A brief discussion on the cultivation experience of 0-1 year old Lithops.
About the content of Lithops, a brief discussion on the cultivation experience of 0-1 year old Lithops, followed by the sharing of detailed content.
In recent years, more and more flower enthusiasts have started playing with Lithops, and quite a few have tried to start from sowing. Like these enthusiasts, I jumped into the water without knowing the depth at the beginning, and only after suffering losses did I carefully grope my way across the river and constantly seek advice and learn. Gradually, I realized that the cultivation and management of 0-1 year old Lithops is not the same as that of adult plants, indeed, there are some peculiarities. If one is not careful in any link, it may result in mass death or even total loss with no harvest. Based on the various setbacks encountered in this aspect over the past few years, I have summarized some lessons from failure for everyone's reference.
I. Sowing Preparation
1. Choosing seeds. The best source of seeds is from flower friends. If purchasing, make sure to find a reliable store and avoid being deceived by cheap fakes. Another good method is to first buy a few adult plants, wait for them to bloom, manually pollinate them, and then harvest the seeds yourself. One Lithops seed pod can produce 400-500 seeds, which is more than enough for sowing.
2. Selecting medium. The sowing medium for Lithops can be considered from three aspects: particle size, types of medium, and medium proportion. For particle size, use 1mm on the surface, 1-2mm in the middle layer, and over 5mm for the bottom layer. Types of medium can include honeycomb coal slag, coarse sand, peat, rice husk charcoal, and akadama soil. The proportion of the medium does not need to be too precise; if you have several types of medium, you can mix a little of each. You can also use honeycomb coal slag alone, which also works well. In any case, there is no need to be overly concerned about the type of medium and the ratio of the formula.
However, there are several principles to adhere to when choosing the medium: avoid mediums with high water retention, such as vermiculite; avoid mediums that are too rich, such as some commercial cultivation soils mixed with fertilizers; and avoid mediums with poor water permeability, such as materials containing a lot of fine dust.
3. Seedbed preparation. Pay attention to three aspects: the medium in the seedbed should be layered according to particle size, the surface layer should be about 1mm in size and 1cm thick, mainly for the young seedlings to root in; the middle layer is where the young seedlings' roots will develop in the coming months, using 1-2mm particles and about 3cm thick; the bottom layer is the water-permeable layer, with a thickness of about 1cm. Generally, the total thickness of the medium in the seedling tray should be around 5cm, which is more suitable for young seedlings' growth, neither too deep nor too shallow.
4. Disinfection sowing. The main methods used for disinfection sowing of Lithops are two of the classic "three high" methods: using potassium permanganate for disinfection and covering or covering with film to create a high-humidity environment to speed up seed germination.
5. Potassium permanganate disinfection. When preparing potassium permanganate solution, first use boiling hot water to fully utilize its strong oxidizing effect for strict sterilization, and then properly control its concentration, the solution color should be slightly deep purple. After preparing the potassium permanganate solution, immediately immerse the pot (seedbed) containing the medium in it, with the water just covering the medium. The soaking disinfection time is generally 5-6 minutes, as the strong oxidizing effect of potassium permanganate lasts only a few minutes.
After the medium in the soaked pot has fully cooled, you can proceed to sow. There is no fixed rule for sowing density, which can be determined based on the need to transplant when the young seedlings reach a diameter of about 3mm. Generally, it is better to sow densely, as some weak seedlings will gradually die off. There are various sowing methods, such as broadcasting and point sowing, depending on personal preference. Since Lithops seeds are a type of light-dependent germination, there is no need to cover the seeds with medium after sowing. If you are worried that the Lithops seeds themselves may not be clean, you can prepare a small amount of potassium permanganate solution (light purple) with cool water and spray it in a mist form on the surface of the medium with a small spray bottle (be careful not to disperse the seeds), disinfecting the Lithops seeds.
Use a transparent container or film to cover the seedling tray, creating a high-humidity environment. Next, place the seedling tray in a bright area with scattered light and wait patiently for the seeds to germinate. By the way, the best time for sowing Lithops is from mid-September to October every year.
