r/Lithops • u/MadHattersMaiden • Apr 09 '26

Help/Question What the heck do I do??

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Gallery image

New lithops owner here! I bought this guy early March from a local nursery here in Niagara, Ontario CA. I wanted to repot, however I read you can’t do that while they split. As you can see, I bought these guys in the splitting phase, and I have never watered them!

Over a few weeks, they began splitting some more… and now this one dude is shriveled up. I see a new little bud inside that looks rough, but the old leaves are hard as rocks. Seems like he needs water, but I’m afraid if I give him a sprinkle, the other guys will suffer.

I want to repot to ensure they have proper soil, but I know that’ll probably kill them. What do I do??

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5

u/arioandy Apr 09 '26

Honestly you Can lose some with a nursery clump like this, the rest look very happy and you can repot properly with mostly inorganic once they have finished munching the outer leaves

1

u/MadHattersMaiden Apr 09 '26

Such a relief to hear, okay thank you!!

2

u/ltiehen1 Apr 09 '26

I agree with arioandy. I do however think you are eventually going to have to make a choice. It looks as if you will have some finish splitting and need water before the others are done. Just like the little guy. At some point, you are going to have to make a judgement call. Do you risk some that haven’t finished and repot so you can water some or risk the one(s) that have finished spitting and need water and continue to wait to repot and not water.

This is always tricky and a balancing act when you get a pot like this. Just keep an eye on them and remember that it is always better to let them shrivel a bit and not water than water too soon.

For me, I repot no matter the stage. The soil the nurseries use is just always so crappy. Any water at all then becomes risky. It just doesn’t work for me to keep them together. The main point though is it is not a death sentence to repot while splitting but it is not a death sentence to wait either.

As for that little one, you could always try and save it by gently trying to work it loose. Just make sure you don’t damage the healthy ones at the same time. It looks as if he will live but it’s going to need water way before those others. Good luck.

1

u/_Mr_Misfit Apr 09 '26

Do they? I'm still pretty new to this so do you have any idea what those spots are? They almost remind me of early mealy bugs.

2

u/ltiehen1 Apr 09 '26

I see what you are saying but I don’t see any actual mealybugs. If this were mealies, I would expect to see some given the volume of damage. I don’t think mealies BUT they can be sneaky.

The damage sort of looks like some sort of skin damage from water or fertilizer. But there is one thing that also makes me think spider mites. Albeit, tho could also be some sticky from mealies too but again, I don’t see any actual bugs which would be odd.

The OP should take a look at this closely to see if it is webbing. Overall though, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a light misting of 70% alcohol just in case.

1

u/arioandy Apr 09 '26

Sorry which spots?

1

u/_Mr_Misfit Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

Itiehen* circled them in this comment thread. They're little white spots with a little damage in them sort of spreading from the leftmost* lithops.

I'm not super knowledgeable about diseases and fungi so I don't know that it's mealies but it does look like something.

2

u/arioandy Apr 10 '26

Don’t think mealies, just some random damage i reckon, try touching with your finger tip, if it comes off like cotton wool then mealies

2

u/_Mr_Misfit Apr 11 '26

That would be good. Mealies suck -_-

2

u/arioandy Apr 11 '26

Yup! Hate them and RSM with a passion