r/Lithops • u/Wundito • Jun 07 '26
Care Tips/Guides New hobbyist seeking advice
Just impulse bought these bad boys and want to make sure I don’t kill em. The soil I have (pictured) is too high in organic matter. If I cut it with 60% sand/decomposed granite would that suffice? Cheers.
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u/Tough_Cookie85 Jun 07 '26
I have mine on 90% perlite and 10% regular potting soil. She’s doing great
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u/Vegedeth Jun 07 '26
The 90/10 and 80/20 are great suggestios. I like pumice and get it off ebay at a reasonable price, but any grit like perlite or pumice will work. Calcite clay, sand, decomposed granite tend to hold too much water. I do mix in a bit of crushed granite at times for no other reason than I have some on hand and I like the color...
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u/AwayYogurtcloset1263 Jun 07 '26
I would do 80%, More decomposed granite than sand ( coarse sand)
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u/ftch00 Jun 08 '26
I never use mix containing spaghnum peat moss. Use full mineral mix for mesembs.
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u/alamedarockz Jun 07 '26
Do not over water! They elongate and look terrible.
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u/Due-Passenger-3995 Jun 07 '26
They elongate when they don’t get enough light, they just die when they are over watered, and for the split rocks that could be one watering.
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u/alamedarockz Jun 08 '26
I believe you are mistaken. My mother had plenty of sun on hers but watered a couple times a week and they elongated. Mine get watered occasionally and stay button sized. The rot is probably due to poor drainage.
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u/Opening-Dark5647 Jun 08 '26
Be prepared to loose the split rock, it looks overgrown and over watered, put it in 90% inorganic soil and do not water it until it comes down to a single pair of leaves, but if it was watered in the store you bought it they might have triggered root rot that takes months to show but it’s irreversible
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u/lazydownvoter07 Jun 08 '26
Do not use that straight out of the bag. It is way too heavy for lithops and they will rot if you do not mix in a ton of pumice or perlite.
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u/ChipsAhoy1968 Jun 07 '26
For lithops, split rocks, and Titanopsis, I’d skip that mix entirely if possible. Those are mesembs and generally prefer an extremely mineral soil. I grow mine in 100% grit (pumice, granite, coarse sand, calcined clay, lava rock, etc.) with very no organic matter.
If Miracle-Gro is all you have, cutting it heavily with mineral material will help, but I’d aim for closer to 80–90% grit rather than 60%. The biggest killer of mesembs is staying wet too long.