How to Grow Lithops, the Self-Watering Living Stone | MCG in the Greenhouse

[@OHLQQK]

I love how she’s so excited when talking about Lithops. Who would have thunk how someone can be so passionate about a succulent?

[@marlyMe]

I love outdoor gardening, but my indoor succulents are my babies, lol. It's fun to find different types and plant them in old dishes, pots and pans, buckets, old lost it's use items, an old sink a wheel rim, etc. I recently tried with liptods and managed to drown them with in a couple weeks 😂 Glad to get this information, I'll try again. They're so quirky and unique. I also bought seeds for colored ones. Whish me luck 😂

[@marlyMe]

I will start by learning how to spell lithops 😅

[@TheNutbrittle]

I planted mine from seedings, and they're now 2 years old. I now understand when they say that lithops are slow growers 😂😂😂. They're beginning to show more patterns and different colors. I can't wait to see they flower one day. Patience.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Way to care for your seedlings so well for so long!

[@TheNutbrittle]

@@Mountaincrestgardens I do my best, but I'm beginning to see stacking in some of them. 😔

[@raimeyewens7518]

I just discovered lithops this year and I’m obsessed!! One of mine is starting to flower and I’m really excited to see what it looks like. Mine are all different shades of brown and grey. I’d love to have some brightly colored ones

[@Hunting_shiny_pokemon]

@@TheNutbrittlehey what happened with your stacking lithops?

[@JL_Loki]

Your explanation is clear and precise. I wish I knew about this. I've tried researching about this years back but they don't explain it like you do. Maybe when I'm ready to keep one again I'll always remember what you taught us.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

That's so nice of you to say! Hope you give them another go!

[@ingrid3578]

I read like 10 websites/blogs on how to water these bad boys but ended up even more confused. Your explanation makes perfect sense. THANK YOU!!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Aw that's so wonderful to hear, thank you!

[@emoji_page]

I've had success growing lithops by purchasing them from a grower directly. I've had good success watering them like I water my other plants. As long as the water can drain out of the pot and you allow the soil to dry a little. Plants including cactus and lithops grow faster and healthier if they sre watered faithfully in well drained soil & pot. No roots should ever sit in water. Short of that, I've found plants and cactus respond favorably to being watered faithfully watering them as soon as the soil is dry. I've had better growing success buying lithops from people who grow them. (Buying them online mostly.) Retail stores tend to deal almost exclusively with lithop carcasses. If a lithops expands or explodes when you lightly water or mist it, this indicates that the plant was already deceased when you purchased it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[@orionumbro3777]

This chic rocks! Love her smile and personality and she's on point with the Lithops care. Thanks! :)

[@SqueakyPeeps]

I wish I watched this video years ago when I tried and failed growing these little gems. I just got back from my local Home Depot and they had a whole tray of lithops, which I had only found at specialty succulent nurseries. And they were only $3.99 for the 2" pots (many had 2 plants in them as well). WOOO HOO. Thank you for educating me on how to properly pot and water them. Now I clearly know my mistakes. I had way too much potting soil mixed with the rocks/perlite. And of course I was watering them too often. I live in San Diego and my succulents love my north facing patio since it gets indirect sun year round. I'm very confident my plants will look like yours at the nursery and they won't croak.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Yay so glad you're giving them another shot! Sounds like you've got a great setup for them!

[@mshanklin11]

I received my lithops (singular) from you all the other day, and I'm so excited about it! Since it is now October, it has what's left of the flower. This is certainly a fun time of year to buy one! It arrived very robust and healthy, from what I can tell. I did everything you said to do for it in this video, which consisted of planting it into that rocky type soil and not watering it, and it's sitting in a nice sunny window next to my beautiful Frizzle Sizzle that I received from you a few weeks ago. The leaves on my Frizzle are growing and curling beautifully. Succulents have never interested me much until I found your website. Thank you for this new hobby!

[@HelicopterPLArent]

This was probably thee BEST explanation of the watering cycle i've hard to date! Thanks for this

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Aw thank you so much and glad it was helpful!

[@karynyeong5491]

@@Mountaincrestgardensthank you so much for the clear explanation of the watering cycle.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

@@karynyeong5491 you're so welcome!

