My indoor setup

[David]

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.

[harlem2347]

Wow...wow...wow....David..U did a nice job...
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??
Thanks!!

[David]

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.

[David]

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



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

[harlem2347]

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

[Tarence]

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.

[caseyhoo]

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

[Cindy]

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

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

[David]

Originally Posted by Tarence

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.

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?

[David]

Originally Posted by caseyhoo

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

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