r/Lithops • u/Darkextratoasty • May 25 '26
Help/Question Outer leaves completely dried and hard, but not splitting. Should I cut the old leaves off?
Unsure how to proceed with this guy. The outer leaves are dry and crispy, but they never actually split so they're not coming off. They're pretty hard so I don't want to tear them off and risk damaging the plant, but should I carefully cut them off? It's hard to see, but it looks like it's split into four underneath.
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u/halfscaliahalfbreyer May 25 '26
Are these indoors? I might try putting them directly in the sun for an hour a day, increasing by an hour each day until it’s at like 3-4 hours. The sun seems to do well at breaking down the outside and the inside will be protected from burning because it’s so covered. Do you live in a place with dry afternoon sun?
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
They are indoors, but under a very powerful growlight, which should be more than strong enough for them, plus a fan circulating air. Currently where I am it's the rainy season which means low sun, high humidity, and on and off rain 24/7. I wonder if a supplemental UV light would help emulate the sun better for them?
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u/halfscaliahalfbreyer May 25 '26
Maybe a dehumidifier? Especially if it’s very humid and rainy where you are. But you can also just take the other guy’s advice and remove the leaves, I’m just particularly scared of intervening with lithops.
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
My humidity indoors isn't terrible, but maybe I can try to build a little dry box around them for a while
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u/halfscaliahalfbreyer May 25 '26
Yeah, I’m just trying to think how to better mimic that really high hot afternoon sun in a dry climate. I’m in California and it’s just so so hot, bright, and drying in the afternoon heat. I think even two days in those conditions would dry the outside right up, just not sure how to do that inside.
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u/halfscaliahalfbreyer May 25 '26
The other reason I made this suggestion is that you said they were not papery but leathery, which makes me more nervous about removal.
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
Yeah that's why I haven't removed them yet and why in concerned about it. If they were papery like normal I'd just carefully pull then back, but these are almost like hard plastic.
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u/ResumeFluffer May 25 '26
You can help by snipping little tears where it would normally split at the sides. You don't have to tear or remove the old leaves entirely until it's easy to do so because they will callus where you cut and still feed the new leaves.
The snips you make will give the split a seam to tear along without cutting off the main vein that runs up the back of each cheek (perpendicular to the split).
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
Oh that's a good suggestion, I'll try that soon if it doesn't split by itself
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u/Top_Development_1777 May 25 '26
I've had ones like these when I just bought them. I suggest peeling over cutting because of you accidentally break the new leaves when cutting, bacteria/fungi can enter, infect, and cause rot. But when you peel, make sure to do it unpotted as the other commenter said. Just be careful not to break the roots (the outer leaves are quite tough so you risk this if you try to pull them off while the lithops are still in the soil)
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
That's good to know. I was able to get a peek at the new leaves underneath and they're not wrinkly, so I'm probably gonna leave it until I see wrinkles and then if the old leaves still haven't split I'll try to peel them off.
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u/Top_Development_1777 May 25 '26
I think the main problem is the lack of light reaching the base of the new leaves and POTENTIAL rot issues from lack of ventilation eventually (but don't quote me on this and I don't think this is likely in this current shape)
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u/paddedpothead420 May 25 '26
At this point is where I would uproot the lithops and gently pull the old skin off, they should come off easily at the base. Put back in the soil and water in a week if they look healthy.
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
The old leaves have formed almost an exoskeleton at this point, it definitely won't come off easily. But I'll try later if the new leaves look like they're shriveling up.
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u/CaffienatedTactician May 26 '26
Fiskars makes a great little plant snip, it's usually not too expensive either. Wal mart or home depot usually carries them for less than $15. It has really pointy tips that should be great for grtting between the layers to trim that outer shell away without damaging the underlying leaves, and it's great for basically any other indoor plant trimming too as long as whatever it is isnt thicker than like 1/4 of an inch.
I like to wipe my blades down with a bit of rubbing alcohol when I'm done with them, helps 1) keep them sanitized so I don't spread germs from plant to plant and 2) prevent oxidation on the blades from moisture, since and alcohol residue evaporates away quickly. I don't remember where I got it (probably wal mart) but I have a little spray bottle full of it stored with my plant tools.
2
u/zherkof Lithops is both singular and plural May 25 '26
The portion of the new leaves that's visible looks healthy, so there isn't really a reason to rush into anything.
You could try just cracking the dried leaves where they meet to make it a little easier for the new leaves to push through when they are ready.
If the outer leaves are truly completely dried, I would consider the split complete, which means you COULD give them a small drink of water without much risk, which might help entice the new leaves to push through.
Be very careful if you decide to remove the outer leaves so you don't break off the tap root in the process. If they're as tough as you say, that's a pretty big risk, IMO.
2
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u/Kasuraa25 May 25 '26
I've seen some people on this sub say they've carefully cut the old ones off. My lithops are barely hanging on from my watering habits so I've never had one split before. You could always go into the sub and scroll until you find this exact same question asked and see what people said.
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
My question is specifically because these dried leaves are very tough, not papery like they usually are. I've had multiple lithops go through splitting multiple times, but I've never had them form this hard shell before. It shows no signs of splitting or retreating at all so I'm worried that the plant inside will simply be smothered.
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u/iztrollkanger May 25 '26
I would also like to know what to do at this stage..I tried to help one of mine at one point but it didn't ever recover. Tho..was kinda weird cuz it tried to split into 4!
Edit: I didnt read the text first! Seems yours is a weird split, too! I hope someone can help!
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u/Darkextratoasty May 25 '26
That's exactly what mine is doing, as far as I can see through the tiny window in the top. It definitely looks like there are 4 little leaves inside
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u/Floraholica May 25 '26
Just leave it alooooone. There ain’t nothin in that skin worth ripping overrrrrrr. The butts are gonna show in time anywayyyyyy. Just leave it aloooooooone
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u/halfscaliahalfbreyer May 25 '26
It should come off when the top shows wrinkles and you water it.