[@donglasgow11111]

After having killed a lot of lithops by underwatering (by following the directions most KZbin Videos give), I finally decided to water them when the top of the soil was dry. They get a lot more water than the directions call for and now they are growing like mad. What I do: Plant in regular potting soil. Container doesn't really matter. I have them in a terra cotta pot and a glazed bonsai pot growing under a grow light. My lithops are loving life. FYI: If the old leaves die because new ones are coming out, you are killing your plant by underwatering it. I'm looking at terra cotta lithops and it has 3 sets of big healthy leaves all fat and happy.

[@eLu2198]

"If the old leaves die because new ones are coming out, you are killing your plant by underwatering it." you are literally saying to pot them while splitting, which promotes stacking as mrs of the video implies.

[@whitter86]

Terra cotta dries out soil faster than other pots

[@mirandawilliams9281]

Please do a video on Split Rocks too! I’ve been researching and am finding very little info about flowering and what happens after it flowers. Do it absorb the old bloom? Do it fall out of the split? Do I leave it alone? So little info out there besides when the water and what type of soil to use. Thank for this lithops video. Much needed!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

You're so welcome! Both the care and flowering are very similar for Lithops and Split Rock (Pleiospilos). The flowers eventually dry and fall off on their own. But you *can* water Pleiospilos when they have two pairs of leaves. Only water after the soil has completely dried and the inner, younger leaf pair feels soft and maybe even shows a slight wrinkling. But same deal on sun, drainage, and extreme neglect :)

[@joshdavenport5685]

this is the best video on lithops care that i’ve seen. thank you!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Aw, thank you so much!

[@clementng7434]

Thanks for this really helpful video on how to take care of this cute little plant! A qns - When Lithops split, can i split the split pairs to pot separately, and how do to do it without harming the plant?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

If your Lithops splits and has "twins" (four leaves total), you can eventually gently pull them apart and transplant them separately. But most often a split will reveal just two new leaves, which is one individual plant that should not but cut in half.

[@globe00]

I wish I have watched your video back when I got my lithops, unfortunately I watered them too much and too often and also while they were splitting and they started to shrink and die. From 12 I had at the beginning only the biggest 2 survived! Also they didn't get enough sunlight and got long, now they're something like tooth-shaped (?). Anyway, these are SO COOL I'm going to buy more this spring at the plant market that's going to be in my city. Thank you for the video and greetings from Poland!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thank you and so glad it was useful! Glad you're going to give them another try with less water!

[@sherrykumar2883]

Great video! Clear, succinct and chocked full of good info. Thank you.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Yay thank you so much!

[@BirdsPawsandClaws]

I am so happy I found your channel. Thank you for describing the plants in detail via your videos. I have spent hours looking over your plants for sale on your website. I see a living wall in my future with your plants happily growing!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Yay so glad it was useful! And all the best on your epic living wall!

[@joann9833]

Thank you so much for this video. Just bought my first Lithops and I'll watch this again!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Yay! Enjoy!

[@ashwarya_s]

I landed on your channel recently, you are a gold mine of knowledge! thank you so much!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thank you, and we're so happy to help!

[@pennylane9155]

Thank you Annie, that was very informative!

[@bbowen8802]

Just getting into lithops. Very informative! Thanks.

[@juan.sebastian]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge

[@scubajenn5]

Thanks for this! I recently bought one of these strange creatures from your website & I am enjoying it but see that I need to repot it...again! Thank goodness I have some Bonsai Jack's already!❤

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Ah thank you so much! Enjoy your odd little creature!

[@indiacoers2611]

I think they are so amazing! I haven't tried to grow any yet, but I want to! I'm so glad you are doing this video!

[@lola0600]

Thank you. That was informative and interesting. I have never heard of this plant , just came across it on the internet. Again cute plant and very interesting😊

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thanks!

[@jillianleblanc9370]

Thank you for sharing beautiful and amazing succulents lovely collection beautiful what plans do you have besides succulent

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thank you so much! We just grow succulents & cacti, but we also carry houseplants here: mountaincrestgardens.com/houseplants-by-little-prince/

[@PiyushChaudhary-420]

After so much research your video helped me the most to understand this plant simply :)

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Hooray so happy to hear that!

[@mocita11]

I love your explanation. Keep doing more videos please!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thanks and will do!

[@sujathananaiah3048]

Very nicely explained, I had so many doubts about their growth also lost a few lithops

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

So glad it was helpful!

