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does anyone know about lithops?

wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,371
in Plants
Yesterday I bought a couple of pots of lithops and I'd like to get them divided and repotted. I've read a few online guides and I'll be putting them into a 5" deep terracotta pot to give the tap roots room to grow. I'll sieve some john innes (2 or 3?) and I've got some nice fine sharp grit to add to it. That part is fine I think but it seems like the plants will either be dormant now or very close to dormancy. Should I just leave them in clumps as they are for now and divide when they wake up in late august or will be ok to tease them apart and pot them on now? They're small plants but pretty crowded in a tiny pot so some root damage is inevitable.


Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
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  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,910
    You might have more luck on a more specialist forum such as this one 

    http://forum.bcss.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=1
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,371
    My wife just told me that there was a Gardener's World episode last year that covered lithops. After a bit of googling I found it :)


    This is his website


    Blokey says may/june is the time to repot them so that's perfect. This is the growing season apparently but I've found conflicting advice online, probably due to how hot it is where you live. Anyway though 50:50 JI no3 and grit (he says no2 on his website though), he doesn't mention how deep pots need to be but doesn't seem to use very deep ones himself.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,910
    Ah, sorry I don’t watch GW as I find all the presenters bring out an irrational desire in me to punch them in the face.

    Good luck with the lithops. Hallucinogenic, I believe.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,065
    Used to have several imported Lophophora williamsii plants ; these were also highly  hallucinogenic !!!
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,371
    Time to go on a vision quest!

    I don't really bother watching Gardeners' World anymore (I haven't actually turned my TV on since Christmas come to think of it). I like Carol and her garden, I like bits of Monty's garden and I like that girl who dresses like a victorian washer woman. I agree with the others though. Spring Watch has gone the same way. Diversity of presenter seems to be prioritised over talent and knowledge sadly.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I would not try to split them. Just pot each of the whole clumps up into five inch clay half pans. JI  no 2 half and half with grit or sharp sand. In the uk they will flower in our summer, dormancy our winter. Leave the necks proud of the compost mix and top dress with grit. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,371
    Is there a reason you say not to split them? I've been looking at a few photos on google and they're often shown in clumps but I can't really tell if they'll push each other apart to make space or if they need to be thinned.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,371
    Well I decided to split these as they were very crowded. I found a good pot that would fit them all with space for some older ones I had. I also found some good gravel that is a similar size and colour to the new plants so they have a very natural camouflage look which I like. You have to play spot the plant a bit though. It's been a month now and they've all put on good growth and some are starting to look like they're going to divide. I think the heat wave has helped as they've had constant sun the whole time after repotting. I went back to the shop yesterday and the last pot is still there and half the plants in it were dead so I think I made the right choice.



    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • LynLyn Posts: 21,945
    I just break bits off and poke in very gritty compost. They all take. I don’t know how long they will take to flower.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923
    edited July 2018
    peyote are the hallucinogenic plants not lithops,

    anyway, with lithops they dislike transplanting, however luckily they like growing in clumps, I would transplant both pots into one larger pot (terracotta works best) with a nice gritty free draining substrate.

    They need watering between May and October (you start after the new growth has emerged and the old leaves have totally withered) and if you're lucky they'll flower in October (when you stop watering).

    When watering i dunk the whole pot below the water in a bucket until it stops bubbling and then only water again once its totally dried out, they might only get four or five watering a year, but seeing as in their natural habitat they only get about 4 inches of rain per year that's fine, don't water at all in winter as they'll most likely rot.
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