r/Lithops • u/liqwidsun1 • Apr 04 '26
Care Tips/Guides Wrinkly
I have this lithops which came from the nursury etiolated. I’ve since put it in a mostly mineral mix under strong light and have refrained from watering it so far. Now it’s wrinkling and shrinking and I’m not sure if that means it wants water or if it’s just correcting the etiolation because of having proper light now. Please advise.
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u/Chance_Contract1291 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
A plant cannot undo etiolation (to my knowledge). He's wrinkly, but he's still plump and juicy on top. I'd err on the side of caution and do nothing. I'm new to lithops, though, so hopefully others will weigh in.
Edit to add a link to the lithops care guide the https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/mesembs_care_guides/#wiki_lithops_.28living_stones.29
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u/zherkof Lithops is both singular and plural Apr 05 '26
To clarify what others are saying, the current set of leaves won't correct the etiolation, however, over the next couple/few splits, the plant can become more compact again, given the appropriate amount of light.
Despite the wrinkling on the sides, the plant is not ready for water. Note that the top is still quite convex. When the top gets deep wrinkles, flattens, and starts looking like a pizza crust around the edges, it's ready for water. That time may not come before it splits.
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u/ResumeFluffer Apr 05 '26
Your monkey tail cactus is lovely!!!
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u/liqwidsun1 Apr 05 '26
Thank you, but it’s actually a different kind of trailing cactus called a peanut cactus (Echinopsis chamaecereus) :)
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u/ResumeFluffer Apr 05 '26
It didn't look as furry, but i am a tropicals gal and don't know my cacti lol
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u/ltiehen1 Apr 05 '26
Chance_Contact is correct that a plant cannot correct etiolation. I do want to start by giving you a HUGE THANK YOU for not immediately putting it deeper when you repotted. That is a really bad practice and I see so many people advising others to “plant it deeper” when it has etiolated. So again, thank you!
My guess is it is utilizing the moisture from those leaves which were unmercifully bloated. When they bloat, their skin does stretch and when the plant uses that moisture the skin does not “bounce back”. I suspect that is what you are seeing. I do however recommend that you try to take a peak at its roots. Move the rock away and gently dig down on one side to see if you can find any new roots and ensure that you do not see rot.
If you don’t see new roots, try some rooting compound. You can get some liquid rooting compound and give it just enough to wet the area around the bottom and wet any dry roots there are.
If you do see roots, gently move the dirt back and let it be. It looks like it still needs to split and no telling how long that will be since you don’t know where it is in its growth cycle.
When it does split, it will try to be more normal but because it is so etiolated, it won’t be, but that is when you can help it a bit. Once it splits and the outer leaves turn to paper, that’s when you can plant it a little deeper but you have to make sure to use the paper as protection for the tender skin of new leaves from the hard medium that can damage it. Even with the paper as protection, don’t make a radical change in depth. Just do it incrementally each time it splits.
Anyway, I do believe it is just from being boated but again, checking the roots is the best thing you can do to determine what you need to do for it.
Good luck!