[@Mr.WombleTambala]

I got my first Lithop from you guys a year or so ago! It’s split twice so far it hasn’t flowered at all yet but this time it turned into a twin 😍 I got the Bonsai Jacks mix for it & I just know that’s why mine has been doing so well. I have more coming to me tomorrow along with some Karoo Roses ☺️ I even have the same little scoop that I got from you guys to that I’m constantly using 😂

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Ah that's all amazing to hear! Well done! And I agree: that scoop is a surprising favorite of mine :)

[@melissakeller7650]

Thank you! I almost messed my watering on while splitting! So thankful I learned from the video! When will the pot get too crowded and how and when do I transfer them?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

So glad it helped! Lithops are very very slow growing and they don't always split every year in cultivation. When you see crowded pots of Lithops, it's usually because they were planted that way. So you likely won't need to repot for overcrowding, but after several years you might want to re-pot with fresh soil to replenish the soil nutrients.

[@ninivecocoy4220]

Outstanding video great information i got some last year😢all dead in days, I decided to try again joined a Facebook group and boy oh boy all the mixed and wrong information you get there. Thank you for making this video.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Oh no! We hope you give them another go!

[@DavinStewart]

Good video and nice content. Thank you for this. It would be worth mentioning that when growing lithops from seed, the culture is signficantly different and they should not be allowed to dry out for about the first 6 months of their life. For that, I would use a much finer potting mix with more organic matter. My $0.02.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

A very good point, thanks!

[@WDIO-RADIO]

Looks like a box of candy!! ❤

[@IAmHumanJake]

I just stuck them outside in my hardy succulent garden. Lucky for me I live on a sandy hill dune like. So extremely well draining, yes I have to bring them in during winter. I've lost none when keeping them in the ground. Even with a week worth of rain.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

That's fantastic to know! Would you be willing to share more about your conditions with other folks here who want to grow them outdoors? Things like sun exposure, climate, and watering methods?

[@IAmHumanJake]

@@Mountaincrestgardens zone 5 extremely sandy soil. Dune like. Part shade./ Full. More of in-between. Under a oak tree. Watering about once a week during the weekend.

[@IAmHumanJake]

I live in northern Indiana which in my area do to the dune like sand tends to miss me. Or don't get as much. But sometimes usually get week of rain usually once.

[@IAmHumanJake]

But this year I didn't transfer it to the ground. I put them in my big pot so I can keep closer eye on it. I want to see if it would flower

[@shellyjene2066]

Really loved all this info on lithops. Can you please tilt your pots towards the camera more? Thank you😊

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Will do, thanks!

[@mfanafuthishezi2310]

Very good. Powerful plant iwish to explain bt

[@sis9622]

I love mountain crest

[@RuxandraBklyn]

Can you make a video to show us how to replant a bunch of them together? Can they all live on a bigger planter? Does the planter need to be deep or wide? How much space do they need to thrive?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Great questions! You can see me plant a succulent arrangement in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/moSpZYtqepaEj5Ysi=fC9vBpXy2dKeRd8Q and here are the key points I'd remember: 1. Combine plants with similar light and water needs. 2. Use gritty soil and a pot with a drainage hole. 3. Larger containers take longer to dry out (not ideal for succulents). Aim for something 3"-6" deep. 4. Succulents are okay being snug and a bit root-bound, so it's fine to plant densely to get a filled-in look immediately. It's also fine to leave and inch or two between plants to save money and let them fill in on their own.

[@antoniusblock3618]

What a beautiful lithops! What species is the one at the begining of the video?

[@green_gardening_3791]

Awesome informative vdo 👌😎👍

[@engelvis1984]

This is such a great video!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Thank you so much!

[@jess_o]

Thanks for the video, I definitely drowned one of these a few months ago

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

We hope you try again!

[@xowGaX]

I needed this video about 2 weeks ago 😂😭

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Oh no! Hope you give them another go!

[@lisadimercurio9473]

Hi, this is my first time to your site. I just received some small Lithops in the mail from another company. They are not in pots so I planted them and since they barely have any roots how often do I water them? Thank you

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Great question! You're still going to want to follow the advice in this video: plant in a gritty, well-draining soil and a pot with a drainage hole. Keep them in a sunny spot. Thoroughly drench the soil then do not water again until the soil is fully dry and the tops of the leaves are wrinkled and sunken. No water when they're splitting or blooming. Finger's crossed you have some good roots, because this is an extra tricky plant to re-root.

