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I've had a lot of Lithops that have all swelled up and rotted so I just looking for some advice on some new Lithops I got today.
I heard these optical rubras are the hardest to look after due to their colour and the unique conditions of its native land.
I heard some Lithops only need misting once a month and some just need watering once a year.
Also anyone know if these are single or two plants as two of the pots have two in. Thanks

Probably going to grow new leaves out of the old leaves right about now ? I bought some small wrinkled Optica Rubra Lithops off the internet and misted them until they fattened up. That was Summer time and they look OK now . Konger gardens is where I bought them.

My Lithops are mostly getting new Leaves now. I mist them in Summer and water in Fall and Spring. Accidental rain last month didn't hurt them at all but its pretty dry where I live. They are in Half sand half pumice and soil. Lithops don't need much water but once a year sounds wrong.

My experience is growing outside in S California under 50% shade cloth. Greenhouse or indoors no experience growing like that.

Thanks Keith
I'm not sure if these are about to grow a new set of leaves yet but they are very shriveled so I give them a tiny bit of water. Like you said I'll plumb them up then leave them alone.
The mix they have come in seem to be fine, extremely well draining.

Each of the three looks like a single plant. As they grow, they develop multiple heads on the same plant. One of them now appears to have three heads, might be more when the new leaves come through.

Watering once a year would be a bit cruel although many Lithops would survive it for a year or two. Misting seems like it would be a good idea but doesn't seem to work so well in practice. Use a free-draining soil and water thoroughly but infrequently.

I wouldn't have watered your plants at that time of year, but I don't water many things in February in England. The general rule here is not to water at all until new leaves have appeared and the old leaves have dried up. This can take a long time for L. optica 'Rubra' which tends to run later than other plants. Consistent sun and low humidity helps.

Lithops that don't get enough sun will become bloated and soft, prone to rot at any excuse. Also if they're over-watered obviously. At the other extreme, if they're left in direct sun with poor ventilation, especially behind glass, then they can overheat. Symptoms are loss of colour from the leaves, which they can recover from although they will look a mess until at least a year on. In severe cases the whole plant will turn white or transparent and quickly die.

Thanks Ian for the useful tips. Unfortunately I have lost two of the plants. They looked shrivelled so I watered them a few times. I will not give any water to the surviving plant now until I notice a new head coming through and after the leaves have fallen off by themselves.

Hero878 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:26 am and after the leaves have fallen off by themselves.

Well, they don't really "fall off", though. They just shrivel up and the moist from the old leaves will be taken up by the new leaves as they shrivel up. So don't expect them to drop off like leaves on a tree. But maybe that was not what you meant.

Aiko wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:53 am

Hero878 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:26 am and after the leaves have fallen off by themselves.

Well, they don't really "fall off", though. They just shrivel up and the moist from the old leaves will be taken up by the new leaves as they shrivel up. So don't expect them to drop off like leaves on a tree. But maybe that was not what you meant.

Thank you Aiko
Yeah I didn't mean they fall off. But yes shrivel up and turn crisp dry.

My Optica still have the old leaves, and will take a couple more months to shrivel
But I may give them some water now, here in sunny California On the other hand this Lithops gracilidelineata
has completely lost it's old leaves