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jkatz1_gw

Lithops help

jkatz1
10 years ago

Help! My lithops is struggling! Here is its history:
Bought it in May at a farmers market and it looked very healthy but was in a very small pot. I put it in a western facing bay window in a warm room.
A week later, I repotted it in store-bought cactus mix. I tried to water it once a week or less.
About 2 weeks later, the brown spots started to appear. I thought it might be forming new leaves so I didn't do anything.
The brown spots got worse so I put the plant outside in a partly shady area to start with. A few days later, I moved it to full sun and the leaves wrinkled up. When I moved it back to partial shade, the wrinkling disappeared. However, nothing has helped with the brown spots.
It is now September and I just moved it to an east-facing window indoors.

This is my favorite plant but I think I am killing it! The only thing I can think of trying next is to change the soil to a much grittier, coarser mix like gravel and sand with a little organic matter.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Comments (22)

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello jkatz! Welcome to the wonderful world of mesembs! What you have there is an Argyroderma, a close cousin of Lithops. Now would be a perfect time to repot and I will tell you how.

    1. Take the whole clump out of that pot - I'm sure it still has the original soil that it had when you purchased it, pretty sure I can see the peat nugget. Pull that whole thing out and drop it in a bowl of water with a light fertilizer and a dose of a B-vitamin mix like Superthrive. Let them sit in that for 3-5 hours. This will plump them back up and give them a charge before you disturb the roots.

    2. Use the hose to spray away all old soil. When it's clean, use your fingers to lightly strip away the finer hairlike roots. They will be damaged by this process anyway. Let it dry before you repot. There's no need to let it sit for a day, just wait til it's dry.

    3. Soil. Mesembs do not prefer a "gritty mix" as is described on the forum regularly. They really need that sand in the mix to grow properly. I'll attempt to explain my mix, (again, sheesh!)
    -I start with MiracleGro Moisture Control mix because it has less bark than other mixes and just the right balance of well mixed ingredients. I sift it through a 3/16" grid to remove as much of the bark as possible and also smash up all the clumps as they enter.
    -To this, I add a very decent amount of sand. I would call it about 6 parts potting soil to 4 parts sand - 60/40 - washed, all-purpose sand. NOT beach sand, NOT play sand.
    -I then add a big scoop of fine vermiculite, maybe 10-15% of current ingredients. I like to mix up the fines at this point to make sure I have a nice amalgamated fine mix.
    -Perlite. Now that you have your amalgamated fines, you can add about 40% Perlite to that. That's 6 parts fines to 4 parts Perlite.
    -Pumice - I think you could probably get away with just Perlite but I like a bit of Pumice. I add about the same amount of pumice as vermiculite, maybe just slightly more pumice. The ratio of perlite to pumice is about 4/1.
    {{gwi:606775}}
    That's it! Mix it up and you'll have something like this. I would use a 3-4" pot. Let it sit in the shade for a couple days with no water before you acclimate it into a sunny position. Give it some water on the day that you give it light. Argies love bright light, grow in quartz fields completely exposed to the South African sun. Their name means "silver skin" because that is the color they'll be with enough light. I can't pull it off here at the coast.

    The brown/white spots are most likely scarring from mites or thrips which chew on the new growth before it emerges. Aesthetically, it will be gone when the plant splits again... but!... you probably need to treat it with a miticide now and then if you wish to avoid future scarring.

    I'm not going to go into growing season and watering advice - too much. I'll put an informative link below. Good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hammertime

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Can't touch that.

  • teisa
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great information!! Thanks!

  • jkatz1
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for the help!
    If you were a budget gardener like me, would you know of any alternatives to the soil mix you just described that would be cheaper or easy to find laying around town? I recognize that having a unique plant like this one requires special care and soil requirements, but I simply don't have the resources to buy those materials you described. For now, I repotted the argyroderma in a home- made mix of gravel, sand, and cactus soil. And again, I'm so grateful for your detailed help. It truly is an incredible plant and deserves the best!

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey, no problem! Yeah, I think your mix probably isn't too bad if you can make it look something like the photo above. The only one of those ingredients you can't get at a big box store is Pumice. I get it from a local garden center but you can also buy it at feed stores, sold as Dry-Stall for horse stalls. I also buy my Vermiculite and Perlite in huge bags from a local agricultural supply warehouse so it's MUCH cheaper. I understand it's pretty expensive to buy all that stuff, especially in small quantities. Again, I think your mix will be fine if you have the right balance of organic fines, inorganic fines and grit... and if you can manage careful watering habits. Argies are great at telling you when they're thirsty. I'm hesitant to say too much about watering because I don't grow mesembs indoors. If I did, I'd be very careful, watering only in the morning on sunny days, and when the soil has dried out.

    I really would recommend investing in a bag of perlite at some point. It's completely superior to gravel, providing aeration, temporary water retention and is lightweight. Gravel just takes up space and if you're using enough of it to provide drainage, you're using too much. Good luck! You might get some blooms soon!

    teisa, thank you:)

    Jeff, You're too legit 2 quit, my friend. Too legit.

  • Laura Robichaud
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ryan, pumice is so hard to find here. Would Turface be a good substitution?

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Laura, I'm not sure about Turface since I've never been able to locate it. A while back, I tried but the closest substitute I could find was Napa floor-dry, a chalky sort of small grit. I didn't like how the stuff broke down in a short amount of time so I stopped using it. Turface might be okay, maybe someone who's used it can chime in on how it functions in the mix.

    I think the closest alternative to Pumice is Scoria if you can find that. For me, I'd probably just use a little extra perlite if I had no Pumice.

