The intricacies of lithops: home care

Not all flower growers are ardent fans of spathiphyllum and ficus. Some were imbued with a love for succulents - for plants that have special fabrics for storing water. They do not die without watering even if they leave for 10 days on a business trip or on vacation.

Very unusual among all succulents are lithops or “living stones”. They come from the rocky and sandy deserts of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana. Is it difficult to care for indoor lithops can be found in this article?

How to care for a flower at home?

Lithops are unpretentious succulents, but to achieve their flowering, you will have to try. How to water them? What lighting and temperature requirements cannot be ignored so that they do not die at home?

Lighting

Lithops grow well on a southeast or south window. This is due to the fact that in the I half of the day they need direct sunlight for 4-5 hours, but after lunch they do not need the sun. Therefore, they are hidden from the bright rays of the sun behind an artificial barrier created using a mosquito net or curtain.

Without observing this basic requirement for care, lithops will not bloom, being afraid of the bright, scorching afternoon sun. A plant after wintering in a dark room will get severe burns if you put a pot with it on a windowsill without shading that is brightly lit by the rays of the sun.

Succulent all year round needs to be highlighted. If it does not receive sunlight for 5-6 days, it stretches out, and the leaves on the sides darken. If the plant is not illuminated with LED and fluorescent lamps when kept on the north window, placing them at a distance of 5-10 cm from it, it dies.

Temperature

From February to September, lithops are not demanding on temperature. During this period, they are actively growing. In winter, the pot with them is moved to another place where the air temperature is lower - about + 8-10 ° C, and the humidity is low. In such conditions, he will better tolerate hibernation.

How to water?

When watering the succulents, they try to prevent water from falling onto the leaves and into the hollow between them. Some gardeners make upper drainage, laying small pebbles so that the bottom of the leaves of the plant and the upper part of the roots are not in the ground, but in the stones.

Lithops are not watered with a pallet. This method is ineffective, since excess moisture still does not fall into the pan, but nourishes the soil with excess. It is not suitable even for experienced gardeners.

It is necessary to monitor how much water is used to water the succulent. It should be exactly enough to soak the roots, and not so much as to fill them.

Priming

There are three options for a suitable soil composition for this succulent:

1. 1 teaspoon of earth or volcanic slag / pumice + a little sand.
2. 1 part peat land + 2 parts perlite / pumice / sand.
3. 1 hour perlite and coke.

At home, lithops grow in any soil composition. For home cultivation, the soil is selected with special care. An excess of nutrients in it is fraught with the fact that the plant will turn into a balloon and burst due to sloppy, abundant watering. If there are insufficient nutrients in the soil, its growth will stop and it will be necessary to fertilize with special organic fertilizers.

Pot

A pot for lithops is chosen with particular care. Choosing it, take into account the irrigation regime and the type of substrate. The best choice is a clay pot. It is durable and its walls provide good aeration. Some gardeners buy a plastic pot, as it is inexpensive. Succulents also grow well in it.

Whatever pot is chosen, it should not be large and voluminous. When transplanting, the new pot should be slightly larger than the old, but not the same in volume. Otherwise, the development of succulents will be significantly slower, and daily, not very plentiful sprayings will be required.

Top dressing

If, when choosing a soil, the flower grower took into account the tips above, the plant is not fed, but at the same time, the transplant is carried out at least 1 time per year. If for some reason you missed it, saturate the soil with nutrients using fertilizers for cacti, but the dosage should be 2 times less than recommended in the instructions. In other cases, fertilizers are not needed, since they are able to destroy this gentle, albeit external resemblance to a stone, succulent.

Transfer

Experienced flower growers recommend replanting the plant once a year. Since they transplant it into a small pot, over the year the roots completely fill its interior.

When transplanting, be sure to make holes in the bottom of the pot, and half fill it with a drainage layer. Roots are planted in the ground, and the neck is never buried. It is surrounded with small stones so that it does not rot during the growth of the plant.

A plant is transplanted into a new pot only when its roots have dried up, i.e. watering is stopped a few days before transplanting. It will not be difficult to remove it from the old soil if you first loosen it with a toothpick. If several succulents grew in one pot, then they do not plant them during transplantation.

Features of the content in the open ground

Lithops are not grown in open ground, but experienced flower growers take a pot with them to fresh air in the summer if they have a summer house or garden. Summer pastime in the fresh air favorably affects their growth, they become more strong and hardy. But taking the pot with lithops to fresh air, do not forget:

• spray the air next to it from the spray gun on especially hot days;
• to shade from direct sunlight;
• bring the plant home as soon as rains become more frequent or air temperature drops.

Disease Prevention and Pest Control

Sometimes gardeners have problems with lithops. Having violated the conditions of detention, the plant becomes a victim for spider mites or worms.

Molting

Novice growers are lost, noticing molts of leaves during winter hibernation. In fact, nothing bad happens to them, just to replace the old leaves will grow new ones. The main thing is not to interfere with this process. Noticing the first signs of molting, watering is stopped, and the pot with the plant is moved, if possible, to a warmer + 12-16 ° C and a bright place. Shedding usually lasts until March-April.

Wilt

If they notice that the succulent wilts, then urgently watered it. Also, the need for urgent watering is indicated by its very shriveled parts. Usually he needs more moisture if the room is hot. In this case, do not pay attention to the time of day and water it.

Why did succulents become soft?

Sometimes the leaves of the lithops become lethargic and soft. This is due to the fact that the grower did not water it for a long time. This is a rare situation. More often, lethargy and softness of leaves are signs of root decay due to poor drainage and excessive watering. In most cases, it is impossible to help the succulent in this state: he will simply die and that's all.

The leaves are dry

In late summer - early autumn, lithops bloom, and after flowering leaves are discarded. A shell of old leaves bursts, a living stone will split in half, and the disconnected parts dry out. Where the fault appeared, then new leaves will grow. To speed up the process, some peel off these dead leaves, and then they are surprised that the lithops is dead. You can’t do this. Wait until they fall away themselves.

Mealybug

There is no one specific reason why they notice a mealybug on a lithops. He appears due to violations of the conditions of detention, but if measures are not taken on time, he will suck all the juices out of him and braid him with his cobwebs.

First of all, the pot with the plant is removed away from the rest. Before you put it in a new place, wash its leaves with hot water, and if possible, pests are collected with tweezers. If the mealybug has badly damaged the succulent, treat the plant with Aktar or Actellik chemicals every seven days.

There are folk remedies that help neutralize the mealybug. They fight it using an alcohol solution or garlic tincture. In this case, they are simply sprayed with one of these means, and then put on a plastic bag for 24 hours on the pot. At the end of this time, the package is removed and the plant washed with soapy foam.

To prevent the mealybug from ever wounding up, it’s enough for illumination to illuminate the pot with the plant with a fluorescent lamp or to put it for an hour a day in direct sunlight.

Rot

Root rot is the most dangerous pest for lithops. The fact is that only the roots suffer, and they are invisible even to the most caring grower. Therefore, when transplanting, it is advised to inspect and probe the roots, and remove everything that is affected by the fungus without delay with a sharp knife. Then they are placed in a 2% solution of Bordeaux liquid for half an hour, and then transplanted into a pot with new soil in the hope of a miracle.

Photo

See below for photos of lithops:

Conclusion

Lithops are exotic plants that are not yet very popular in Russia. All who dare to buy them will not regret it. They are beautiful, unpretentious in leaving, but at the same time very unusual in appearance, so that all friends who come to visit will celebrate.

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