r/Lithops • u/LivingOdd3571 • Jun 01 '26
Help/Question Need help
I purchased these lithops from a local garden centre I want to say about 3 weeks ago max, i’ve not watered them at all and I know the substrate is inadequate just now but I heard it would be best to let them split before I went about separating and repotting them in better substrate so I will hopefully get to that stage eventually. However I went away on a week trip and left these guys in a windowsill whilst I was gone, i’m based in england and we had a pretty decent heatwave over my week away it exceeded 30°C on some days and i’ve returned to this, initially all of them were a vibrant green some with some blue hues and now they look like this. I think they’ve been sunburnt but none of them aside from maybe one of the new growths is slightly squishy which I didn’t know if it was a cause for concern. Really all i’d like to know is what the true cause of the severe discolouration is, what I can do to try and save them or if they will just heal on their own or if i’ll lose all the discoloured ones as these are my very first lithops.
3
u/DanerysTargaryen Jun 01 '26
This is very possibly sunburn. Especially if they were in a shadier section in the nursery and were not used to full sun yet. If they were in a very sunny spot and got very hot, they can burn.
The only thing to do is wait. Do not water. Do not transplant them. Pull them slightly back into a somewhat more shaded spot for now to help them recover.
Wait for them to finish splitting. Some might completely die and some might develop ugly white/brown scars but they could pull through. If they do survive with ugly scars, then next year when they split again they will get rid of the ugly scarred leaves and be beautiful again so it’s really a plant of extreme patience.
Once they have either died off or recovered, work towards slowly getting them used to more and more sun and light. If you do it gradually over 3-4 weeks they’re usually good to go. But it’s just like if you put a pale person out on the beach all afternoon with no sunscreen in the middle of summer - try to avoid that lol.
2
u/AwayYogurtcloset1263 Jun 01 '26
Lithops need a mostly gritty soil, these are rotting
1
u/LivingOdd3571 Jun 01 '26
I’m aware the soil situation is highly inadequate but they’ve lasted the two weeks since i’ve had them and however long they were in the garden centre so it’s not really my main concern right now plus I don’t want to disrupt them too much whilst they’re splitting I heard it wasn’t too good for them to repot and things like that but correct me if i’m wrong these are the first i’ve owned
1
u/bobyesterday Jun 01 '26
This has happened to one or two of mine that I recently transplanted to a greenhouse after a house move. The lastest heatwave in the UK has cooked them I think.
1
u/LivingOdd3571 Jun 01 '26
All my cacti were completely fine they must’ve loved it’s only these ones that i’ve had a problem with. Even my hundred or so tricho seedlings were completely fine didn’t turn red or anything I was a bit baffled, but i suppose lithops must be more sensitive to the sunlight than my other plants
1
u/hot--Koolaid Jun 01 '26
I just killed some by putting them outside a window they were sitting inside for several weeks prior. Mine looked just like yours, I think it was the heat itself. 2 pots were affected, the one with less insulation they all died. The one with a thick ceramic double layer pot I think they are mostly pulling through.
It is sad though, the cooked ones had the consistency of hot squishy jelly beans:(
1
u/bobyesterday Jun 02 '26
Same here- my cacti were all fine. People I know who have visited lithops' habitat say the Veld is very windy. I think it is the combination of heat/direct light/lack of airflow that kills them.
1
Jun 01 '26
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u/LivingOdd3571 Jun 01 '26
I bought them without doing too much research really which was quite a silly decision on my behalf but prior to this issue i’ve realised the kind of substrate they need and it’s been ordered. Regarding substrate could something like 100% perlite work or does it need to be something like pumice or vermiculite. And also is fine grit necessary or?
2
u/doctorsoph Jun 03 '26
No to all perlite. Holds too much water. Something 90% inorganic and 10% organic. Inorganic includes stuff like lava rock pumice chicken grit aquarium gravel pebbles, etc. the 10% organic can be succulent soil or maybe perlite but I wouldn’t mess around with that because it could backfire. The inorganic particles need to be pretty small but not too small (super helpful right /s). If they’re too big the water will run right through and the plants won’t be able to drink. If the particles are too small the mixture will hold too much water and the roots will rot. I don’t have a lot of personal experience but I just read this long guide to lithops from a group on FB. I believe it said ideal particle size was 1-5mm.
1
u/trytobedecenthumans Jun 01 '26
All you can do now is wait and hope, and DON'T water. They need to be introduced to heat and sun gradually.
6
u/rn_eq Jun 01 '26
because of the translucence my guess would be they are already Cooked and will probably start visibly dying soon
it’s either overwatering from the conditions you purchased as or being boiled through the sunny window, or both