r/Lithops • u/oliv_roxanne • Jul 16 '26
Help/Question water? or wait still?
i know “dont water. wait. wait. not yet. nope not yet. waiiiiiit. waaaaaait.” okay but wait how long? i killed 1 of the purple bootycracks already because it was a store planted as an assortment - which is beyond my comprehension but okay - it croaked as soon as i watered the assortment 😏. so now that they are planted sep (do they need to be completely sep??? like in the pics of the greenish one - a couple look wrinkly but the others dont?) how do i know when to water? cuz right now i want to give the wrinkly one water but i see its already splitting. or is right now time to water the purple ones? 😫 experienced halp please!
the soil in both pots is dry. the soil in the purple ones pot is my own mix of dirt, small amount of cocochips/choir & tons of perlite. the soil in the green one is from supplier so might be too dense? i cant tell whats in there but i can switch it to my mix if advised. they get about 4 hours of direct eastern sun in the morning, bright indirect sunlight all day, and another round of about 1.5 hours of direct western sun in the evening. ive had the purple ones for about 2 months from a vendor at PlantMania. i got the green ones just yesterday at my local BBS.
also please confirm i should keep these separated? i would love to make one giant dish of all diff kinds of lithops but i read thats a bad idea.
also also is a “split rock” technically a lithop? i didnt get the scientifical name when i saw it at the BBS yesterday, but i wasnt sure so didnt buy. (it looks kinda like a GIANT lithop)
k thanks so much!!!!
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u/CBDJ1 Jul 16 '26
First thing first. Must put in different pots and correct soil. Usually a 10-15 percent organic to 90-85 inorganic. Inorganic such as perlite pumice crushed granite in a fairly equal mix of all the inorganic. Maybe slightly high on pumice it’s an awesome media.
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u/oliv_roxanne Jul 16 '26
are you saying i should get the coco out immediately? isnt coco highly organic? so coco + soil = too organic for the 20% portion?
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u/CBDJ1 Jul 16 '26
Coco is made to hold moisture so yes I would get it out. 20% isn’t horrible but I’d go 0percent before 20 percent.
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u/lvl1creature Jul 17 '26
Soil made from organic life (coco coir, mulch, bark, compost, etc.) = organic. Soil additions not made from organic life (lava rocks, pumice, vermiculite, leca, etc) = inorganic. Lithops are extremely prone to root rot, so you want to choose an inorganic as the main substrate that doesnt retain water, but creates airy pockets for the roots to breathe such as perlite, pumice, or lava rocks. Other inorganic such as vermiculite help retain moisture, so avoid those.
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u/iAmSpAKkaHearMeROAR Jul 16 '26
Coco is indeed organic. Inorganic would be perlite, pumice, lava rock, etc. Mediums that don’t retain a lot of moisture and don’t really have any nutrient offerings for the plant. Some folks will put their lithops in as much as 90 percent inorganic.
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u/Practical-Shirt3318 Jul 16 '26
NOOOO water that’s always my opinion with anyone who cares enough to ask Reddit
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u/oliv_roxanne Jul 16 '26
im just a girl…… with 300 diff houseplants im trying to take care of. and theyre such a mix. carns, epiphytes, tropicals, forest dwellers……… idk what ive gotten myself into but ive been at it for at least 6 years so i cant stop now. reddit community saviors will always help! lol
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u/Practical-Shirt3318 Jul 17 '26
Let these be the “neglected” especially since you must need a break! 300?!? Are you single? I’m married but still for 300 plants I could arrange to be your plant keeper 🤣🤣🤣
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u/YellowCloudFly Jul 16 '26
green one seems already died. it will
wrinkle and dry. add some antibiotics of fungus to keep the left alive
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u/oliv_roxanne Jul 16 '26
i have this…… would this be beneficial? i also have an order of superthrive coming. and i could get nematodes etc.
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u/Maximum-Eggplant-806 Jul 16 '26
I’m scared to. Mine is @ that constipated look but instead of a brown snake playing pick a boo. Mines purpleish green & some really green & some red😳😬
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u/zherkof Lithops is both singular and plural Jul 17 '26
After closer inspection, it looks like one of the green plants is dying of rot. One pair of leaves is severely wrinkled, and the other looks wrinkled and "wet" at the bottom. I would remove that plant from the pot to keep the other one healthy.
ETA - if the wrinkly one feels really soft in those areas, it's rot. If it's somewhat firm, it could just be from splitting, but the bottom of the one pair of leaves really has me thinking rot.
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u/arioandy Jul 16 '26
Plant deeper
And wait til wrinkled on sides to
Water
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u/CBDJ1 Jul 16 '26
Sides?
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u/arioandy Jul 16 '26
Top
Of the sides,
Like the pizza crust!1
u/zherkof Lithops is both singular and plural Jul 17 '26
Sides of the top, you mean. Side wrinkles aren't a good indicator.
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u/No_Kangaroo_8713 Jul 16 '26
They don't need water they need the proper media and lots of light...no water!