I recently picked up a group of lithops in 4 small 2 inch pots and would like to make them into a group planting I’m thinking to plant them all together in a bonsai pot that is about 2 ½ inches deep by 9 inches long and 6 ½ inches wide all 4 fit very comfortably with ample growing space I’m just concerned about there tap roots. Is it better to go with a shallower pot that will not be a problem with keeping the soil dried out or go with a deeper pot because of this tap root? Also if anybody is growing these would you mind sharing a picture?... thanks
A shallow pot will be better. Don't worry about the root system and remember not to water until summer. Here's some more info and photos: http://www.lithop.supanet.com/
G'day SUNRIZE haven't seen you on here for a while. L.Plant is correct shallow pot. We had ours in a shallow pot and it was doing great, until the dog decided to go crazy with the pot and the contents : (\ Ed
I wouldn't suggest planting them altogether like that. Since these little guys require careful watering it's generally best to keep them apart (i.e. while one might need water the others might be harmed if watered at the same time etc etc). Still, it can be done if you're careful :). Ed and L.plant are right about the shallow pot. Most of the lithops that I have have fairly small tap roots so it wasn't a problem to keep them in smaller pots. I hope that you have the same luck. Remember to repot them only when they're bone dry and to hold off watering them after for at least one to two weeks to allow the hairy roots and tap roots to heal. Here's a great reference page for them although no one seemes to answer questions on the tag board nowadays (still the old posts are VERY informative). http://www.lithop.supanet.com/Page_3.html I'll see if I can post some pics of mine tomorrow. Some of them are on the right cycle while others a little out of whack still. I hope that the Florida humidity won't make these guys a pain for you! Remember to give them tons of light and fresh air ^_^. Cheers, Ryan
Hi Ed, L.plant and Ryan... Thanks for your responses..I was almost ready to give up on cactus and succulents, last year I lost quite a few to the rain I agree Florida is not the best environment for some succulents. Then I stumbled across these by accident and I just had to try again. I’ve been babying these little plants making sure no water touches them lol…at the first sign of a cloud I’m out there bringing them in lol.. Ed I didn’t think anybody would notice my absence ….smiles
Here are some pics of my lithops. They're pretty small and some have their seasons out of whack. The greenhouse that carries them up here had them in shade for the longest time =/. Best of luck with yours! Ryan
I see you have a lots of space in your greenhouse! You dont thinking about saving the space at all! Actually, Lithops growes well when they are growing close to the neighbours and they looks much better when in the groups.
one more/ Too big pots! Too much moisture in the soil it is not good for them. If moisture in this big pots doesnt go away fast your plants can get rot. So smaller pots will be better or you can plant them in the group.
Actually they're not in a greenhouse but in my apartment. That's all the Lithops that I have so I don't really worry too much about space. I only have 7 ^_^. As for the pot size the two in the larger pots are the first two plants that I bought. I potted them a bit too big for sure, but seeing as it's VERY dry here so I haven't yet had problems with rot. The soil seems to dry out very quickly regardless; I mixed the soil at roughly half commercial cactus soil and half perlite so that might help preventing rot I hope (although it makes the pot VERY light and when I water them the underlying soil pops up from around the sand which looks crappy). Some of the plants are still in the soil that the greenhouse had them in and it seems to take out the moisture very quickly. I think I water these guys once every few months or so =/. I usually water when the plant body starts to wrinkle and doesn't firm back up at night. Thanks for the comments! Have you really had luck with growing them together in the same pot!? All of mine seem to need water at different times/intervals such that I would think that having them together would cause problems. I have heard similar comments from other people but maybe I'm out to lunch about this though. Cheers, Ryan
I have a question about lithops the answer might help out SUNRIZE too. I keep reading that your suppose to only water them about twice a year. Is that true? I also read that it has something to do when the plant absorbs the old leaves as new ones are appearing.
In some climates that might be true but possibly you've heard that you only water them during two periods of the year (spring and fall) rather than twice a year? Most species go dormant during the hot summer and, as far as I know, virtually all lithops go dormant over the winter as the old leaves are consumed by the new ones. If you water when the new leaves are forming the old body will come back to life and strange the new leaves. So in the spring you have to wait 'till the old leaves look pretty much like dried husks of paper clinging to the sides of the new body. I made the mistake of watering one plant too early and now I have to wait 'till it makes new leaves next year and hope that the problem is fixed that way =/. You water lithops during the spring and fall when the plant body looks wrinkly which can be months apart or less depending on your growing conditions and species. I could welll be wrong and if so I hope that someone else can correct me ;), Cheers, Ryan