[@IAmHumanJake]

Do they only multiply like that, is that how you only get more, no seeds?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

They also flower and produce viable seeds! In fact, they're surprisingly one of the easier succulent seeds to germinate. And you can let them propagate both ways at once, so they've got that going for them :)

[@carriehenry7348]

My lithops are stuck. The middle opened and I can see the new leaves inside, but they have been like that for 6 months or more. New and old leaves are getting very wrinkly and they have shrunk a bit. I haven’t watered because I have always heard you don’t water when they have started to split, but they look so dry. Anyone have any advise?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Hard to say without seeing your plant and knowing its conditions, but we have seen Lithops get stuck mid split when they're not getting enough sun. A bit more sun can help the inner leaf pair resume growing, absorbing water from the older, outer leaves. Six months isn't so long that we would risk watering, but you'd have a better idea of how wrinkled the inner leaves are.

[@carriehenry7348]

Ok thank you! I’ll put them closer to the grow light and see if that helps them. It is so tempting to water when I see wrinkles!

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Good job holding out!@@carriehenry7348

[@xowGaX]

Are pleiospilos cared for the same way?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Mostly! But you can water Pleiospilos when they have two pairs of leaves. Only water after the soil has completely dried and the inner, younger leaf pairs feel soft and maybe even show a slight wrinkling.

[@bethmulligan2588]

Great info. Think I'll try again now that I know!!!😂❤

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Yay we're so glad to hear that!

[@jordyn87]

Can I use pon??

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

We don't have direct experience growing in pon, but it looks like some folks are generally having a fine time growing succulents in general in it. Seem like it could be a good fit for a Lithops! www.reddit.com/r/SemiHydro/comments/z12d2l/pon_or_leca_for_succulents_in_semihydro/

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

We don't have direct experience with pon, but it seems like some folks are having a fine time growing succulents in general in it. Could be a good choice for a Lithops! www.reddit.com/r/SemiHydro/comments/z12d2l/pon_or_leca_for_succulents_in_semihydro/

[@jeffslosson1095]

I grow lithops but have never heard of the large scecies. Can you tell me the proper names of them so I can buy some, please?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Oh sorry for the confusion! Large refers to the larger 3.5" pot we sell Lithops in, compared to our standard 2" pot. Lithops aucampiae is one of the larger species. It's not in stock right now, but when we have it again it will be here: mountaincrestgardens.com/lithops-aucampiae-large/

[@Fabdanc]

My cat bit my lithops... it died in very short order afterwards. On my second round, kept safely from my sabertooth kitties, and they are doing great! I use almost all rock and sand.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Aha amazing! Glad the second round has been successful!

[@Jackie.D329]

I have never seen such a thing before in my life. It’s so alien like. Splitting looks like a body part and doesn’t help that it gives birth there as well lol

[@duongnhac6974]

Do they need direct sunlight please? I got some new lithops (the seller had trimmed their old root) exposed to direct sunlight at about 8 or 8:30 am and they seem to not like that, one even rot and died 😢

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Oh no! Rot is primarily related to watering and drainage. If it was watered after the root was cut, that could be the source of the problem. These do need plenty of sunshine (though too much direct sun with high heat will scorch them) and very gritty, rapidly draining soil. Most of the year they should not be watered. Sorry we can't give a better diagnosis without seeing the plant and knowing its conditions.

[@duongnhac6974]

@@Mountaincrestgardens thanks a lot, I'm still newbie in this hobby and there's many things to learn. Anyway most of my lithops are now okay and begin to have new root. Hope to see your next videos 🙏

[@heatherstephens9295]

Do you ever fertilise them?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

You can. Lithops are not heavy feeders so re-planting in fresh soil can be all the nutrient refresh they need. But you could instead apply a diluted fertilizer about once a month in the growing season.

[@heatherstephens9295]

@@Mountaincrestgardens thank you 👍

[@taborpikokropka]

can i plant it into terarium with bearded dragon?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Not sure that anyone has researched if Lithops are safe for bearded dragons, but terrariums are definitely not safe for Lithops, so we wouldn't recommend it. They're just too fussy about water, sun, and drainage.

[@taborpikokropka]

@@Mountaincrestgardens okay thanks!!

[@mfengel2367]

great explication

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fie1917]

My question is, should I transplant mid-split?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

You can! Just no water.

