Lithops

I’ve a new project on the go this week. I have decided to grow some lithops. 

Lithops is a genus of prehistoric succulent plants originating in southern Africa. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ‘lithos’, meaning "stone," and ‘ops’, meaning "face," referring to the stone-like appearance of the plants. They only get to 1” in height and will live for 40 to 50 years, happily staying in the same pot for 10-15 years with very little watering so make a great slow growing novelty houseplant.

Their camouflage is really effective and over millions of years natural selection has allowed the plants to mimic their surrounding environment perfectly making them indistinguishable from a stone at first glance. This protects them from being eaten.  The leaves of Lithops are mostly buried below the surface of the soil, with a partially or completely translucent top surface known as a leaf window which allows light to enter the interior of the leaves for photosynthesis.

Individual Lithops plants consist of just one or more pairs of bulbous leaves opposite to each other and hardly any stem. The opening between the leaves contains the meristem and produces flowers and new leaves. 

The plants were first recorded in 1811by botanist John Burchell who accidentally found a specimen when picking up stones from the ground and called it a "curiously shaped pebble”. In the 1950s, Desmond and Naureen Cole began to study Lithops. They eventually visited nearly all habitat populations and collected samples from approximately 400, identifying them with the Cole numbers which have been used ever since and distributing Cole numbered seed around the world.

New species continue to be discovered, sometimes in remote regions of Namibia and South Africa, and sometimes in well-populated areas where they simply had been overlooked – or trodden on for generations. 

Lithops Care

I have edged my bets as usual and gone for 100 mixed seeds and 12 two year old plants already formed and ready for putting in a pot. I have done a lot of research about the plants and care methods differ wildly depending on location. I’ve decided to use the pre grown ones as testers to find out for myself how to care for the seedlings which have already started to germinate.

Caring for lithops seems to differ from one country to the next and it all depends on light, soil and stone medium and watering cycle. The plants themselves appear to grow the same regardless of their location in the world. No watering is necessary when the plants shed their old leaves as the moisture from these goes to feed the plant as it dehydrates. Normal treatment in mild temperate climates is to keep them completely dry during winter. In hotter climates Lithops will have summer dormancy when they should be kept mostly dry, but I don’t think we need bother about that. If I do underwater the plants they will let me know as they become wrinkly, sometimes even disappearing totally underground.

Lithops in habitat almost never have more than one leaf pair per head, presumably as an adaptation to the arid environment. Yellow or white flowers emerge from between the leaves, usually in autumn. The flowers are often sweetly scented. 

Propagation

Lithops are usually grown from seed. I have planted mine in two small pots and they will take between one and two years growing undercover on a windowsill to be large enough to pot on, as I mentioned they have germinated but are about as small as a pin head. As I am a bit impatient the two year old pre grown specimens have been to put some into my new stoneware pots (I did make them for bonsai but they were too small) I’ve done a bit of ‘lithops landscaping’ too by adding some small granite stones to make it more of a feature.

 

Potting Mix

I have made a potting mix of mainly volcanic pumice grit, granite grit and a touch of soil for both the seeds and the mature plants. The only difference is a sprinkling of sand over the tiny seeds before covering with plastic to keep the moisture in. 

Lithops are non-toxic to humans and pets; in fact they can be a thirst quencher in the desert so are great for children to get into the pleasures of growing houseplants.

I’m sure growing and caring for lithops will be a big learning curve for me and as usual there might be a few casualties along the way.














UPDATE:
I planted the lithops quite deeply to start with. Over the last couple of weeks they seem to be finding their own levels and popping up a bit.

6 Week old seedlings:

Metaldehyde Slug Pellet Ban Overturned

I see slug pellets containing metaldehyde are staying on the market. I mentioned a few weeks ago they were to be off the retail shelves by early next year. The ban was overturned in the high court after a challenge from Chiltern Farm Chemicals who manufacture the product. 

As expected social media went into meltdown with a call to overturn the ruling, which probably won’t happen anytime soon. What isn’t really mentioned is that slug pellets are used in industrial agriculture in huge amounts and until the mono crop production of farming shifts the demand will be there and laws won’t change. 

The industry is trying to lower the amount of metaldehyde being used by reducing the size of the pellets and have cut down the dose rate from 210g/ha to 60g/ha, so they are taking a bit of action. The products also have something called Guardsman added which makes the pellets unpalatable to birds and mammals. I haven’t been able to find any research to see how precise this is and if mammals are harmed indirectly by eating poisoned slugs so can’t really comment about it’s effectiveness at the moment.

You might be aware of vegetables on the supermarket shelves being organic but there’s never any mention about slug deterrents being used. The drinking water Inspectorate is also ensuring metaldehyde doesn’t reach drinking water in agricultural use but isn’t monitored in the private garden. 

Farming is why the ruling has been overturned. Protests from home gardeners on social media doesn’t really have any clout at the moment, but that could change. 

We might seem powerless to alter what the huge industrial agricultural businesses are doing but we can make a change in our own gardens. If the use of metaldehyde slug pellets is an issue for you and you really don’t want to use them, use one of the many alternatives on the market, either shop bought or home-made. 

We’ve come a long way since gardeners such as Percy Thrower pushed a multitude of endorsed ICI chemical products on us to attack everything in the garden.  We now see our plots are a more balanced ecosystem where everything has a purpose. 

There isn’t a “good or bad” or “friend or foe” in the garden, it’s more to do with how we keep the garden healthy to overcome issues as and when they arise. 

