Spring is on its way, they feel it (9 pics)

Finally, after months of darkness, we've had 2 weeks of sun (and temperatures below freezing). It is amazing how only 2 sunny weeks can transform lithops and give other plants a boost. After all the losses this year, seeing lithops actually not affected by the dark environment encourages me to focus more on them in the future. Other mesembs seem to be very touchy and even without water they stretch and die if there is not enough light. Lithops however, just proceed with their regeneration, no problem. They do fine as long as they're not being watered.

The old leaves are getting very soft first.

Then they get lines and wrinkles at the edges.

Then become thin and transparent.

Until they slip around the edges of the new leaves and disappear.

These look like the old leaves are deflating.

I was particularly relieved to see the below plant regenerate. It skipped a year meaning it has not regenerated last year at all. This year it just grows normally.

Bonus pic: Nothing says spring is coming like Sinningia leucotricha waking up :)

New year, new life for lithops - part 3 (10 pics)

Continuing with the regeneration pictures here is the next bunch.

L. gesinae v. annae C078

One has less regenerating to do than the other. The left plants is one of my very first plants, bought as adult in 2008, making it at least 10 years old. Age doesn't show on lithops. It looks just as young as back then :)

This one is two-headed, bought last year, and the left head grew just slightly long. After ripping it open the new leaves are as short and flat as they should be. Just a small corrective surgery.

L. julii ssp. fulleri v. brunnea C179

This one I also have since 2008 and for the last several years it has settled down to this perfect round and short shape. I'm not good with L. julii but this one is being very patient with me. The new leaves have just started showing. Its neighbor will have to be transplanted as it's almost finished and will need water soon.

L. bromfieldii var.glaudinae 'Rubroroseus' C393A 
These are 2012 seedlings and almost done changing leaves. I itch to water them. They'll double in size then.

L. gracilidelineata
This is one of my 2009 seedlings. A very beautiful plant and already all new, same as its siblings.

L. hookeri v. lutea
It doesn't look like a lutea but okay. It's pretty and healthy and that's the main thing.

L. hookeri 
All growing nicely flat, making me proud.

The next guys are new since last summer and will hopefully adapt their life cycle to the new windowsill conditions (they are initially greenhouse grown). So far so good. I always have difficulties with white flowering lithops.

L. hallii (Kalk Kraal)

L. hallii v. ochracea (Ghams)

New year, new life for lithops - part 2 (6 pics)

I just felt like posting a small regenerating lithops lesliei selection :)

L. lesliei v. minor 'Witblom' C006A x L. lesliei 'Fred's Redhead'

L. lesliei ssp. lesliei v. venteri C001

L. lesliei ssp. lesliei v. venteri 'Ventergreen' C001A 

L. lesliei ssp. lesliei v. lesliei 'Albinica' C036A 

L. lesliei ssp. lesliei v. lesliei (grey form) C008 

To be continued

New year, new life for lithops - part 1 (12 pics)

These past several days it was sunny at last and lithops are known to react to that. They're not wasting time. All of a sudden new shiny faces started popping up here and there. What was taking months to prepare progresses very quickly when spring comes. Some still have lots of resources to recycle, others have regenerated completely and are just sitting there, waiting for their first watering to start growing. Most of the plants below are my good friends since years and it's always a relief to see them go through their annual cycle timely and in a proper manner. The shapes and colors are all I can wish for, too. It really is absolutely possible to grow short and flat plants on a sunny windowsill in Europe, don't get discouraged! The trick is in watering timing, substrate and maybe in the small size of the pots, too. But it IS possible to grow them well year after year without artificial light, and if you like these plants you should try it ;)

C363 L. fulviceps 'Aurea' and C384 L. pseudotruncatella v. dendritica sharing a container. I should probably separate them but they're such good neighbors. 

Aureas are very pretty indeed.

So are their milky relatives C222 L. fulviceps v. lactinea.

This one is a bit shy but will spread its wings once watered.

C006 L. lesliei ssp. lesliei v. minor are from the bunch of my very first seedlings, sown in 2008. New leaves are glistening in the sun. Love them!

These C382 L. bromfieldii v. glaudinae hatched in 2010 and are always a beautiful, natural sight during leaf change.

C362 L. bromfieldii v. insularis 'Sulphurea' are supposed to get new heads every year. Mine doesn't go beyond four.

C392 L. aucampiae 'Storm's Snowcap' are changing nicely but only when they are kept small. In my experience any fat aucampiae (normally one from a hardware store) will choke on its old leaves. 

L. dorotheae have accumulated a lot over the year, as always, even though I barely water them and never fertilize. Nevertheless they regenerate without a problem every year (good metabolism? :D ) so I don't mind.

C300 L. dorotheae

L. dorotheae de Boer (photobombed by a Braunsia)

I'll post more photos soon!

L. schwantesii's new faces (6 pics)

I really don't like taking pictures in this cold, dark winter light but all of the L. schwantesii are showing their beautiful new faces these days and I just had to take a couple of close-ups. L. schwantesii are not easy to capture because their surface is blurry by nature and the camera refuses to focus. But they are oh so pretty! So here you go, first lithops portraits of the year :)

Lithops don't waste time (5 pics)

Winter has started very early this year. It's gloomy and cold. The plants feel it and react to it: winter growers waking up, seeds germinating eagerly, and lithops are already recycling their resources. I've stopped watering most of them a month ago. They will get water again once they regenerate and it's warm and sunny again outside the window. April maybe. Yes, this means even if they fully regenerate earlier they still won't get water if there's not enough sunlight. No need to wake the roots if the light is not sufficient, unless absolutely necessary (young or small plants that grow visibly thirsty).
In my experience, it will take them a long time anyway :)

Conophytum fulleri waking up (8 pics)

Today I had the pleasure of witnessing this wonderful conophytum flower! ♥

How did it come to this? I've been trying to wake the conophytums. Some of them are already far along like the one from the previous post, others are still not changing visibly. I keep documenting it though :)

Here is the Conophytum fulleri changing or rather changing while still hiding.
I started watering on August 1st when it looked like this.

On Aug 13 I started seeing some green coming through.

On Aug 16 both plants already started to get chapped. Such a fresh green beneath!

And then, only one day later.... the flower started growing.

From there it escalated quickly. Aug 18

Aug 19

Aug 22. Beautiful ♥