Let's talk lithops!

Today I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorite types of succulents: lithops. 

Little butts fresh out of my mailbox

 Lithops (also known as pebble plant or living stone) are a type of succulent called mesembs and are naturally found in the arid deserts of southern Africa. They require very little water; I've watered mine about once or twice in the past year.

These strange little plants have earned themselves quite a reputation among the succulent hobbyist community. They're an intimidating plant. One of the most frequent comments I see regarding them is, "I finally got some lithops! I hope I can keep them alive." 

Well friends, I'm going to take the mystery out of caring for lithops. In reality, they're much easier than people think. In fact, they're one of the easiest plants I have now that I know what to look for.

 

Potting

This is the crucial foundation your success depends on. Because lithops come from such an arid environment, you want to make sure your potting mix retains as little water as possible. These guys rot easily. I use a (roughly) 90/10 mix of perlite/cactus soil. It's almost entirely inorganic. Remember, some lithops get their only moisture from morning dew in the wild. You're not going to kill them with lack of water!

The pot you put them in is equally important. Because they don't like to stay damp, I use unglazed terracotta so any excess moisture can evaporate out. Sure, it's not as pretty, but these guys look great even without a fancy pot. Use as small of a pot as possible; again, it prevents excess moisture. Finally, make sure it's deep. Lithops don't have a traditional root system that branches out from the bottom of the plant. They have a main taproot, much like a carrot, with smaller wispy roots coming from that. If the taproot is detached survival is unlikely.

A pot full of happy lithops.

Watering

And now for the trickiest part! Lithops have two phases: active and dormant. When active, they grow new leaves, using up the water they store in the old ones. Do not water during this phase. They get all the water they need from the old leaves. Additional water will not allow them to fully reabsorb and result in stacking. Thankfully it is easy to see when they're in this process.The plant splits open in the center and the new leaves emerge. It isn't a quick process, so just be patient.

Lithops in the process of splitting. See how the new leaves come in perpendicular to the old?

 

During the dormant phase, nothing happens. They just hang out and look cool. This is the phase where they may need water. When a lithops is truly thirsty, the top becomes concave and the whole thing gets wrinkly. You may notice wrinkles on the sides of the plant. If the top is still convex and plump, do not water. The answer to "should I water my lithops? is almost always no. Remember, super arid natural environment. Another week without water won't kill them. 

So wrinkly! See how his top is kind of caving in?

Wrinkles on the side like this don't mean it's thirsty. See how his top is flat?

THICC. The domed top means he's got plenty of water. Any more and he might literally burst.

If you're lucky and keep your lithops happy, they may even flower for you.The flower comes up through the middle, just like a set of new leaves.

There you have it, folks!  Lithops aren't so scary to care for after all. If you've got a good inorganic soil mix and the willpower to not water them (don't worry, it's still unsettling to me too) you can keep happy your own collection of these living stones.

Got a question about something I didn't cover? Concerned about the well being of your lithops? Leave a comment and I'll help you out.