By starting our own fruitful, strong, and diverse self-maintaining garden, which is more cost effective to run than a garden where chemicals are needed we might just quietly influence the change from monoculture as it becomes more expensive to be productive.

Ha Ha

Talking of bans and restrictions I can’t help but notice that right of ways and access to the countryside seems to be on the decline. Once open areas of our countryside are becoming closed off, even grassland on the perimeter of beaches are no go areas. Fences are going up and even in some extreme cases non-drying bitumen paint is put on gates. I know of one area near Neds Point where an access path to the beach, used for over a hundred years now has a six foot wall blocking access with cemented in broken glass along the top to deter (or injure) any ramblers. The large field adjoining it has also been dug up and furrowed to make access near impossible so it’s not about keeping livestock in, it’s about keeping people out. I appreciate the claim culture can install fear into landowners to block access but sometimes you think a small sign with ‘Persons walking do so at their own risk’ would suffice. 

There are ways to make areas secure (for livestock) without fences and visible signs of restrictions. I lived in a large house many moons ago where the garden had a Ha-Ha around the garden. Think of it as a moat but with no water in it and one side was at 45 degrees and grass. It’s a landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier while preserving an uninterrupted view of the landscape beyond. 

The name "ha-ha" is thought to have stemmed from the exclamations of surprise by those coming across them, as the walls were intentionally designed to be invisible, which is where the rub lies. Health and safety probably wouldn’t allow them now.

Before mechanical lawn mowers, a common way to keep large areas of grassland trimmed was to allow livestock, usually sheep, to graze the grass. A ha-ha prevented grazing animals on large estates from gaining access to the lawn and gardens adjoining the house, giving a continuous vista to create the impression that the garden and landscape were one and undivided. At least with a Ha-ha you would be given the illusion of access and freedom to roam without all of the barriers going up in the countryside.


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Staking Plants - Or Maybe Not.

There’s nothing quite like a strong summer wind to highlight the topic of staking plants.  After weeks of mild breezes and strong growth it doesn’t take much to flatten summer annuals, perennials and even some shrubs. Vegetable plants aren’t immune either. Peas, beans and event broccoli might need a bit of support.

There are ways we can grow tall summer plants without staking and I’ll come to that later. Before that let’s assume you don’t have the perfect conditions to grow tall vegetables, annuals and perennials without them falling over. Generally it’s easier to get plant supports in place when they are young and don’t really need them. This will save disturbing the plants and roots later. For example I put a bamboo cage around my broad beans as I planted the seeds as I knew the plants would need it later. There are other reasons apart from height why plants need support. Brittle stems, falling under their own weight, drooping plants can damage lawns as they cut out the light and sometimes plants get leggy from overfeeding or not enough light.

Emergency staking is usually needed though as I found out this week when my annual lavatera ( also known as three month mallow) collapsed after a few summer gusts of wind.  I was going to leave them lying over the annual pots and grass but they looked too messy so I tied them to the fence with some string. They seem happy and I can get on with cutting the grass.

Some points to consider when staking

When choosing the most suitable support, you need to match it to the vigour of the plant.

Don't tie in plants too rigidly; they should be able to move in the wind. Use soft jute in a figure of eight to avoid rubbing.

Single ring supports can be used to support stems of plans with large single blooms such oriental poppies and foxgloves.

Bushy clump-forming perennials such as aster bellflower and phlox grow well through netting or grow-through circular grid support frames.

Top-heavy plants such as herbaceous peony and dahlias are also well-suited to grow through circular grid supports or use Y-stake supports.

Pea-sticks are useful for both short front-of-the-border plants like penstemon, yarrow and flax.

Using border restrains is practical way to keep the front of the border neat and prevent flopping plants damaging the lawn.

No Staking – Maybe

There are other tactics to keep plants looking good and standing tall. Things like soil, spacing, light, water, and pruning practices not only influence a plant’s leaf and flower production but also have an impact on its overall stature. By being mindful of how these elements play a role in the plants growth and size you could have a nearly stake-free garden.  

Choose the right spot and soil for the plants. Clumping plants together like you would with broad beans and sweetcorn can be useful, but the outside of the clump will still need staking. Other plants won’t like being in such close proximity to one another and can get leggy or a fungal disease because of lack of air flow. Get to know your plants’ mature size at planting time and space them accordingly.

Check out the plants location to see if the light and shade are to their liking. You will see seedlings get very leggy on a shaded windowsill and the habit will continue to maturity if not corrected.

Don’t forget to consider one of the most overlooked conditions in the garden: wind. This invisible force can wreak havoc on perennials, leaving them as flat as a pancake. Avoid placing garden beds in the path of a wind alley.

Regular watering is important too and that goes for container grown plants. The wind will dry the plants out really quickly even if there is no sun which could lead to stress and weakening of the stems.

One of the key things for me though to keep tall plants from falling over is to give them a seasonal pruning.  Late bloomers and historically floppy plants like asters benefit from a clipping.  Snip plants back by a third to a half in early summer for a shorter and bushier habit that will have little impact on the bloom. It’s also not a bad idea to stay on top of deadheading. This practice not only encourages more blooms but also promotes bushy growth; removes heavy, spent flowers; and redirects the plant’s energy back to healthy growth rather than to seed production.

I won’t stop staking plants though as creating flamboyant bamboo structures in the garden is one of my highlights of the spring and the first real opportunity I have to reintroduce myself to the dormant garden after winter.