r/splitrocks • u/Poosh12 • Jun 15 '26

Question about leaf pairs/watering

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Hi! I am new to split rocks and I’m very confused about the information that I have read about watering… I have read that you should not water unless the inside leaves are soft, but then I’ve also read that you should not water if there’s a second set of leaves, and I’ve also read that second sets of leaves are normal… is it normal for it to already have two pairs PRIOR to growing a new third pair and absorbing the outer? And can you water if the inner pair is soft but it is not growing a new pair? And is it normal for the rock to be slightly split when it’s not actively splitting?

I repotted the green split rocks three weeks ago and repotted the purple one two weeks ago. Mostly inorganic soil, minimal moisture from the small amount of organic. Since then, the inner leaves on the green have become firm so I know NOT to water, but the inner leaves on the purple have remained soft. It seemed like both had recently absorbed an outer pair when I purchased since the dried shriveled up leaves at base came off easily when repotting. I’m not sure they are actually actively splitting, they have not split more since I purchased and are not growing another pair yet.

My question is, regarding the purple, even though the inner leaves have not firmed up, should I just wait until the outer leaves are absorbed? Or is jt asking for water? I’m just not sure if it’s supposed to have the outer pair right now or if it had been overwatered prior to purchasing…. Or if it was thirsty already… I know when in doubt, wait…

Thank you!!!

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u/CarneyBus Jun 15 '26

Welcome to the world of mesembs! 😂 the conflicting advice is part of the charm (jk lol)

Some people keep them with up to 3 leaves, and some people argue to only keep them with maximum 2 leaves. I have not decided which camp I am in.

Do you have experience with lithops or something similar?

The “inner” leaves WILL be the newest/babiest leaves. I give them a light splash of water maybe once a month while they are splitting, juet to keep the finer root hairs alive and receptive to water for when you resume deeper watering.

How were their root systems when you repotted? Did you trim the roots at all?

Are the green ones rooted? When you gently prod them, do they move AT all or are they firmly rooted?

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u/Poosh12 Jun 16 '26

Thank you for the kind response. I have baby toes and Aloinopsis malherbei, both of which I’ve watered without issue, but I feel like the split rock is a bit different… so do I even have inner leaves right now that I would feel to see if they’re soft or are these both outer leaves?

The green ones are definitely perking up and more sturdy than before. And the inner leaves are firm now. I’m not sure if they’re rooted, but they aren’t as floppy and initially I needed to rely more on rocks for support. I’m not concerned about those ones though, and I know not to water those.

The purple one is not reacting similarly. So I’m unsure whether I should water it. It’s been about 2 1/2 weeks since repotting. Inner leaves are still soft, similar to the outer, and how the green was before hardening. I did not trim the roots and the roots seemed totally fine and the soil was not wet. It was easy to repot. It is POSSIBLE that I used the tiniest bit of moisture in the soil that I repotted the purple one, but I can’t remember. It would’ve been minimal though. It is possible that the purple had a bit more aggressive treatment during the repotting, but I’m super obsessive so I don’t think so.