How to cultivate succulent lithops
Today, the editor will explain how to cultivate and propagate succulent lithops, as well as the precautions related to green plants and flowers. Next, let's share the detailed content.
Lithops have a unique appearance and high ornamental value. Therefore, many gardening enthusiasts are eager to try their hand at growing beautiful lithops. So, how do you plant a newly purchased lithops? Usually, we go through seven steps: inspection, root pruning, drying, pot selection, soil mixing, and planting, and then we can wait for it to root successfully.
I. Seven steps for planting newly purchased lithops
1. Inspect the plant
When purchasing lithops, pay attention to whether there is any damage or root loss. Timely detection helps prevent and avoid secondary damage. Also, observe whether there are any cotton-like white substances on the roots of the lithops, which are likely to be the adults and eggs of root mealybugs. We need to deal with them promptly, scraping or cutting off the infected parts to avoid endangering the plant's growth.
2. Trim roots moderately
Usually, the lithops we buy come with roots, but they may be damaged or contaminated during transportation or transplantation. Therefore, during planting, we need to trim the diseased, bad, and excess roots. This can not only prevent the plant from being affected by pests and diseases during growth but also stimulate the development of new roots. When trimming the roots, we only need to leave about 7mm of the main roots to ensure the entire plant grows and propagates.
3. Dry as much as possible
Drying lithops is very important. Many gardeners don't know how to plant newly purchased lithops, and this is something to pay attention to. Newly purchased lithops should not be planted immediately. Usually, we need to place them in a well-ventilated area to dry for two days, allowing the wounds to form a scab barrier to prevent bacterial invasion. Especially for severely damaged lithops, planting them immediately after receiving them may lead to worsening conditions and difficulty in survival.
4. Pot selection
Lithops have shallow roots and are drought-resistant, with no specific requirements for the material or shape of the pot. When selecting a pot, we only need to pay attention to the width and depth, with a depth of about 10 centimeters to ensure the soil can cover the roots and store water. Lithops are small, and a regular-sized black square pot can accommodate about 10 small lithops or 5 mature ones. A larger pot is not conducive to controlling the amount of water for lithops. Moreover, it's best to use a pot with holes for easy drainage.
5. Soil preparation
It's best to use a breathable, well-draining granular medium, such as vermiculite, peat, red jade coal slag, and perlite. Lithops prefer dry conditions and dislike heavy feeding. When preparing the soil, keep the potting mix dry to prevent root rot, and add a small amount of peat and humus.
6. Planting in dry soil
Before planting lithops, we need to inspect again and carry out pest and disease control, removing diseased roots and root mealybugs. When planting, gently cover the roots of the lithops with soil, leaving about two-thirds of the plant above the soil surface, and then spread round granular material between the plants.
7. Wait for rooting