Ok, I own Living stones for the first time and I noticed that on both of my plants, there's one that is kinda squishy and has a few wrinkles. I have been to other plant forums and no one has even tried to help me. What is causing my succulent to wrinkle? Also, another one got this 'wound' near the top, on the side. It was brown, black-green and was soft only where the 'wound' was. Now, that too is wrinkling and squishy. What was that 'wound'? Rot?
I have never grown these, but my guess would be that the wrinkling is caused by over watering or under watering. They apparently can go for a very long time without water and should receive no water during the winter. Check out the growing instructions here: http://www.lithop.supanet.com/Page_2.html
i agree with Eric, overwatering. I used to grow these, until my naughty dog chewed them up :( I noticed it starting to wrinkle because we were overwatering. I let it dry right out and then changed my watering regime. How often are you watering? Ed
It's not so much watering as misting. Last time I watered them was a month ago (the colors were bleached when I got them and perked up immediately after I watered them) once and today, I misted them because I read that they should be misted. I've misted them a total of two times since I have had them (a month ago) and I changed the potting soil last week because the plants were too big for the pot (and the soil wasn't cactus).
I couldn't find anything in any of my cactus and succulent books about misting??, they are native to Africa in arid regions, maybe the misting is to copy the dew or something??? Anyway try this site www.lithop.supanet.com Good luck Ed
I always wanted some living stones... Anyway, I think that overwatering is the problem. What's happening to the "wound" is that it's "infected". Bacteria are in this "wound", and when you mist it it just helps them grow. My advice is to try to cut off that part, or if it's too big, then just get rid of that stone before it infects the entire group. By the way, do you know where I could get living stones?... I live in Birmingham, AL.
The plants are these funny little jelly beans because of the extreme desert environment they inhabit. In the wild only the top of the "rock" may appear at the surface, the top being translucent and actually functioning like a window. Part of the time the top may shrivel, with only the roots living on until the next period when there is enough moisture to support the growth of another set of "stones." Cultivation efforts must emulate this natural habitat conditions in order to be successful. High light levels, warmth, and possibly low humidity (nearly impossible in Alabama?) may be required to have lasting success, perhaps an annual dormant period must be provided for some species also. If you have the botanical names of each kind you have, try searching www by those and gleaning cultivation tips.
