Growing Lithops this way, from dry and shriveled to plump and chubby, adorably cute beyond compare

A normal Lithops is adorably cute and beyond compare. But the ones we get from online orders often fall far short, all wrinkled, especially the underage little seedlings that look half-dead and simply unbearable to look at.

This is because most sellers, in order to preserve the overall shape of the Lithops, rarely water them normally, afraid of etiolation, since once etiolated they naturally can't be sold. So how should we handle these wrinkled Lithops to get them to quickly grow roots and enter a good growing condition?

For the Lithops we receive, we should first trim off the hairy roots on the sides, generally keeping just 2 cm of the main root system.

At this point, don't rush to pot them up; generally let them air-dry in a ventilated spot for a few days to let the root wounds heal.

Otherwise, roots with wounds are very easily infected by bacteria in the soil, and may end up dying.

If the plant you received is too dry, you can moisten the leaves with water, but be careful not to use too much water; just keeping them moist is enough.

There is no fixed recipe for soil mix; just follow the principle of drainage and aeration. A simple method is river sand plus peat soil, at a ratio of about 4:1, with large particles laid at the very bottom as a drainage layer.

Another convenient and fairly good soil mix is: akadama soil and small-particle pumice at a 1:1 ratio. It doesn't need to be too complicated, simple is fine.

After potting up the Lithops, don't water immediately. Start by placing them in a shaded, ventilated environment, then gradually increase moisture and sunlight exposure. Take special note: if a new seedling is in the middle of splitting its skin, be sure not to water it; just give it sunlight. Don't worry about it being dry; the butt flower is very drought-tolerant and not afraid of dryness.

For fleshy plants that have already finished splitting their skin, if they still won't grow roots, you can water thoroughly until it runs through the root area, then for about 10 days avoid strong light, place them in a ventilated spot, and wait until the soil dries out completely before watering thoroughly again. Basically, two to three thorough waterings will get them to grow roots, but be sure to remember ventilation! Ventilation! Ventilation!

At the same time, control your own hands and don't keep pulling them out to look, as it's very easy to fiddle them to death, you know!