"Living stones" - flowers that can surprise

Once an English scientist-nerd Burchell, traveling in Africa, made a halt next to the pebbles. Imagine his surprise when he looked closely, he realized that these are plants that repeat the shape of the stones surrounding them. So in 1811 were discovered "living stones" - the flowers of lithops turbineforms. Now we know more than 60 species and subspecies of these amazing plants. And they are becoming more popular among amateur growers.

How to look "living stones" - flowers

Imagine the similarity of these unique inhabitants of the arid regions of our planet with fragments of rocks, pebbles and stones so great that sometimes even natural scientists do not immediately recognize them! Yes, people, animals that feed on lithopses, can not always find these "mimicry champions".

Externally, there are two thick fused sheets, between which there is a more or less deep crevice. It is in it after a while there is a white, yellow or pink flower, like a daisy. It opens in the afternoon and closes in the evening. The size of a flower can exceed the leaves.

Water can kill a "living stone"

This flower lives in extremely arid regions of South Africa, where the annual precipitation is only 200 mm, so your pets can not stand water on the leaves. And water them must be very carefully, preferably in a pallet, pouring off a couple of hours of excess water, so as not to cause rotting roots. And only in the spring, in the summer and in the autumn (to November), making sure that the soil between the watering has dried out properly. In winter, the lithops are left without water! Signal to the fact that it's time to start again carefully watering, new leaves will appear.

" Living stones" - flowers that love the sun (but not scorching), fresh air and are not afraid of drafts. They can decorate the balcony, but protect the plants from the rain!

Choosing a pot and soil

After buying a "pebble" it is necessary to transplant. Lithops have a rod-like root, deeply retracting into the soil. But putting them in a deep pot is not necessary. These amazing plants do not feel bad in low (but not very small), wide, preferably ceramic (for better evaporation of excess moisture), pots.

At the bottom lay the drainage in the form of broken bricks or expanded clay. And the ground for planting is mixed with sand and clay. The best substratum for a lithoplast transplantation is considered to be a mixture of clayey-sod and leafy earth, coarse-grained sand and broken bricks in the ratio: 1/1/2/1.

Transfer

Since " living stones" are flowers that do not like solitude, it is better to plant them in groups, sprinkling the space between them with small pebbles and pebbles.

You can not water the flowers before transplanting, so the wounds on the roots applied during the planting will be better. It is necessary to remove the roots of the lithopsy very carefully from the ground, piercing the toothpick with an earthen lump, so that it loosens and falls off the root itself. So that the root neck does not rot, it is not buried in the ground, but covered with stones.

Soon, "flower-stone" - a living and very unusual inhabitant of your apartment - will become a favorite for the whole family, surprising with beauty and ability to mimicry.