Hey y’all- I looked all over the internet and couldn’t find a picture like this, but is this over or under watered or natural for this little guy? The top is still hard but near the bottom where the vertical lines are, it is squishy. I’ve had it over a year and haven’t changed its location, watering schedule, or soil or anything like that so not sure what’s going on. I appreciate any advice! Thanks in advance.
by Broad_Maximum_4977
5 Comments
Yeah this is toast. It rotted from the soil line upwards.
It’s full with water. I’m sorry.
“He’s dead Jim!” (Star Trek reference)
Try again with far less organic material in your mix.
That is definitely rot when lithops get to this point it’s a goner unfortunately! Your soil being completely organic is the reason why this happened.
If you have more lithops, change the soil to more inorganic materials (pumice, clay, coarse sand, etc..). Remove any large pieces in the soil mix (larger than 8mm). Most people recommend 90% inorganic and 10% organic. I use 20% organic since it’s helped me root them faster. Good luck!
Unfortunately, your dude is dead. It can take a really long time for what’s happening at the base/root to catch up with the top. It’s rotting.
For next time, make sure your soil is only 20% organic at most and really really gritty. The pot you have it in might have also contributed to the problem – it’s harder for the moisture in the soil to evaporate in a glazed ceramic pot. I’d suggest an unfinished terracotta pot with drainage holes.