Ok I will give a few points based on my experience. Firstly I realized they are experts at using what ever humidity is available to them and secondly I threw away the idea of try to grow them by the book in terms of dormancy, because some grow in summer rainfall, others in winter and other do not get much either way. Initially we lived in summer rainfall area and we had very low humidity, now we live in a summer and winter rainfall area with high humidity in summer. So understanding the plants and trying to read them will take you much further. For instance my lithops are now all getting new bodies and we are in mid winter.

I look at them as opportunistic growers, meaning they will grow best in periods between extremes (high summer and high winter). I rarely deep-water them and usually only in those periods in between. I do mist mine most of the time when I water and only when I see some wrinkling do I deep water and only when they will dry out quickly. For me ventilation is very important, I do not want them to sit with moisture around the bases, that's sure to cause rot. So basically it comes down to good ventilation, good drainage and learning to read the plants and if in doubt do not water. I mist mine right through the year, but when and how much depends on the conditions and what they are doing. Use what you read to help you understand the plants, but do not get bogged down by rules, you will get confused.

Hopefully this makes sense to you! This is what works for me, and I have killed my share, but nowadays I grow them from seed and rarely kill one. Always remember they are excellently adapted to use humidity/water available to them.

Beachplants, thanks for your reply.

Maybe I should put a picture here. Does this look healthy to you? (It looks pretty healthy to me comparing to the one I had last year).

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The scar on the right leaf was there when I bought it. The middle green thing was there since the beginning too. I don't think it is the new flower. It could be the remaining of the old flower from last year (before I bought it).

I have read suggestions about watering it when I see wrinkles, but I don't know when it is considered wrinkled. So far it looks plump to me. Is that correct?

Also, can you see the "beer belly" in the center that I mentioned earlier? Is that normal?

That looks like a Pleiospilos to me, but many of the mimicry Mesembs are ones I get confused. That's not a new flower, but new leaves.

Nope you are right CmcHarris, that is a Pleiospilos nelli.

They tend to bloom a bit later than other Pleios, round mid-winter. They do not require lots of water and when you overwater during summer resting, they can rot easily. From the pic it is nearly there, old leaves looks like its nearly fully consumed.They prefer light regular water when they are growing and no water or light spray when they are dormant. A thorough soaking can cause them to split their skins especially when it is humid. They like lots of sun but beware extremes, not sure how hot you get in summer. If it get very hot, some bright shade would do during the hottest part of the day. Oh, thats an old flowerhead yes. Make sure it dries between waterings and keep it light.(watering)from where the leaves are totally dried. Best I can do.

Dave,

As Rian notes, it's a P.n. - Pleiospilos and Lithops are both separate genera but related in the Mesembryanthemum (Mesemb) family, AKA Aizoaceae (its proper name), and they're both mimicry plants with not terribly dissimilar flowers, and they're South African to boot, too. If that isn't reason for a Braai, I don't know what is.

Rian,

I think you give great advice on this. I spent half an hour last night speaking with the very knowledgeable proprietor of Mesa Garden (an honor) and everything you said here correlates. I actually mentioned you in our conversation and he said we're very lucky to have you. He says Africa is his real home and he just comes back here to live.
Some new info for me - He recommended incorporating some loamy soil (grassy meadow) into my mix for the fungus and micronutrients that are missing from bagged mix. He also supported my use of volcanic pumice and said that a little peat is not a bad thing.
I can't wait to get my seeds started!
I'm also planning to make a trip down to Stephen Hammer's Sphaeroid Institute in the next few months (hopefully).
These guys won't be around forever and they've only scratched the surface in introducing these plants to the states (their words).
So much to learn, but someone's got to continue the legacy!

You are lucky - I wish I could get to see Stephen's collections, that would be a real treat. I am all for loamy soil, if that suits your personality! Funny statement, I know, but we all differ, therefore our soils differ and the way we do things differ - always a major talking point - soil. I actually think one needs to go real fast drainage in the beginning (newbie) - saves more plants from excess love!LOL! and then develop skill and knowledge and also method, with that soil...I am always playing - I have a few lithops, pleios, gibbaeum, argyroderma, various other mesembs and also aloe babies on the go now - about 100+ species and I have lots of fun. You can tell the guy from Mesa, I feel the same - how to explain - The Karoo/Namaqualand in quite and it gets into your soul, its like a drug, you need to get a fix every now and then, you just feel more alive, or certainly I do. I said this before, but I played there as a kid, I used to take my small backpack and just walk for 6 hours, you can see a vehicle coming long before you hear it (dust) and usually you knew who it was as well. The bushes are herby, so the smell, especially after rain is something like rosemary or something like that - oh I can go on. As for intorduction, mesembs are much more than lithops and cono's, and one of my missions is to grow as much of the others as possible. Things like juttadinteria, psammofora, khadia, etc, etc. I have a funny saying - You need to find your own "groove", and that encapsulates the info above on lithops. cheers

Here is what I am talking about - Karoo, pic taken in late 70's

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Gravel roads - this spot was nearly 2 hours gravel road from closest town.
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Another - I walked around these areas and loved climbing the mountains in the background. Lithops grows here, not far from the spot the pic is taken in fact.
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Love this place.

