Caring for Lithops or "Living Stones"

Native to South Africa, these intriguing plants are accustomed to full sun, rocky soil, and droughts that can last several months. Only the very tops of the leaves are visible above ground and even these are well-camouflaged to blend in with the surrounding landscape. They have deep taproots and need very little water and a well-draining soil in order to prevent their fleshy leaves from exploding.

Yellow or white flowers usually emerge in autumn followed by splitting to reveal a new, inner pair of leaves. The inner leaf pair gets all the water they need from the older, outer pair. The soil must be kept dry to allow the outer leaf pair to wither and fall off. Lithops can be challenging plants to grow, but here are some pointers to help you along the way:

• Grow in full sun or on a very sunny window sill.

• Water sparingly in the fall and spring growing seasons, waiting for deep wrinkling before watering again.

• Do not water in winter or when a Lithops is splitting!

• Begin spring watering only when the older, outer leaves have shriveled into paper-thin sheets.

• Water very sparingly in summer ONLY if you notice severe wrinkling on the top; wrinkles on sides are a normal part of their annual cycle and not an indicator that they should be watered.

  

  For more info check out this awesome video we found: