Living stones

Living stones: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dwarf plant 2–3 cm tall, usually with 1–3 pairs of leaves; a clump reaches about 10 cm across.

Leaves

Two thick, fleshy, almost completely fused leaves with a cleft between them. The flat top has translucent windows marked in grey, brown or green.

Flower

Yellow, daisy-like flower about 3–4 cm across, appearing from the cleft in late summer or autumn and opening mainly in the afternoon.

Roots

A long taproot that anchors the plant and stores water, so choose a pot that is deep enough.

Growth cycle

The old pair of leaves shrivels in winter and spring while the new pair grows out of it, living on the water stored in the old leaves.

Flowering: September–October · Plants: April–May

Why grow it?

• A real talking point: the plant looks like a pebble and always draws attention on the windowsill.
• Takes up very little space: a single plant is 2–3 cm tall and a clump reaches about 10 cm across.
• Flowers in September–October with yellow blooms, when many houseplants are resting.
• Very little work: little water, no pruning and hardly any feeding.
• Fun to follow: every year a new pair of leaves grows out of the old one.

Living stones: where does it grow best?

• Give it the sunniest spot in the house, preferably a south- or west-facing window with plenty of direct sun.
• Mineral and very free-draining: sand, fine grit or pumice, with at most one third cactus compost. No peat or garden compost, which hold too much water.
• Dry and well ventilated; a pot with a drainage hole and no saucer in which water can stand.
• If you grow several together, space them about 5–10 cm apart or use a wide, shallow dish.

Light

Sunny

Potting soil

Cactus compost

Acidity

Neutral

Watering

Sparingly

Size

0.03 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

• Mammillaria: A round cactus that likes the same sun and the same dry winter rest.
• Echeveria: A blue-grey rosette that contrasts with the stone-like shapes.
• Haworthia: Also stays small and asks for little care; pretty in a shared dish.
• Gasteria: A sturdy succulent from South Africa, handy for a group of pots on the windowsill.

Living stones: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Repot in April–May, once the old pair of leaves has dried out completely. Repotting every 2–3 years is usually enough.
2. Choose a fairly deep pot, not too small, with a drainage hole; terracotta dries out faster than plastic.
3. Mix about two thirds coarse sand, fine grit or pumice with one third cactus compost, and put some coarse material at the bottom for drainage.
4. Set the plant so that only the top surface shows above the soil and spread a thin layer of fine grit around it.
5. Do not water for about a week after potting so that damaged roots can heal.

Care

Water

From the end of August until November, water only when the soil is completely dry: a little along the edge of the pot, never over the plant. Very little or none in spring and summer. No water from December to March.

Feeding

Usually not needed. If you like, give a very weak dose of cactus feed (a quarter of the recommended strength) once in autumn.

Light

Plenty of sun. After winter, get it used to bright light gradually, or it will get brown, dry sunburnt patches.

Air

Keep the spot dry and well ventilated. Warmth is no problem as long as the soil is dry; cold and damp together are fatal.

Old leaves

Let the old pair of leaves dry out by itself and do not pull at it: the plant draws water and nutrients from it.

Tip: Always water along the edge of the pot and never over the plant: water standing in the cleft between the leaves quickly leads to rot. A thin layer of fine grit on the soil keeps the plant dry.

Living stones: when to prune it?

When: Living stones are not pruned. The only job is to remove the papery remains of the old pair of leaves once they are completely dry (usually in spring).

How:

• Wait until the old pair of leaves is completely dry and papery.
• Lift the dry remains away gently with tweezers or your fingers; they come away easily.
• Do not cut anything from the green parts and do not tug at leaves that are still fleshy.
• Faded flowers drop by themselves; there is nothing to do.

Caution: A wound in the living pair of leaves quickly rots, so handle the plant as little as possible.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in spring on a slightly moist mix of sand and cactus compost, barely covering the seed. Keep under glass or clear film at 20–25 °C. The seedlings are tiny and slow-growing, and flower only after a few years.

Division

In April–May gently separate a clump with several heads; each piece needs some root. Let the wound dry for a few days, plant in a dry sandy mix and give a small drop of water only after a week or two.

Living stones: how does it get through the winter?

• From December to March keep it cool and dry, at 8–12 °C and never below 5 °C. Give no water.
• Put it in the brightest place, on a cool, sunny windowsill; in too little light it stretches and loses its stone-like shape.
• The old pair of leaves shrivels while the new leaves grow out of it. This is normal and no reason to water.

Diseases and pests

• Rot: Soft, glassy or translucent leaves, often after too much water or watering in winter. Stop watering; lift the plant, cut away soft parts with a clean knife, let it dry and repot in dry sand.
• Split leaves: The new pair of leaves bursts open after a heavy watering during growth. Water in small amounts from now on, and only in the right season.
• Shrivelling: Normal for the old pair in winter and spring. If the new pair wrinkles during the growing period, it is thirsty: give a small drop of water.
• Stretching: A tall, pale plant has had too little light. Move it to a brighter window; new leaves will return to their normal shape.
• Mealybug: White, cottony tufts in the cleft or on the roots. Remove them with a soft brush or cotton bud; for root mealybug, rinse the roots and repot in fresh, dry soil.

Through the year

• January: Rest: no water, cool and as bright as possible.
• February: Rest: no water. Keep the window clear.
• March: No water. The old pair of leaves keeps drying.
• April: Remove dry remains of old leaves. Repot if needed.
• May: Repot, divide or sow. Still no water.
• June: Summer rest: very little or no water, plenty of sun and fresh air.
• July: Summer rest: practically no water.
• August: At the end of August start watering carefully if the soil is dry.
• September: Flowering. Water when the soil is dry, not over the flower.
• October: Flowering. An occasional small drop of water.
• November: Last small watering, then taper off.
• December: No more water until March. Keep cool and bright.

Did you know?

• The name Lithops comes from Greek: lithos means stone and ops means face or appearance, so literally ‘stone-looking’.
• In the wild the plants are hard to spot among the stones, a form of camouflage against grazing animals.
• Most of the plant sits below ground; the translucent windows let light into the inside of the leaves.