My indoor setup
 

Ok, since i live in an apartment, I have no choice but to grow my lithops under grow lights. Can't seem to find any info on the net with regards to growing lithops under growlights. Anyway, here goes... I place a 38watts PL Philips light over the plants. The lighting is about 3-4 inches from the plants. Hope the light is sufficient. I am giving them 16 hours of light at the moment.

Been searching the net on their growing media too and found a few source saying that we can use cactus mix with more sand and course sand added. So that's what I did. Then I top up with stones etc.

I also have transplanted them into a community pot. Hope I am doing everything right. Just grouping around in the dark so to speak... and hope for the best.

I have turned of the PL lights for the picture. So it's look kinda dim.

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Re: My indoor setup
 

Wow...wow...wow....David..U did a nice job...:1thumbup:
Vy nice and wonderful landskap..vy natural.....
Am I misunderstand?? cactus is a plant? Why can mix with more sand and course sand??
Are u know course sand is call what in chinese?? :1thumbup:
Thanks!! :smile:

Re: My indoor setup
 

No, no, no, what I meant was I bought this soil that was pre-mixed for cactus. I take this and add sand inside. Not that I took the cactus plant and mix with sand for the media of my lithops. Hope this explains it. :smile:

Re: My indoor setup
 

Here's a picture of the cactus media. Looks like a mixture of sand, peat and chopped up coconut fibre...

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I mix this further with more fine sand and coarse sand before potting my lithops

Re: My indoor setup
 

OIc….hehe..paiseh lah… I thought is real cactus…:tongue:
Now understand liao…thanks a lot!!
Woo…u really very helpful…:1thumbup:
U put the picture is a good info for me…thanks…
I will try go find it…

Re: My indoor setup
 

You know what David. Your lithops might stand a better chance of surviving that ours which were grown outdoors. You can really control the level of humidity.

Some growers do not water them until they get a little wrinkly, which means they are dehydrated. But even then, some resist watering at that point of time. Yours look very `pumped` with water so you might want to be careful about watering them. Resist the urge even tho they seem to be `begging` for it.

Your main direction now would be to get them to survive.

2nd aim after that would be to get them to flower. Mine never did but Wilson managed to squeeze a flower or two out of them.

Re: My indoor setup
 

David, I think yours PLL light is 36w and not 38w

Re: My indoor setup
 

I seldom wander into this non-CP section but I must say that this trip is worthwhile. Cool set-up, David! :1thumbup:

Shh...don't let my CPs know. Before them, I had lithops. But of course, they all returned to Cacti Paradise soon after.

Re: My indoor setup
 

Need more explainatio here. When you say wrinkle, does it mean just the side of the plant lokiing wrinkle or the top as well. Last few days I noticed s few of them have some wrinkles at the side just before the media. Does this mean I have to water now or wait until the top part wrinkles too?

Re: My indoor setup
 

Ok. ley me go back and check. I thought the guy told me 38w.

Re: My indoor setup
 

Thanks Cindy. Just hope they don die on me. If you have any tips at all on growing Lithops, please let me know. I am craving for tips on how to grow them in our climate.

If your CPs find out, tell them it's an old flame and the flame has died out. You're hot for them (CPs) now. If they still sulk and make noise, hang a criket infront of them and hand feed them ok. I think that might do the trick.

Re: My indoor setup
 

I meant the top part of the lithop is wrinkled and the whole plant looks shrivelled up. They will look very tragic then but apparently, that`s how they look in the wild for a few months until the rains come.

*theory plus facts yah* coz for me, it was very difficult to maintain them for too long as sometimes we miss bringing them in from the garden where they get full sun & it suddenly rains. a few incidents like that, and they rot before you can even sneeze.

Re: My indoor setup
 

Thanks for the explaination Tarence.

A question for everyone... I read that in the wild the plants actually experience very cold temperatures at night, ie. as low as 5 degrees. Is that true? If it is true do they need that drop in temperatures in cultivation?

I read on a website that some growers place their potted plants in the fridge at night. I can't do that as mine is a community pot. So huge. I'll have to take up one whole shelf in the fridge and my "minister of home affairs" will screem at me and throw it out of the house.

I wonder if anybody has pictures of Lithops in the wild. Wanna see how they grow in the wild so I can mimic the environment more.

Re: My indoor setup
 

wa david.. 16 hours of sunlight.. ur electricity bill sure soar...

anyway, i wanted to go to the carnival today but had no time.. wanted to get a few VFTs.

Re: My indoor setup
 

yes, that's true. its freezing cold at night in the desert whereas in the morning, its very hot.

Re: My indoor setup
 

:smile: Hi! David...get 1 happy thing to share with u...
That 3 cute Lithops that u spare for me already grow the new small roots..I feel very happy because that means they in survival...
But no know they can grow the flowers or not...:crying: aii...https://forum.petpitcher.net/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: My indoor setup
 

Hey Casey! You were right! It was 36 watts and not 38 watts. Thanks

Re: My indoor setup
 

Cool! I'm happy for you. By the way, just curious how you know when they have new roots.

Re: My indoor setup
 

:smile: Hi! David…
When I received the Lithops, their roots are in brown colour and look like very dry and crush up…That time, I really scare they will die…:crying:
After that, I just put them with coarse sand, the top and bottom just put small white stone only…

Yesterday I suddenly have an itch to take them out…very careful take them out..I found that they got many small and thin roots come from that taproot…That’s why I said that they in survival…Maybe this is nothing but I also feel very happy :laugh: about it…because they show they are alive…hehe!! https://forum.petpitcher.net/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: My indoor setup
 

It is not "nothing" harlem2347! This is good news. Congrats man!

Mine is starting to wrinkle up quite a bit at the side of it leaves. 2 of them have started to wrinkle on top. Hmm, will need to water soon.

Re: My indoor setup
 

:smile: Hehe! Thanks..David…
Like that u need to water soon..If not, ur lithops will thirsty..Hehe!! :tongue:

Re: My indoor setup
 

Not sure why, but in the last 4 months or so, my lithops are dying one by one. They just wrinkle up and die. :crying: i water them when they start to wrinkle as usual. Could it be the heat wave we are experiencing?

I am worried. Now only left with 3 healthy ones.