Contest 60 : Discussion and related Pictures

[iann]

no idea they are all just lithops to me

same image again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the others in the pot might not be the same

Looks like one plant to me. Possibly var menellii.

[Jens]

no idea they are all just lithops to me

That is about exactly the stage my knowledge of lithops is at.
Maybe Ian can show a few striking examples of lithops here ?

[iann]

You don't have to twist my arm too hard ...

Everyone knows L. optica 'Rubra', but not everyone in England has seen one flowering.


Not everyone knows 'Hammeruby' but they are every bit as striking and if anything are easier to flower in England.


But my favourite red mutant is L. olivacea 'Red Olive'.


I'm not such a big fan of the green mutants, but L. otzenaiana 'Aquamarine' is a nice one.


You don't have to be a mutant to be striking. Here is L. gracilidelineata, the somewhat vaguely defined pattern cultivar 'Cafe au Lait'.


Some are bigger than others. This L. aucampiae has heads each two inches across.


While this whole L. werneri clump is two inches across.


And when you get bored with the flowers, the capsules that open and close are fun too. L. lesliei has some of the biggest seeds in the genus so not very many in a capsule.

L. gracilidelineata has much smaller seeds (but not the smallest in the genus) but capsules more or less the same size, so lots of seed in each one.

[Jens]

Wow, great display of some eye catchers of the genus.
In fact im beginning to think about sowing some lithops too. A friend of mine gave me quite a few mixed up seedpods- but I could sow each seedpod seperately and look what comes up.
Is it better to sow them in winter or in spring?
Here are some more pictures from visiting that friend who is very fond on cold hardy plants.- in fact lithops can stand a few degrees of freezing, can´t they?

[iann]

Lithops are variously hardy to something between -5C and -10C, and possibly even a little colder. I've certainly had some damage on a couple of species at -5C but most are just fine.

Identifying Lithops from a whole pot of the same species is much easier than just a single plant. There is yoo much variation with individual plants but you can usually name even the population from seeing the whole range of forms.

I sow in winter under lights, any time from about now until February. If you are using natural light then wait for spring, perhaps February or March, but your seedlings will be smaller going into summer. I like them big enough that I can just stick them out in the greenhouse and let them get on with it. Some of the more difficult species in particular don't like going into heat too young. They don't need a lot of heat to germinate though, 20C by day and 10C by night will work perfectly well.

[Ken Shaw]

Iann,

That 'red olive' seems to have more than two new leaves inside.

Does it? If so, is that common?

[iann]

Iann,

That 'red olive' seems to have more than two new leaves inside.

Does it? If so, is that common?

It does have a double set of leaves growing from inside. I don't seem to have a more recent picture, but that is how a Lithops gets from being a single leaf pair to a big clump. In cultivation it happens nearly every year for some prolific plants and almost never for some that prefer the solitary life.

[Ken Shaw]

It does have a double set of leaves growing from inside. I don't seem to have a more recent picture, but that is how a Lithops gets from being a single leaf pair to a big clump. In cultivation it happens nearly every year for some prolific plants and almost never for some that prefer the solitary life.

Thanks, Iann.
My few lithops never seem to double. I often look at the clumps of lithops in shows and wonder if they are really clumps or plants from multiple seeds.

[iann]

Thanks, Iann.
My few lithops never seem to double. I often look at the clumps of lithops in shows and wonder if they are really clumps or plants from multiple seeds.

Show Lithops are usually treated, lets just say generously, but they are usually real clumps made from a single plant. Really tall mounded plants have been grown quickly, and so the outer heads just can't get out of the way of the middle heads and force them up. Old slow-grown clumps are much flatter.

Most of the species cultivated by "lay" Lithops growers should divide maybe every three years. This includes L. karasmontana, L. lesliei, L. bromfieldii, L. salicola, etc. I typically find they divide for the first time at 2-3 years from seed, often a year before they even flower for the first time.

Occasionally plants just won't divide, but usually it is a sign that they are lacking something. Perhaps a good feed if you don't normally fertilise them, or give more water at the right times even if you don't water any more often.

[Ken Shaw]

Occasionally plants just won't divide, but usually it is a sign that they are lacking something. Perhaps a good feed if you don't normally fertilise them, or give more water at the right times even if you don't water any more often.

Thanks again Iann, I'll feed them and move them up to a place where they'll get more attention. I have 4 or 5 lithops, all about 5 years old but not really thriving. Yet.

[Jens]

Thanks Ian, sounds like they don´t mind being treated like most cactus seeds. I will try some this winter.

[Bruce]

My conos and/or lithops (sometimes I have a hard time telling them apart):

[Jens]

They are quite small ! haha

[iann]

They are quite small ! haha

Exellent drainage!

[amanzed]

Fully aerated!