Not to mention, we've got mesemb growers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres, and if we're reading about months instead of seasons, we have to remember to mentally flip the calendar 180 degrees to translate if we're in the opposite hemisphere! Some days, my sandy ol' brain has trouble remembering that, and sometimes, writers don't specify which hemisphere they are referring to....Most, however, said either summer or early autumn, so I figured I'd give it a go during summer.
These were sown June 20, and most are 1-2mm tall now. No idea about the species. I won't actually buy a mixed packet of anything anymore; I want to know the species, particularly as different Lithops species have different cultural needs. But I was young and naive (ah, youth!), so we'll see how it goes.
They are the cutest little green guys, though a magnifying glass helps to see them clearly. Already you can see the fissure in most of them, and they have the classic Lithops cone shape. Each has an amazingly long root given the size of the leaves. This germination pot is several centimeters deep, so it should last for awhile. They get morning sun outdoors, then a quiet indoors spot after about 8am so they don't scorch. Lots more water than the grownups, too, they're quite thirsty!
If you've ever grown Lithops from seed, how did your first try go?
They look great Mara. My first attempt at sowing Lithops seeds included a mixed bag as well, which was recommended by the seller, and I agree with him because its good value, and you get to see different varieties when they grow. The only negative is that it's difficult to identify them and they don't have Cole numbers. My first attempt was not so successful, with approximately 1/3 of the seedlings surviving, but its a learning curve, and next time will only be better. I'm also surprised with the different info. online on how and when to grow seeds, but I've found a great mentor in Australia so I'll stick with his advice. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAnd what is the advice? I am also interested in info.LT
DeleteIt's great to have an IRL mentor- there are a lot of wonderful orchid experts here, and a few who know a lot about New World succulents and epiphytes/xeriphytes, but the Southern Hemisphere succulents are an obscure hobby, indeed! Hopefully that will change with time. When people here see these plants in a healthy state, they really fall in love with them! I want to learn enough about them to teach others here to grow them as well.
DeleteThe advice given by Eric from Oz Lithops are plentiful, and include materials to use, ideal time to sow etc. You can find a lot of this great info. on his website, http://ozlithops.com. Be sure to check out his catalogue as well. There are other growers in Oz who do things slightly different, so it really depends on what works for you and your location, and eventually practice makes perfecto. :-) Oh, one advice, Eric sows his seeds in early April, which is great because its near my birthday, so a wonderful time to celebrate and sow seeds as well. Woo-hoo!
DeleteInteresting site. Thanks.
DeleteLooks good and I also got mixed seeds on my first try, but it is maybe better to do mixed seeds on other mesembs rather than lithops. Good luck going forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you both learned a lot with mixed seeds, it will be a challenge (a good one, I hope) to identify them and give them the appropriate environment as they grow. Thanks!
ReplyDeletegaianursery,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the info on Oz- I've added it to my favorites.
how are they doing so far? I planted seeds too and they seem to be growing very slowly.
ReplyDeleteThey do grow slowly. Mine are about 10 months now and just got their first adult leaf sets. From about 100 seeds sown, I have about 12 sturdy, though small, Lithops.
ReplyDelete