Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

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Ilvin
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:11 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by Ilvin »

Hi,

Recently I've been trying to grow lithops, resulting (inevitably) so far in one lost lithops and some extremely overcrowded seedlings.

I have bought another adult lithops and it is wrinkling rapidly (over the last few days) around the top. My understanding was that this is how it shows it needs water, but I got it a week and a half ago in sodden, organic heavy soil and I simply can't believe it needs watering.

When I got it I freed it immediately from the wet soil, dried it over night (bare roots), and repotted it in a soil mix with gravel, sand, small amount of cactus soil, and perlite. I'm growing it indoors under grow lights.
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I'd really love some advice on whats causing this wrinkling. Is it possible its overheating?

I have a feeling this plant might be too young to flower, so I'd also like to know how to tell when to stop watering for winter - not just for this plant but for the 150 or so seedlings when they get old enough. I thought it was simply when it stopped showing signs of needing water, but this one surely can't need water and this is what I would have been looking out for.
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C And D
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Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by C And D »

It looks fine
The wrinkling is normal, just dehydration
Since you live down under, I would offer this advice
Water through summer and early fall
It should be plump going into fall, and your plant looks plump IMO
Watering it now should be OK

It may or may not flower, but it will split open during winter and the old leaves will dry away

withhold water from late fall until late spring
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http://www.CandDplants.com

Craig and Denise Fry
Ilvin
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Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:11 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by Ilvin »

Thanks, yeah, I've done my research for general watering.

But this plant was drenched when I bought it a little over a week ago. I'm glad the wrinkles don't immediately look like anything concerning, but this lithops lives indoors under grow light. Can it really have got dehydrated so quickly?

The one lithops I have killed I watered once in a month and a half and it rotted away below 'soil' level. I've upped the brightness of the grow lights since then, but I'm still having a hard time believing this one could have gone through all that stored water without direct sun. This wrinkling also happened in a few days.
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C And D
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Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by C And D »

It sounds like the Lithop was swollen with water from the old soil
and now has some small winkles on the sides from water loss

It wouldn't worry, my Lithops see alot more winkles on a regular basis
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http://www.CandDplants.com

Craig and Denise Fry
Ilvin
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:11 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by Ilvin »

Sure, okay. That actually sounds like a good thing: the lithops is using some of the stored water. Given that it was being grown like a How-To-Kill-Lithops guide I'm glad this is normal.
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greenknight
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Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by greenknight »

After re-potting, it needed to grow a lot of new roots using stored water. I think the wrinkling is actually a good sign.
Spence :mrgreen:
Ilvin
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Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:11 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by Ilvin »

Ah, I see. That makes sense and is good to know, I didn't want to be 2 for 2 for killing adult lithops while I'm trying to grow seedlings. It wouldn't bode well for them.
Ilvin
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Location: Perth, Australia

Re: Wrinkled Lithops - advice?

Post by Ilvin »

Update: I did water this lithops. It then took a (nervous) week and a half before finally the wrinkles slowly disappeared over another few days.

It has started wrinkling a little bit since, only on one side, but as its basically winter now I plan to leave it alone for a few months.
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