This kind of succulent will die in one summer? not necessarily! 4 tips to get it done!

Key to summer 1: Soil

1. Growth habits

Lithops is native to southern Africa and prefers a warm, dry and sunny environment, so the soil should be chosen with good air permeability and drainage. In this way, when there is a heavy rain, the soil in the pot can be drained quickly when water enters, ensuring that the roots can breathe normally.

2. Soil selection

You can use ordinary granular soil or humus gravel soil, leaf mold, mixed with 2~3mm granular materials such as honeycomb coal slag, coarse sand, Akadama soil, peat, etc.

3. Cooling tips

During the high temperatures in summer, you can lay a layer of small pebbles on the surface of the potting soil to protect against the sun and reduce temperature, which is beneficial to root growth.

Key to summer 2: watering

A flower lover asked, since Lithops is dormant in summer, does it mean that they don’t need to be watered? However, there is no such thing as dormancy for Lithops grown in ordinary households. The key to safely spending the summer lies in how and how much water to water.

1. Better dry than wet

Many people have misunderstandings about watering, thinking that it is enough to water thoroughly when the soil is dry. However, in summer, with hot and humid weather, it is easy to water thoroughly but difficult to dry it out. As a result, the plants either grow too tall or die. If you water it less, it will at most make it grow slower, but it won't have much of an impact.

Taking a two-year-old seedling of about 1 cm in size as an example, the flower has not been watered for more than a month, but it is still plump and not growing too tall, which shows that Lithops has a very small demand for water.

2. Watering in the evening

The stomata on the leaves are closed during the day and open at night, so try to water in the evening or at night, and open the windows for ventilation in time after watering. You can also choose to spray your body surface to cool down at night.

Key to summer 3: light

1. Indoor maintenance

In summer, indoor glass will block a large part of the ultraviolet rays, so there is no need for shading, but long-term uniform lighting must be ensured, and ventilation must be ensured.

2. Outdoor maintenance

Lithops likes light and is resistant to high temperatures, but the stronger the light, the better. When maintaining it outdoors, you must avoid strong sunlight. You can use a black shade net with a shading rate of 75%.

3. Depends on the variety

Different varieties of lithops have different light resistance. Varieties such as Sunwheel Jade, Lumei Jade, Zixun, Fulai Jade, and Huangyu have stronger tolerance to sunlight, while varieties such as Patterned Jade, Micro-Pattern Jade, Otsu Hui, and Reihong Jade are weaker.

Key to summer 4: pest and disease control

Lithops are often harmed by root mealybugs, the symptom of which is that the area around the roots is covered with milky white cotton-like substances. Summer is the peak breeding period for root mealybugs, and when the infestation is severe, Lithops can slowly die.

Prevention and treatment measures

1. Eliminate insect sources: New plants should be thoroughly disinfected, and it is best not to use any foreign potting soil.

2. Physical control: If insect pests are found, the roots of the entire plant should be thoroughly trimmed, the pot and soil should be changed in a timely manner. When pruning the roots, use clean water to wash away the white powder and adult insects on the roots.

3. Drug control: bury some furadan granules in the soil around the roots to achieve a preventive effect; for treatment, you can use Guoguang Aphidicide, combined with sprinkler irrigation, the effect is obvious.

Have you learned the summer strategy for Lithops?

Use it now!