann »

L. optica seed "Maculate", 'Rubra', or otherwise are not especially fussy, but they aren't the biggest so therefore a little more sensitive to mistakes. 'Rubra' has the advantage of turning darker when the light levels are sufficient for good development.

Your USDA zone is hardly relevant unless you're growing them outside. If you are growing them outside I'd have thought Salem was a bit colder than zone 8, probably colder even than zone 7, but I haven't looked it up. Most Lithops are good (dry!) to about 20F, some colder but a few not quite so hardy. I don't expose the seedlings to any freezing though, they need to grow or die.

The time they really need to dry out is when the first true leaves start to come in. That's after 2-3 months in ideal conditions, but could be longer. Sowing now, that shouldn't happen until perhaps May. Until then they shouldn't be left completely dry, or at least not for very long. Just damp enough to keep them growing without rotting them, then some more water when the soil looks dry.

Suitable temperatures and sufficient light are important or they'll stop growing and become ridiculously easy to kill. Direct sunlight is OK but also a little dangerous in large doses, so bright outdoor shade is where you should be aiming. That equates to very bright indoor lights, too bright to be comfortable for reading a book under for example. Temperature should be below human comfort at night, anything from freezing to about 50F, although they'll tolerate warmer. Days can be as warm as you like really until you start to cook the seedlings at some temperature that would hurt your fingers if you touched it.
--ian
KittieKAT
Posts: 1246
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 6:49 pm

Re: Lithop Seedling Water Restriction?

Post by KittieKAT »

I keep them in the day room which is anywhere from 60-80°F then to the night room which is 40-35 maybe lower °F
They are under a 100watt CF plant light then under a 60watt cf plant light in the night room timed to go out at directly the same time the sun goes down. The medium is in the slightly damp side but sometimes i try to keep it just moist enough to germinate the seedlings but still kinda trying to figure out my timing on everything. Usually in summer i just toss seeds in water then leave them be till soils dry and then they grow but I'm figuring the winter sowing out as i go i guess.
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