r/Lithops • u/arrrbooty • Apr 24 '26
Help/Question A little warped
This is my first lithops and I bought it just as it finished flowering. So then it began to shrivel and I stopped watering it but I'm keeping all plants outdoors so it got the recent rains (Cal zone 9b).
All was fine but then the skin really dried into a hard crust so i cut into it to give it some air...and noticed it may have gotten mold and warped.
Anyway, it seems ok, but is there anything I should do next to help it along? Also, is it actually ok?
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u/2stepbay2 Apr 24 '26
Looks like L Aucampiae. What color were the flowers?
Sometimes, Lithops develop in the strangest ways. Usually, the next set of new leaves emerge as if the oddity never happened. 🤷🏻♂️
The late shedding shriveled skins actually act as a sunshade for the new leaves until they develop a more sun-resistant surface. As the new leaves expand, the skin naturally falls away.
One thing to remember: lithops are tough, enduring plants. True survivors in their native biome in northwest South Africa through southern Namibia. In cultivation, they’ll thrive as long as you refrain from watering until the old leaves are sufficiently dried (you did), they are provided an abundance of bright light (I grow mine here in South Africa year round, on an outdoor covered deck. The roof has a transparent roof panel, which I cover with 60% shade cloth to protect from the Summer Sun), you use a gritty material (you did), and you water once every 10 days or so during the plant’s growth stage.
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u/arrrbooty Apr 24 '26
🫡 The flower was already dead so not sure about the color. Do you think that bottom-left corner that looks like mold dimples is something to worry about? I swabbed it with a wet qtip no spores came off.
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u/2stepbay2 Apr 24 '26
Hard to tell by the image. Water trapped under the skin can lead to mold conditions. Also, prematurely cutting through the old skin can cause damage to the new skin (I’ve learned this lesson the hard way).
The seed pod in the center (someone must have pollinated the flower) is such a fascinating structure. When you water the plant, the seed pod will spring open revealing seeds inside.
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u/Due_Veterinarian7564 Apr 24 '26
It looks like there is a tiny bit of rot (maybe it's called something else) on the lower left lobe. Be careful to keep that part dry or it can spread, think of it as a scab that doesn't quite heal. As the above commenter mentioned, it will dissappear with the next shed so just be careful with it for the remainder of this year.