Today I received a lovely letter from Gardener Natasha. She had some concerns about her Lithops, and I felt the answer would make a good post:
Sometimes our Lithops, despite the best care and lots of love, get sick, get pests, or just turn mushy and die. I can't think of a single Lithops grower this hasn't happened to at least a few times. But a lot of us are fairly isolated from other mesemb caretakers, and what do we do if we need help, and there's no one to ask?
I go to the Lithops Forum:
http://lithopsforum.com/index.php
I'm registered there, but I pretty much lurk so far. (I promise that will change when I have a little more time at the end of the school year.) But the Lithops forum is a real haven for Lithops growers from all over the world. It's amazing! You can register, start a thread on "What's going on with my Lithops?", post pics, and get some really great advice from a number of people who grow these little guys in all sorts of climates. And you'll get sympathy, too. I highly recommend a visit. There are some extremely knowledgeable people there who've been lounging with Lithops far longer than I have. I learn from them all the time.
Thanks for your question, Natasha! I hope the forum helps, and your question, and my answer, help others who need some Lithops advice. Let me know how it goes, and I'll see you at the Forum!
