LIVING STONES (LITHOPS)

Light

Living stones prefer full sun year-round, meaning at least six hours of sunlight on most days. When growing them indoors, place them by your brightest window, with a southern or eastern exposure being preferable. Insufficient light can cause elongated leaves and poor leaf coloring.

Soil

These plants like sandy soil with sharp drainage. A potting mix that is specially formulated for cacti is ideal for them. 

Water

Living stones must be watered on a seasonal schedule that mimics the rainfall they would get in their natural habitat. Don’t water over the winter when the plant is dormant. Then, once the new leaves begin forming in the spring, water whenever the soil dries out just enough that the soil becomes slightly moist. Pause watering again in the summer during the other dormant period. But resume watering in the fall just before the plant is ready to flower. If the leaves start to completely shrivel up while the plant is dormant, you can give it a very small amount of water to plump them up again.

Temperature and Humidity

Living stones can tolerate heat well and can survive temperatures down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They do fine in typical room temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity usually isn’t an issue as long as the soil doesn’t remain moist for long periods and there is good air flow around the plants.