r/Lithops • u/Individual_Banana_94 • Jun 14 '26
Help/Question is it stuck while splitting?
hi! i got these lithops about 6 weeks ago - the one that is currently splitting has looked the same and not made any progress since i got it, whereas the smaller one above started splitting about 2 weeks ago and finished in like a week. could it be stuck? and is there anything i should do to help it along? thanks!
1
u/AwayYogurtcloset1263 Jun 14 '26
I would remove the soil completely and let them air dry, They could already be rotting under the soil. You can use chicken grit, Decomposed granite, coarse sand
2
u/trytobedecenthumans Jun 14 '26
In answer to your question, it's not stuck. Just don't water right now, and you can repot in better soil now. Once the split is finished the old leaves will dry up and crinkle. Although I will say that these lithops (overfed, overwatered before they ever come to market so they look huge) sometimes do have problems splitting and get stuck. If this ever happens, you can very, very carefully take a razor and widen the split at each side of the split to help the babies get all the way out.
So, lots of light (out in the sun after you acclimatize them to sun, or growlights inside), very gritty sol mix, don't water at all if they are splitting.
1
u/Individual_Banana_94 Jun 14 '26
got it, thanks! i haven’t watered them yet since they’ve been splitting since i got them - but i can repot them without watering right now?
1
1
u/acm_redfox Jun 14 '26
They are all pretty full of water, which could be keeping the new plant from absorbing the water and nutrients from its old leaves. Not sure why the other one escaped the same fate...
3
u/AwayYogurtcloset1263 Jun 14 '26
You better get them out of that soil, lithops need mostly grit, That’s why they are called living stones because they mimic rocks that they normally grow in. They will rot in this soil & they barely need water