  • Laura Robichaud
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Got it...last year when I bought several pots of lithops, I put them in gritty mix before I knew better. It is just not cutting it. They've lived, but they are just limping along, as the mix is just not water retentive enough.

    Now that it's time to repot, I'll be doing just that.

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Laura,

    FYI, Turface both absorbs water and gives one's mix friability. It dries out fairly quickly (depending on what else is in the mix). Their distributor locator is at their website. Make sure, if you're getting it, to ascertain that they have the MVP one - that's the one you want.

    Ryan,

    I got you covered like the finest 100% polyester leisure suit - Ewing Irrigation, 805-642-3900, $12.60 a bag - IN STOCK!

    There, my work is done here.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Turface is The Cheap Scourge of Wet.

    This post was edited by cactusmcharris on Tue, Sep 10, 13 at 11:27

  • jkatz1
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for the help. I walked around my neighborhood and gathered materials and repotted my Argie. I tried to emulate your mix as close as possible. I'm sure my mix won't be as good but hopefully when I get a real job (when I'm done with my Americorps stint!) I'll be able to get it the right soil materials. Anyhow it seems much happier in the last couple of weeks since I re-soiled it.
    While I have you here hanzrobo (and any other argyroderma experts out there), my new question is what to do with this guy this winter. I just posted a thread about whether to use grow lights for succulents in general in the winter, but this little guy is my favorite and I would like more specific instructions for how best to care for him. I live in Baltimore, Maryland. Nighttime temps have started to get into the 50s. When should I bring him inside? Can I leave him in a windowsill or does he need grow lights? Is a cold frame outdoors an option?
    I know not to water him very much in the winter. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jkatz, I'm glad you're trying to get a good mix and also that your Argy's recovering. I really can't say much about over-wintering since I don't do it. I only have a few succulents indoors and they live there all the time - none are mesembs but I did have good luck with a Glottiphyllum indoors until my daughter accidentally karate-chopped it.
    Anyway, I saw your other thread and I think you're getting good advice. I believe Xerophyte(NYC) posted a thread semi-recently where he showed the hardiness of mesembs after a freeze. Argyroderma was one of them. I know that a dry plant fares much better in a freeze than a plump one, for pretty obvious reasons.

    Jeff, you are the man, man! Though, can we make it a poly blend?- 100% is a fire hazard. Actually, can you be my Danny Ray and bring the cape? Yeah, that would be right-on, right-on... Hit me!

    Laura, I'm also happy to hear that you're trying a different mix. The Gritty-mixers are holding their line but one by one...
    I'm gonna have to go check out the Turface now, see what the deal is.

  • qsis
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW!!!! jkatz, that is so impressive!

    You have been very attentive and dedicated to your plants, and it paid off!

    Congratulations!

    Lee

  • seedmoney
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So cool. Have you tried to cross-pollinate them?

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jkatz, I'm so happy it all worked out for you! It sounds like you learned to read your plants - the best skill you could have in this arena. Awesome! Funny, I had some Argies do the exact same thing - a yellow and a purple bloom in the same pot.

  • kathidesertplum
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I need help with making my own cactus soil for my desert roses and plumerias.Now I sa the pic of the lithops and I want them but I do need some advice on homemade cactus and palm soil.I have 72 babies growing under plants lights in my lunai have to repot them like yesterday.Trying to take care of Mom and Dad down the street havent had the time but now I have to make time.I have plain old potting soil,perlite.sand and canadian peat any suggestions thank you

  • kathidesertplum
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I need help with making my own cactus soil for my desert roses and plumerias.Now I sa the pic of the lithops and I want them but I do need some advice on homemade cactus and palm soil.I have 72 babies growing under plants lights in my lunai have to repot them like yesterday.Trying to take care of Mom and Dad down the street havent had the time but now I have to make time.I have plain old potting soil,perlite.sand and canadian peat any suggestions thank you

  • kataclysm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    None of the plants you mentioned will do well in a peaty soil. Many of the Adenium and Plumeria growers here seem to use Al's "gritty mix". If you search the Adenium or Plumeria forum for gritty mx, you should find more information about growing those plants.

    Here is some more information about container soils, including a recipe for gritty mix: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0622171013552.html

    I mostly grow Jade plants, which are happy with a 1:1 mix of commercial cactus soil and perlite. But I don't know how well adeniums would tolerate that mix.

  • pashakian
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi
    Please help!
    What happened to my Lithops?

  • KittieKAT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    They need more Sun for 1 thing, so they DON'T stretch, and the mix YOU have THEM in is WAY too heavy you either need to add perlite %50 or TRY a gritty mix, theys plants DO much BETTER in a grittyer mix And I'm thinking YOU might HAVE over watered, pretty soon YOU won't even need to water lithops. Goodluck, if I'm wrong other's will chime in

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    looks like the pot had hit a wall or fell.... Curius to know

    In respect there is ZERO % to nothing wrong with the suggested soil pic by pic demo from hanz... Grits work as well but all grits are not for everyone there for people who grow things hard.
    Lithops and other succulents in an all grits mix are slightly different as they can be more challenging and requiring a bit more patents. If your succulant growing hobby is to the point of being so spesific that you must know what side of the rock a certain succulent grows on annal Then by all means grow them in grits but if not then dont

  • KarinK
    5 years ago

    Hi, please.. what happened to my Lithops ? About 5 weeks ago I observed new body in my Lithops so I stopped watering. But lithops are fade and some of them are absolutelly dry.. So I watered them today. The soil consist of 20% peat 50% pumice, 20% sand and 10% clay.

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