Sunday, February 28, 2010

Conophytum & Lithops Update I (9 Days)

For their tiny little size, the Conophytum and Lithops have been growing relatively rapidly.  Last time I posted the Lithops had not yet started to germinate.  I've now counted ten little sprouts.  They are actually growing quicker than the Conophytum.  They do however look a bit lanky.  I've heard stories of the plants growing up and out of the soil.  I was scared this might happen so I set them both on top of upside down pots closer to the light (from about 30cm away to around 15 or 20cm). 

The Conophytum still look like little molars.  I've counted about eleven of them.  There are some new really tiny ones from both species so I expect ongoing germination for at least a few more days.  You can see from the pictures below that both sprouts look different.  The Lithops actually have clearly distinct pairs of leaves.  I mist both of them several times a day quite heavily.  I also have ziplock bags over the top to make sure they don't dry out.  They were sowed 9 days ago.

Conophytum (mixed varieties, oldest are 6 days)



Lithops (mixed varieties, oldest are 5 days)

3 comments:

  1. WOW...they are thick as thieves in there...how soon till you will have to thin them out a bit??? They are adorable!

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  2. I had to bury my little Lithops up to their tops in sand. If they flop over they desiccate pretty quickly.

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  3. Julie, the roots are pretty much vertical. I don't think I'll thin them out until the start to touch. I've also heard people just leaving them all the the weaker ones die out. Supposedly about 30 can fit in here for up to a year. I don't know about that...

    Kaveh, I moved them closer to the light and they already seem less lanky. I think they just need a lot of light when young. I'll keep you updated with what happens. If they start to flop I'll throw in some sand.

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