Great photos! It's fun reading others' travelogues from that part of the world (RSA).

That is definitely Pleiospilos, probably nelii, possibly bolusii. They differ in growing habit and flowering time.

A little peat is harmless, but that soil looks to be majority peat. I would ditch that soil and pot immediately, if not sooner. I have always been a proponent of adding garden soil into my mesemb soil mix. Try 20-30% garden soil + perlite for the rest. This is an easy "starter" formula for mesembs. They seem to grow better in a denser mix containing some fine, clayey particles, which better supports the very fine root systems. Pleiospilos also do better in deep pots.

All mesembs like the soil to be cool, so keep the pot out of direct sun - this can be accomplished by using a brick or other pots placed strategically to keep the sun away.

If you search the forum you will find plenty of reading on soil mixes, etc.

x

"All mesembs like the soil to be cool, so keep the pot out of direct sun - this can be accomplished by using a brick or other pots placed strategically to keep the sun away."

I was not aware of this. Does this apply to Trichodiademas as well, or just the chunkier mesembs?

Actually, all plants need a cooler root zone (in the summer). The smaller the pot, the easier it is to cook roots especially fine rootlets. Mesembs are generally grown in small pots, and they have fine roots, so it would be wise to try and protect them. In nature, the cracks and crevices that house roots are protected from sun and heat. Unless a pot is large (maybe 10 gal+), most of the substrate is closer to ambient air temperature, and is subjected to larger temperature swings.

Cold tolerance is also reduced, sometimes significantly, in a pot - for the same reasons, mainly the temps are unstable and closer to ambient air conditions, losing the benefit of heat trapped in the ground.

Mesembs and other succulents are so good at tolerating poor conditions that most folks don't realize what's going on in the pots. Then they wonder why their plant rotted after one excessive watering event. A healthy plant won't ever rot from one or probably even a few consecutive "overwaterings".

x

I actually watered my Faucaria and Trichodiadema bulbosa fairly heavily in the winter. I think they went dormant, and I mistakenly assumed they were dehydrated.

Is caudex shrinkage and total leaf loss a normal dormancy thing for Trichodiademas? It looks fine NOW, but I thought it was dead during the winter.

In either case, neither of them rotted. I think I have the Faucaria in almost pure pumice though, which might be TOO light, although it's nearly doubled in size over the past month so it can't be too bad.

Here is some info amccour on T. bulbosa. As far as I know it is a syn. for T. intonsum. They are found in the Eastern Cape of SA, 2 specific collection notes are for Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. Found in grassland on limestone, in shallow sand. Also found among rocky outcrops not far from sea but not strictly coastal. Always in open areas but sheltered from strong wind by shrubs and trees. Not found in small woods or in coastal scrub. Also found in Karrooid veld in other shrubs.

This is mainly winter rainfall, I live in PE, and we have had some proper rain. Its actually raining as I write. we also get the occasional thunderstorm in summer as we are right on the divide between summer and winter rainfall. In my eyes that would make them opportunistic growers going dormant for short period in high summer and high winter. (the extremes). Mine flowered in mid winter, take note, we do not get colder than 8 C here, but it can get colder further inland.

Here are some I've gotten this summer. Got a bit carried away, figure some have to do okay. Failed last year. Much more gritty soil now. The Lithops swelled up when watered, I drip water on them. The green Pleiospilos at the bottom right has 3 sets of leaves, the new leaves were just starting when I got it.
Try again, fail better, learn more.

Any of these stand out as a nice specimen? I don't know how many species these are, or whetehr some are natural variations.
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Nice ones, Noki! I'm still in my "trying not to kill them" stage. Some Lithops, I've found, will put up with overwatering. I figured this out by mixing them in with other plants before I knew any better. A few have actually survived my foolishness. Others, unfortunately, have not.

You might want to try pure pumice to grow them in and a little sand, of quartzite and 1" 2" quartzite rocks all around up to the windows the windows should not be above the top of the rocks see if this might solve the watering problem, you are just to good to them, I shook every time I was told to water them. Good luck, Norma