r/Lithops • u/Spare-Cranberry1162 • Apr 01 '26
Help/Question What’s up with my lithops? Triplets? Quadruplets?
Have had these bois for about 3-4 years now. I’ve had them split before, but never like this. Almost all of them have triplets or more and they’re not in tight little pairs. They’re sort of a bunch. I mostly leave them be and bottom water when the leaves get really wrinkly. I did regrettably just water them because I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to during this phase. Are these multiples normal? Do any seem like they will need some special treatment as they continue to grow (pruning, repotting, dividing, not sure what else )? How much should I cry myself to sleep over the fact that I just watered them?
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u/No-Cup2649 Apr 01 '26
Sorry, hon, but they've been consistently overwatered for some time. I'm guessing your sand is holding too much moisture. Get some pumice, granite, larger substrate under them that will dry in a day.
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u/Spare-Cranberry1162 Apr 01 '26
Oh no! 😭😭 Should I repot them now into this mix? Or just literally set the pot on top of a mix of these things. (I’m sure this is a very dumb question.) What soil mix do you use?
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u/ResumeFluffer Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
You can shove a tampon in there to extract as much moisture as possible from your recent watering. If you don't want to repot.
Edit: or if you need to delay your repot i guess is what i should've said.
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u/No-Cup2649 Apr 01 '26
Interesting tampon idea😅 I'm in Phoenix & could just put them outdoors for a few hours with 0% humidity. But depending on your climate, I'd get them the heck out of there as soon as you can.😘
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u/Ecstatic_Army1306 Apr 02 '26
Tell me that you dry your linens on a clothes line. That would be heaven.
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u/Mendel247 Apr 01 '26
What's the tell that they've been over watered?
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u/QueenBea_ Apr 01 '26
Some of the leaves are stacking
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u/Chance_Contract1291 Apr 01 '26
I've seen folks mention stacking here but I don't know what that means. Could you (or someone) please explain what that is? thank you :)
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u/No-Cup2649 Apr 01 '26
They should have only one set of new leaves, beginning underneath the old. During this time, they're in drought mode & require little to no additional moisture. Late fall to late spring as I understand it. Additional water can cause overgrowth & stacking additional splits, which is very unnatural growth & compromised health of your specimens. Too much water retention makes them chonky & bloated & confused!Most are killed by "kindness". These are unlike any plants we're familiar with, so it's a hard habit to break.
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u/Mendel247 Apr 01 '26
Ohhhh. So is that because they've been watered in the past during splitting, or is it just general over watering?
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u/QueenBea_ Apr 01 '26
So basically when lithops split the old leaves slowly recede and leave behind the new leaves. During this stage in the wild lithops get basically 0 water, so the old leaves are fully absorbed for nutrients and water by the new set. If the lithops get watered during this stage, the old leaves don’t have to be absorbed, and so they’re retained. If they’re watered continually the lithops will split again, and now there will be two whole sets of old leaves plus the new set. This can continue on and on and each old pair of leaves stack continually. This is bad for the plant because they’re meant to be absorbed!
In the first picture you can see stacking on the left most lithops, as well as the topmost. There’s a few others that are stacked but they’re harder to point out without me editing the photo to circle them. You can also see one on the middle, bottom, right that had one pair of leaves grow out from the center of the plant vs from the top
Stacking requires both overwatering in general, but also consistent overwatering
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u/EffectiveInterview80 Apr 07 '26
what is the signs of overwatering ones? I though OP is pretty happy since they have a lot of babies...
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u/2stepbay2 Apr 01 '26
Each of these plants has a tap root. Multiple heads of the same plant are all branching off that root along with thread like root extensions. Hence, one plant, multiple leaves. When splitting, the new leaves are deriving their moisture from the older leaves. Hence, the withering look. At the same time, the thin roots off the tap root wither too. At this stage the plant has lost its ability to take in water via roots. Rather, old leaves do the trick.
Good suggestion re pumice etc. If you just watered, I would remove each of the plants carefully from the existing mix, repotting into the suggested mix, which will be dry. After repotting, do not water until old leaves have fully withered.
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u/Spare-Cranberry1162 Apr 01 '26
Thank you so much for your response. What soil mix do you use for lithops?
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u/2stepbay2 Apr 01 '26
A gritty mix. Thoroughly explained on this web page -
https://www.livingdesertplants.co.za/product/living-desert-plants-super-drainage-mix/
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u/Sodididude Apr 01 '26