Do Lithops Need Grow Light?

Lithops prefer abundant sunlight throughout the entire year. Many succulent growers fall short of their plants’ light requirements. This plant must be placed in a window where it receives at least four to six hours of sunshine daily. You should place it in direct sunlight, but keep in mind that they are sensitive to sunlight.

When they receive too much light, they can burn. In the wintertime, you should place your lithops plants in a brightly lit area.

You should also try giving your plants a few hours of direct sunlight daily, but this is not as important during the winter season. Because these plants are small, it can be hard to provide them with enough light.

Some growers make the mistake of placing their lithops in a window that does not get as much sunlight as they think it does. If you want to grow a great lithops plant, you should consider placing it in an area that gets plenty of bright and indirect light. You should place a sheer curtain on the window to block out some of the bright light.

You can also put your plant under fluorescent lights. If you choose to do this, place it approximately 18 inches from the lights so that it gets enough light. Lithops plants that are grown in a well-lit area will have larger flowers and leaves than those grown in dimmer spaces.

Lithops plants need six hours of sunlight every day, and if you do not provide them with enough sunlight, they may not thrive or grow properly.

Are Lithops Hard To Grow?

Growing Lithops is easy. These plants do not require much watering, and can even be watered less frequently than other succulents. They are very hardy plants, and they usually grow in dry environments, so it is important to make sure that you do not over-water them.

When growing your plant, you should only water the soil when the top of the soil feels dry to touch. You should make sure that you are putting your pots in a spot where they will receive plenty of indirect light.

You should also make sure that you are watering them at the proper time of day so that they do not die. Lithops should be watered when the top of the soil looks dry to the touch.

If you water your lithops plant too much, it will wet its leaves and make them rot. You should be careful with fertilizer when you are growing your lithops plants because it can cause some issues with your plant if too much is given to it.

The soil should be loosened and the roots of the plant should be kept wet. Lithops plants are also sensitive to fertilizer. If you fertilize them too often, they will grow rapidly but may not produce flowers or branches.

The soil that you use should be slightly damp and well-draining, so that it gives your lithops a sufficient amount of oxygen. You should set up your growing area so that it receives plenty of sunlight once a week during the hottest months of the year.

Lithops thrive in low humidity, require occasional watering and maintenance, and are reasonably simple to cultivate. Due to their modest size and gradual, compact development, these plants require little space. Lithops have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years.

How Often Do You Water Lithops?

Lithops may only require watering three or four times each year. Others can be watered every two weeks during their respective growing seasons (spring and autumn). Succulent plants are low-water plants and can easily tolerate dry soil, when left undisturbed.

They absorb water through their leaves and stems. Also, they dry out very quickly due to their porous structure. They do not like to be over-watered, but if they do need more water, it is usually a good idea to place a saucer under the container in which they reside so that all excess water will flow through the absorbent container rather than collecting in the soil itself.

When watering lithops plants, you should use water that has been mixed with a little bit of baking soda. This baking soda acts as a chelating agent and will help to neutralize any toxic salts in the water. If you are ever unsure of how much water your Lithops need, you can put a few drops of dishwashing liquid on top of the soil.

When you see the dishwashing liquid begin to run down into the soil check it out again after five minutes and replenish as needed. You should not water them too often. Too much water can actually cause your lithops to desiccate and shrivel.

Do Lithops Multiply?

Lithops multiply through division. To divide your lithops, you should use a long, thick instrument like a screwdriver or garden trowel. You should look for the older and larger individual plants to divide up into separate pots. After dividing your plant, be sure to use its roots to replant it into a pot that has its own soil mixture.

Lithops plants only multiply every few years, so you should be patient when waiting to repot other ones. You should try to plant them when they are still very young in order to have a good chance at having them grow into mature plants.

You should also try to put them in containers that have plenty of room, so that they can spread out. You should also give your lithops plants plenty of space to grow. Lithops plants are very slow growing, and you may not see much growth for a few years after repotting them.

Lithops will also reproduce spontaneously by splitting into two new halves. You should not put them in direct sunlight the first time you divide them, because they will dry out too much.

However, if you divide them and then put them in a new container that is shallow and does not have enough soil to cover their leaves, you can place them in direct sunlight for 4-6 hours per day.

How Do You Propagate Lithops?

Lithops is easy to propagate from seeds and division in summer. In fact, they are also easy to propagate from woody offsets. Lithops seeds should just be sown on the surface of the soil and lightly pressed into it. After that, you should cover the seeds with a thin layer of grit or fine-grain sand. All lithops plants will germinate in late spring or early summer.

Lithops are vulnerable to fungal diseases if there is too much moisture in their environment at any time between germination and establishment as a mature plant during its first year.

You should try to keep the compost, which you use to pot your lithops plants, very dry. Lithops should be planted in a gritty but well-drained soil mix.

This soil mix should be free of large pebbles, small rocks or twigs. The lithops plants can usually tolerate varying soil moisture levels but they are more prone to fungi and disease if there is poor drainage in the potting mix. The following are the steps to follow when propagating Lithops:

Propagation from seeds;

• Lithops seeds have a thick, hard outer shell and need to be scarified before they will germinate. There are many different ways of scarifying a lithops but the easiest method is to put them in the freezer for a few days. Lithops seeds can be sown in late winter or early spring (September – November) when temperatures are warm (at least 21 °C). The seed should be placed on top of the soil; do not cover the seed with any soil.
• Lithops seeds need light to germinate, for this reason the seedlings should be kept in a bright area and not shaded by other plants.
• Lithops seeds germinate quickly, during hot weather (21 °C+) germination may take as little as 4 weeks but during cool weather it could take up to 4 months.
• Germination will usually last 7–10 days after which the seedlings emerge and grow very fast.
• Lithops seedlings can be fed weekly with some liquid fertilizer.

Propagation from division;

The easiest way to propagate lithops from division is by choosing the biggest individual plant of your original specimen. This should be done while the plant is in the leaf stage (youngest growth).The following are steps;

• Propagate lithops from division as described above.
• Put the plant in a new pot, larger than the one it came from, with a mix of compost and sand. The mix should be relatively free of stones (never fill up the container to the top).
• Water well and place them in a sunny spot where they will get at least some direct sunlight 3-4 hours per day during summer and autumn.
• The new plant will develop roots very quickly.
• Lithops need a minimum temperature of 10 °C (50 °F).
• After a few weeks the root system is well developed and you can stop watering it too much in order to avoid fungal diseases and root rot.
• After a few months, the young plant can be repotted again into a pot with normal soil mix but with less sand and more compost.
• Do this every year during the spring and summer to ensure a healthy plant.