2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Picturesque lithops are undeniably incredibly beautiful. However, flower lovers often wonder whether they will be able to cope with the cultivation of such beauty at home. In principle, it is not at all difficult to take care of these handsome men: it is enough just to follow a number of simple recommendations, and the beautiful lithops will delight their lucky owners with a luxurious look for a long time
Planting adult lithops and conditions for their maintenance
Adult lithops are planted in a special soil mixture, which is not difficult to prepare on their own: leafy soil, peat and cleaned sand are mixed in equal proportions with humus. Peat is added very carefully, little by little - a beautiful plant with an overabundance can get sick. Drainage is poured at the bottom of the container. Upon completion of the planting of lithops from above, the soil can be sprinkled with a kind of mulch, consisting of small pebbles.
Lithops should be placed on the southern windows - there, for their excellent development, plants will be able to receive a sufficient amount of light. But you should not put pots with lithops on the north side. Also, experts recommend that under no circumstances turn the pots upside down to the light and not move them to other places. You can organize lithops and artificial lighting - for this, it is enough to install a pair of fluorescent lamps (only not halogen ones) at a distance of ten to fifteen centimeters from them.
It is impossible not to mention that wonderful lithops are group creatures, and they grow best not in splendid isolation, but in a large company of their own kind. For this reason, when choosing pots for growing them, preference should be given to relatively low, but at the same time rather wide containers that can fit a small family at once. Some time later, this family will certainly become a picturesque colony and will definitely decorate the home.
Some gardeners, along with lithops, advise planting other medium-sized desert inhabitants in a common pot that will not suppress the growth of living stones. Here it is, of course, to choose the owner, the main thing is to comply with the condition not to leave luxurious lithops alone.
The optimal temperature for breeding fancy lithops in summer will be about 25 - 28 degrees, and in winter, the temperature is reduced to 16 - 18 degrees. Periodically, lithops can be fed with special fertilizers for cacti. It is enough to make them only once a month, from June to early September. After transplantation, additional fertilizing is also applied so that the lithops take root better in the new soil for them.
Lithops are practically not susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks. Occasionally, they can be affected by the root worm, the salvation from which will be drugs such as Aktara, Dantop, Regent and Mospilan.
Watering
Proper watering is the key to good growth of lithops, so you need to take it as seriously as possible. The soil is moistened only as it dries. Also, when watering, it is very important to prevent moisture from getting into the cracks between the leaves.
As a rule, one or two teaspoons of water is enough for one lithops per week, which is very carefully added directly to the ground. With the onset of cold weather, watering should be completely stopped. In principle, the plant does not need any other care at this time, since it enters a state of dormancy.
When the first flowers, or rather buds, appear on living pebbles, the water supply is completely stopped again until these buds begin to open. During the flowering period, watering should also be infrequent - the soil must have time to completely dry out before the next watering.
Lithops transplant
Lithops need to be transplanted only as needed, when it becomes very crowded in the pots. This usually happens every three to four years. It is permissible to carry out a transplant at any time of the year, but it is best to do it all the same in the spring. In general, the transplant process is not particularly difficult. A small part of the Lithops root system is carefully removed at the beginning of the event. Strongly salted roots are kept in slightly acidified water for a couple of hours, and too dry ones are immersed in warm water overnight.
The neck of the plant after transplanting into fresh soil should be completely covered, it should never be exposed. When transplanting into pots, several plants are also planted. At the bottom of the tank, drainage is laid in a layer from one and a half to two centimeters - expanded clay, small river or sea pebbles or crushed ceramic bricks are perfect for this.
Recommended:
The Choice Of Stones For The Rock Garden
The rock garden is a very expressive decorative element of the garden, reminiscent of a natural corner of nature in the mountains. To cultivate it on flat terrain, create artificial conditions using a rocky embankment. The stones mimic the conditions in which alpine plant species grow. Of particular importance for creating an alpine slide are stones that serve as the basis of the composition and interact with vegetation
Glow Stones: Original Garden Lighting
Each owner of his own garden takes care of the improvement and attractive appearance of his site. To this end, gardeners come up with the most original and unusual "chips" to stand out from the rest of the territories
Lithops Are Amazing "living Stones". Part 3
In the conditions of modern apartments and houses, lithops have also taken root very well - more and more often they can be found in ordinary city apartments. Many people grow lithops directly from seed. And although this process is far from always simple, it will eliminate the need to think about where and how to get truly high-quality plants
Lithops Are Amazing "living Stones". Part 1
Whoever saw lithops once, is unlikely to be able to forget them or remain indifferent to them. These extraordinary plants are so good and original that it is almost impossible to resist purchasing them. The color of lithops leaves exactly repeats the general background of their places of growth, making them almost invisible among the pebbles. The homeland of these beauties is the rocky and sandy deserts of Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and South Africa
Lithops Are Amazing "living Stones". Part 2
Interesting and very peculiar lithops are characterized by an equally interesting, and sometimes somewhat strange for our perception, cycle of development. Their flowering or immersion in hibernation is largely influenced by the length of daylight hours. The process of changing the leaves of this bizarre plant also looks very amusing. In short, growing luxurious lithops and watching them is a pleasure
