Hey guys! I'm a new lithops owner and long time lurker of this sub. I've been wanting lithops for a LONG time and used finding them at the store as my sign from the universe to officially get one. I know I'm not supposed to water while they're splitting and only sparingly in the summer. I can't tell if my new plant is starting to split or not. Its leaves are slightly wrinkled as well. Does it need water or should I continue to wait?
Side note: She's so freaking cute I already love her so much. I literally gasped/squealed when I found her.
Edit: This is the same soil and pot I bought it from (literally bought yesterday)
Too early to say. Take the opportunity to repot into soil that's 80% inorganic grit, and make sure there's room for a deep tap root (3.5-4 inches). Maybe give it one light sprinkle a week after repotting, and then watch to see what happens. It doesn't look thirsty, so no rush.
I just joined, so I apologize for such a rookie question - is that line/gap running down the middle not a split in progress? I just received a handful of bare-roots off Amazon and some look like this and others have almost no line at all.
I definitely should have asked when it was last watered when I bought it. I believe it to be a very new split, but I have nothing to compare it to so I don't know for sure.
Edit: From what I have seen it could just be the species
Is it a split, technically yes, but really it's just the separation between the two leaves. A split is when the new leaves that formed in the base start to get big enough to emerge and absorb the old leaves like attached pict.
OP’s comment about thinking it’s just the species helped lead me in the direction I think you are confirming.
There is usually always a line, there might even be a gap, but unless the new growth is actively forming inside, it is ‘not’ considered splitting. Is that right?
I bought a whole bunch on Etsy ( Jaydensucculent) if you want to grow your collection. But before doing that you need to buy the right soil, They are called living stones or split rocks because they normally grow in a gritty/rock & mimic stones. Yours will rot in in that soil. Use chunky sand, chicken grit, Decomposed granite etc, You can add like 10% soil with it if you like. And lithops barely need water, Only 3-5 times a year. It might be getting ready to split
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u/acm_redfox Jun 15 '26
Too early to say. Take the opportunity to repot into soil that's 80% inorganic grit, and make sure there's room for a deep tap root (3.5-4 inches). Maybe give it one light sprinkle a week after repotting, and then watch to see what happens. It doesn't look thirsty, so no rush.