II. Seed Germination
After sowing, some seeds of Lithops generally start to germinate on the 4th or 5th day, some healthy seeds may germinate on the 3rd day, but some may take longer to germinate. There is also some variation in germination time depending on the variety. After most of the seeds have germinated, the covering should be gradually removed to strengthen ventilation and reduce the humidity of the seedbed. The timing for completely removing the covering depends on the local climate, for example, longer in dry northern regions (about one month) and earlier in humid southern regions (about half a month).
III. Young Seedling Care
After the covering is completely removed, the young seedlings can be gradually exposed to more light, transitioning from bright scattered light to sunlight through a glass window, or even direct sunlight for short periods. The young seedlings of Lithops are most afraid of a dark and humid environment, so in addition to ensuring sufficient light, the moisture level of the seedbed should also be carefully monitored. If the soil is dry, it can be watered appropriately by spraying or dipping the pot, but it should not be watered excessively. The watering interval varies greatly depending on the medium used by each person. Generally, the longer the watering interval, the higher the proportion of peat, followed by akadama soil, and then pure honeycomb coal slag. How to determine if the soil is dry? You can look at the color of the surface medium, feel the weight of the seedling tray, or insert a toothpick into the medium and observe the dryness. In general, a semi-dry and semi-wet state is most suitable for the growth of young seedlings. By the way, the type of water used for irrigation is also important, it is best to use soft water or purified water, which can make the young seedlings strong and plump.
At this stage, whether to fertilize the young seedlings is unnecessary. The nutrients in the medium are sufficient to ensure the growth of the young seedlings until the first shedding. For example, even if pure honeycomb coal slag is used, there is no need to add additional fertilizer. In fact, when we disinfected the medium with potassium permanganate before sowing, the medium already stored a certain amount of potassium fertilizer decomposed from potassium permanganate.
If the young seedlings are leggy or toppling over, what should be done? A dark environment or high temperature is the main reason for leggy seedlings. Simply sprinkle some 1mm-sized particles around the leggy seedlings to cover the white part and ensure sufficient light. For toppling seedlings, carefully support them with a toothpick and use small particles to prop them up. If the soil surface is covered with moss, sprinkle some small particles to cover the moss and prevent it from receiving light, naturally it will no longer grow. Since moss grows in too wet soil, it is also necessary to control the humidity next.
How to control the temperature of the young seedlings' growing environment? From the moment the Lithops seeds germinate, the weather gradually cools down and transitions to the cold winter. We basically do not let the young Lithops grow in an open environment, so it is more suitable to place them in a sunny indoor environment, such as a closed balcony, where the minimum temperature in winter can be above 5°C, and the young seedlings will be fine.
Do we need to spray fungicides regularly for the young seedlings? As long as the potassium permanganate disinfection before sowing is thorough, the young seedlings receive sufficient light, and the soil humidity is well controlled, there is almost no need to spray any fungicides.
The health of the young seedlings can be judged from their shape and color. If the young seedlings are round and plump, and the color is a bronze color, this indicates that the seedlings are healthy. If they are always thin and green, they are definitely not healthy and will eventually die or become僵苗.
IV. Before and After the First Shedding
Healthy young seedlings generally start to show signs of the first shedding (referred to as "one shed") when they are three to four months old, the fine裂缝 in the middle of their bodies gradually widens, and a new bud becomes visible. At this point, extra care should be taken. Increase the duration of sunlight exposure, and pay attention to controlling the humidity of the soil, reducing the frequency of watering to maintain a slightly dry state (this requires attention to the differences between north and south, as the north is very dry with heating, so a little water can be added appropriately; while in the south, the humidity is high, and the seedlings will not die of dryness). In fact, during the shedding stage, the water in the old skin can meet the growth needs of the young seedlings. When the young seedlings reach five to six months old, you can see a thin layer of old skin wrapping the outside of the young seedlings, which indicates that the first shedding is basically complete. At this point, it is important to strengthen sunlight exposure and continue to control watering, as the young seedlings may become leggy if not careful.
