How to Grow Living Stones? Tips on Caring for the Flowering Stones
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Text and images: Qingmeng
Living stones are also known as flowering stones, a name they earned because their shape and color make them look just like stones buried in the ground. Living stones are mainly native to southern Africa, but it is said that small populations also exist in Australia and the Central Pacific region. Living stones grow at temperatures of 10-35 degrees; when the temperature drops below 5 degrees or rises above 30 degrees, they enter a period of slow growth, and if the temperature continues to rise, they go dormant. So now let's talk about the care issues everyone cares about!
Light: In summer, keep living stones in a semi-shaded spot, or give them 50% shade, and their leaf color will become even more beautiful. In spring and autumn, since the temperature is not very high, give them direct sunlight to help them photosynthesize and store nutrients. In winter, keep them indoors in a spot with bright light. Living stones have higher sunlight requirements than other succulents; although they like sunlight, they cannot tolerate strong light.
Soil: Living stones are not very demanding about environmental conditions, and cultivation and management are relatively easy. For the potting soil, mix 4 parts leaf mold, 3 parts calcareous material (shell powder, eggshell powder, old lime wall scraps, etc.) and 3 parts river sand.
Watering: During the growing season, water thoroughly after the soil dries out completely. If it rains, skip watering if you can, as this prevents problems such as root infection and rot caused by excessive humidity. No matter the season, good ventilation is a must. Living stones also need more water during the growing season, but the soil must not be too wet, or moss will grow easily and affect the normal growth of the spherical leaves.
Fertilizing: When mixing the soil, you can mix in some bone meal and rice hull ash. Bone meal is an excellent phosphorus fertilizer, and rice hull ash is an excellent potassium fertilizer. In addition, we can add some granular slow-release fertilizer. Although granular slow-release fertilizer has a certain duration of fertilizing effect, since the potting soil of living stones is dry most of the time, one application of slow-release fertilizer can basically meet the plant's needs for more than a year.
Notes: Since living stones do not have a well-developed root system, it is best to grow them in a small pot, and the pot should not be too deep; 8-10 cm is enough.
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