Lithops seed germination

[marvin1997]

Like cactus,right?Or not?I don't actually care for my cactus.They just grow and grow and grow and grow.I think one of the cone shaped ones produced a gammae like some pings.

[spark]

Lithops are grown similarly to cactus, but not identically, there are some differences. Cactus come from a variety of climates, from tropical to temperate, but nearly all very dry and nearly all in the Americas. Lithops come from one fairly small part of southern Africa. I'm not at ALL an expert on cactus, I don't own any, just succulents, and cactus care requirements vary a lot across species, some are amazingly tolerant of water, or of cold, or even both, where Lithops are not tolerant of water at all, and are only tolerant of cold when kept absolutely bone dry.

[marvin1997]

Oh......So they need to be watered.Like every week?

[spark]

It depends on if they're growing, dormant, trying to flower, or trying to absorb old leaves.

Right now I am not watering mine at all, and I won't be for probably another month or so because they're absorbing old leaves, and water would mess with that. When they're done and the old leaves are gone I'll water them a little, but I'll have to stop fairly soon because then it will be summer and they'll go dormant again, so I'll leave them alone during the hottest months, other than maybe a little misting if they start looking very dry and wrinkled. Then I start watering again in the fall so that they can flower, and stop again during winter so they can start a new pair of leaves, it it starts over again.

It's kind of complicated.

[marvin1997]

The life cycle of lithops---water,flower,grow new leaf,water a little,dormant,water,flower,grow new leaf,water a little and so on.Haha!I want to get some.David:Where do you got them?Spark:They need bright light or not?

[spark]

They like bright light, but they prefer just a little screening, direct light can burn them and they can also overheat if they're in small pots. Mine are on my windowsill, which so far seems to be perfect for them.

[David]

Hi marvin,

At the moment I can't remember where I bought it. It was from an online nursery.

[spark]

If you want to try from seed (at least germination is easy!) ebay always has lots. The ones I just sprouted came from somebody in Taiwan, so they're nearer to you than to me, I think!

[David]

Originally Posted by David

Hi marvin,

At the moment I can't remember where I bought it. It was from an online nursery.

Ok. Got it. I bought my lithops from www.conos-paradise.com. Good service and great plants. This nursery also do not collect money upfront. You only pay when you receive your plants and invoice. The nursery is from Germany.

The owner is Uwe Beyer and he has written a short article on the cultivation of Lithops in tropical conditions for us. I thought I uploaded it some time back. Can't seem to find that thread. Will post again.

[spark]

It's in the succulents section. (Well, lithops are succulents!)

https://forum.petpitcher.net/showthread.php?t=1104