V. Transplanting Young Seedlings
After the first shedding is completed, choose a good day to prepare for transplanting the young seedlings. It is best to keep the medium in the seedbed dry before transplanting, which is very beneficial for the young seedlings.
The particle size, layering, and thickness of the soil layer for the transplanting medium are roughly the same as those for sowing, except that the medium in the middle layer can be slightly enriched with nutrients, such as adding a small amount of leaf mold or a few A2 slow-release fertilizer granules, but still be careful not to make it too rich. Also, the medium for transplanting young seedlings should be disinfected once at high temperature, such as using a microwave oven on high heat or steaming with boiling water.
It is very easy to take the young seedlings out of the dry medium in the seedling tray, just gently shake and the medium on the roots will fall off. Next, carefully remove the old skin wrapping the young seedlings, some dry old skin can be easily removed. If the old skin is difficult to remove, do not pull it off forcefully, just let it be.
The next step is to trim the roots to promote growth after transplanting. Generally, when transplanting young seedlings, the main root should be retained, and all fibrous roots should be cut off. The main root is generally left 0.5-1cm long, and the specific length is very important. If you have only a few dozen young seedlings, leaving the main root 1cm long is fine; if there are over a hundred young seedlings, it's better to keep the main root shorter. Transplanting young seedlings is generally done by gently inserting them into the soil surface, and if the main root is too long and insertion is not smooth, you may need to use tools to help plant. Therefore, it's better to trim the roots shorter for too many young seedlings, and a root length of 0.5cm does not affect the growth of new roots. It is also important to emphasize that the medium must be dry when transplanting young seedlings.
After trimming the roots, let them dry for half a day before transplanting. The spacing between rows and plants (referring to the center distance between young seedlings) should generally be kept at 1cm. Two rows of young seedlings can be arranged in a diamond shape. After transplanting, do not water for 2 days, and after 3 days, you can gradually spray water (with fungicide added) and then gradually expose to light; you can also quickly dip the pot, with the water level at 1/3 of the pot height, just staying for a few seconds. After about 1 week, new roots can grow, and the young seedlings will enter the later management stage.
VI. Post-Transplant Management
About 7-8 days after transplanting the young seedlings, if they do not move when gently touched, it means that new roots have grown. As the temperature gradually rises, various problems may arise one after another, and the management cannot be careless.
The first task is fungicide treatment. The young seedlings are slowly growing, and fungi are not idle. The young seedlings are relatively fragile at this stage and can easily be infected by fungi, leading to rotting. Sometimes, they may look normal in the evening, but the next morning they turn color and become a bag of污水 with a slight touch. Therefore, it is necessary to spray a little fungicide (such as alternating between carbendazim and carbaryl) every few days to be prepared.
The second task is dipping the pot. Watering is mainly done by dipping the pot. Water only when the soil is completely dry. It is important to note that in the hot summer season, when adult Lithops are breaking water and dormant, the young seedlings should still be watered as usual. If you do not water them in time, they will start the second shedding, which is extremely unfavorable for the normal growth of the young seedlings.
The third task is sunlight exposure. Young seedlings need sunlight to grow, and being able to ensure 4-5 hours of sunlight each day is best. When the sunlight is too strong, it is necessary to pay attention to appropriate shading, using a black shading net with a specification of 50%-75% is relatively safe. Flower friends in the Jiangnan region need to be especially careful about the weather changes during the plum rain season. If there is sudden bright white sunlight after several days of continuous阴雨天, the young seedlings placed outdoors may become white and transparent and die without returning after being exposed to the sun for a few hours.
After 5-6 months of post-transplant management, from sowing to now, it has been almost a year, and the young seedlings have gone through many hardships and can grow to about 1cm in size. At this point, the Lithops can be managed according to the care methods for adult plants, and with continued effort, they will be able to bloom and bear fruit in two more years.
The above sharing is a detailed introduction to the cultivation experience of 0-1 year old Lithops, hoping to bring some floral knowledge to flower enthusiasts.