How to Propagate Lithops? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods
Lithops is also known as stone flower, stone grass, butt flower, etc. It is a small perennial succulent plant of the genus Lithops in the family Aizoaceae. It usually propagates by seed or cuttings, but cuttings can only be used when a single plant naturally forms multiple heads and then produces new plants, so most propagation relies on seeds. Let us take a look below at how to propagate Lithops!
Lithops Division Propagation
Every spring, Lithops grows new fleshy leaves from the slit in the middle, swelling and splitting the old leaves open, and the old leaves then shrivel and die. The new leaves grow rapidly, and by summer they shrivel and split open again, and 2 to 3 small new plants grow out from the slit. Simply plant the young plants separately.
Lithops Seed Propagation
1. Seed collection: Lithops can easily be hand-pollinated. If two separate species bloom at the same time, the seeds mature after about 9 months. The seeds germinate easily, but the seedlings are small and fragile in the first year or two, and will not bloom until at least two to three years.
2. Sowing method: Lithops is usually sown from April to May in spring. Because the seeds are tiny, indoor pot sowing is generally used. After sowing, there is no need to cover with soil, otherwise they will not germinate. When the potting soil is dry, water by the soak-pot method, and never water directly, so as not to wash away the seeds. The sowing temperature is 15 to 25 degrees C.
3. After-sowing management: Lithops seeds germinate about half a month after sowing. After emergence, let the seedlings gradually receive light. The seedlings are only the size of soybean grains and grow slowly, so management must be careful. Generally, water once every 3 to 5 days after they emerge, and seedlings grown from seed need 2 to 3 years to bloom.
How to Grow Lithops?
1. Soil management: Lithops is not very strict about environmental conditions, and cultivation and management are relatively easy. The potting soil can be prepared by mixing 4 parts leaf mold, 3 parts calcareous material (shell powder, eggshell powder, old lime wall debris, etc.), and 3 parts river sand.
2. Watering control: Lithops needs more water during the growing period, but it must not be too wet, as moss easily grows and affects the normal growth of the spherical leaves.
3. Light control: In summer, keep Lithops in a semi-shaded place, or shade it by 50%, and the leaf color will be more beautiful. In spring and autumn, since the temperature is not very high, give it direct sunlight to help it carry out photosynthesis and accumulate nutrients. In winter, keep it indoors in a place with bright light.
4. Temperature management: The optimum growing temperature for Lithops is 15 to 25 degrees C. It fears high temperatures and stuffiness, and enters dormancy in the intense summer heat when the temperature is above 33 degrees C. It avoids cold and frost, and the overwintering temperature needs to be kept above 10 degrees C. It also enters dormancy in winter when the temperature drops below 7 degrees C, and if the ambient temperature approaches 4 degrees C, it will die from frost injury.
5. Reasonable fertilization: Lithops needs fertilizing once every half month, but the fertilizer solution must never stain the spherical leaves. Pause fertilizing after blooming in autumn.
6. Pest and disease control: Lithops mainly suffers from leaf spot disease and leaf rot disease, which can be sprayed with a 600-fold dilution of 65% zineb wettable powder. Pests include ants and root-knot nematodes; use the soil replacement method to reduce nematode damage. To prevent ants, use the double-pot water isolation method for care so that ants cannot climb onto the tender, juicy spherical leaves.