[@stevenseverance3692]

Can the "Lithops 🪨" Grow 🪴 out in a "Southwest Las Vegas Nevada 🌃🎆🎇 Garden ☀️"? You indicated that it requires afternoon shade. I have a small area in front of my House 🏠 where the Garden is in Full Morning 🌄 Sunshine then by Noontime the Shade line begins to grow until it's in total Shade the rest of the Day. Even in the Middle of July/August. "What do You Think 🤔🧐? Sincerely Yours 🤠 Mr Severance, "The Cake 😋🍰🎂🥳🎉🎈🥂🎊 Man "&"Xerocsapeing Gardener ".

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Sounds like that spot might work! You could also do a trial run with them in a container in that spot the first year, so that you have the flexibility to move them around. Good luck!

[@gantz4u]

Some of mine are flowering and I feed and water for fall flowering. Dry them out all winter and summer. Thats: SUMMER WINTER DRY. FALL LATE SPRING: Water. and have only lost a lithops to frost. Theyre definitely looking fat and healthy thanks to that 1 watering and feeding during early fall when the flower began to produce as I expect that to give them the energy needed for flowering and seed production all winter. Mine are fat healthy and getting bigger. Is that DONT water or DO water during early flower? I'd say when in DOUBT. DONT. Youll learn to listen when they ask for water and they seem more adapted to surviving too little water vs. too much. Because I want seeds, to see if I can find some cool mutants or hidden genes, and think im on my way to maybe getting some.

[@avaandon5636]

This is really great to know, but sadly i see this after the lithops my mom gave me died 🥲 I've had 2 before, but both died from mold. I'm guessing I was watering it too much. ( I watered them every 3 weeks or a little less)

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Oh no! Well we certainly hope you give them another go one day!

[@katearnold7127]

I keep waiting for my lithop to be thirsty and it's just not happening 😂 it's been like a whole year

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Stay strong! That happens sometimes :)

[@Christophercashwell]

Girl you're got a be Scott Irish , when you said off kilter that was just what my Scott Irish grandma used to say

[@IAmHumanJake]

Well update they're still thriving. We gotten rain for about 2 weeks. Off and on. I had a plant die but it's wasn't the stones. Was unknown cactus plant.

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Way to go, Lithops! So glad they're thriving.

[@IAmHumanJake]

@@Mountaincrestgardens . Yeppers. Doing amazing

[@IAmHumanJake]

How cold do these plants can handle?​@@Mountaincrestgardens

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

@@IAmHumanJake they need to stay above freezing

[@loicbou2403]

xlnt! thx

[@loriwesney9373]

I've had mine for over a year, and they have yet to split. They're definitely not my favorite succulent lol

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Haha that's fair. They're one of the fussier succulents for sure!

[@Sisteryoda1440]

Thanks for the great tutorial!! I’m in the Phoenix Arizona 9b zone and have my lithops outside. Some of mine seem to have long “necks” that stretch upwards. Also, it’s been about a year but they haven’t split. Is that normal? Glad to see you have baby toes - will they be available throughout the year?

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

@@Sisteryoda1440 Thank you! Surprising! That stretching normally indicates that they need more light. Are they in outdoor shade? Do be careful with scorching them with sun and high temps. And yes, normal to go a year without splitting if conditions aren't 100% perfect for these fussy little plants. Our Baby Toes come and go out of stock throughout the year, but there's a button on the product page where you can sign up for an email alert when they're back.

[@Sisteryoda1440]

@@Mountaincrestgardens Thank you for the info. They were in low light until my recent move, so hopefully they’ll sort out now that they have more light. Baby toes are fussy too, but I’m still obsessed! 😂

[@sis9622]

Thankyou

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

You’re welcome 😊

[@curlsbynat9763]

Some look like a cross-section of a brain❤

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

It's true!

[@stoopledaboogle5100]

I love the watering advice. When in doubt, don’t.

[@christinahenkel4850]

Do they need succulent fertilizer? in either of the 2 waterings it gets a year 😂

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

Lithops are very light feeders and can get sufficient nutrients from their soil for years. But some growers do like to fertilize during the growing season and feel like it encourages dependable, annual blooming.

[@jonhohensee3258]

Mountain Crest Gardens - The correct pronunciation of "bonsai" is "bone - sigh".

[@SmallGirlBigWorld_]

This was a VERY helpful video thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an easy to understand manner! ❤🪴

[@Mountaincrestgardens]

You are so welcome!