The flower "living stones", or lithops, is a decorative original plant, in its shape and color little resembling a plant. It was discovered by the English biologist Burchell, who once in the African desert Big Carro stumbled upon a pile of pebbles. Crouching to rest beside her, he was amazed: in front of him were “living” stones - flowers, the photo of which is no different from small samples of this rock.
The researcher subsequently accurately described and even placed a sketch of this amazing plant, whose homeland is the central region of South Africa.
Lithops, or the flower "living stones" - these are two fused fleshy leaves separated by a cleft. The color of these small-sized succulents is very diverse. The upper part of the leaves of light brown or purple color is covered with spots - a kind of small windows. It is through them that the plant, most often covered with sand, absorbs light. During drought, the old leaves dry out, but after the rain new leaves grow in their place.
The flower "living stones" blooms from the age of three. This usually happens from August to October. A very white or yellow flower, similar to a daisy, emerges from the crevice between the leaves, opening only in the middle of the day.
As a rule, lithops planted in a flat pot form entire “stone” thickets. Some people prefer to combine them in one container with other succulents, collecting from them a kind of kindergarten.
The flower "living stones" need to be planted, closing to the "neck" of the earth. The drainage in the pot should be up to two centimeters high. The soil for this plant is prepared from equal parts of standard soil and coarse sand, and on top of the substrate is covered with pebbles or pebbles.
Lithops are transplanted only in spring when leaves appear. The lateral root part, which is quickly restored, needs to be removed.
Excess water in the pot can be fatal to this plant, although it loves humidity in the air. Therefore, it is useful to spray it, but at the same time you need to make sure that the drops do not remain on the leaves.
As soon as the flower "living stones" releases the bud, watering must be drastically reduced. Until the fall, moisture in the pot should be very rare, until the soil has completely dried. And during the wintering period, watering must be completely stopped.
Lithops propagates only by seeds, which must be soaked for six hours before sowing, and after being placed in the ground, cover with glass, while spraying and ventilating daily. Under normal temperature conditions (from twenty to twenty-five degrees Celsius), the seedlings will hatch already on the seventh day.
"Living stone" is a flower, the care of which is quite simple. The only factors from which it can die are an excess of moisture in the soil and a worm that infects it during the wintering period. Therefore, many plant growers from early spring, when the plant begins to grow, treat it with protective compounds. In the fight against this pest, yarrow steamed with boiling water helps a lot, which must be sprayed with lithops within a month. From the worm also helps gruel made from soap, water and garlic, which from time to time is useful to wipe the leaves.
It is believed that the flower "living stones" creates warmth and comfort in the house, brings people together, and also favorably affects the metabolism in the body.