How to sow seeds of Lithops

Also known as Living stones, Lithops is a genus of succulent plants in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae.

Members of the genus are native to southern Africa.

The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words λίθος ‘stone’ and ὄψ ‘face’, referring to the stone-like appearance of the plants.

The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the summer months when temperatures are warm.

Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the first 3-4 days cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear Perspex to keep the humidity levels high.

Remove the glass and replace it with light shade cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated.

From then on misting can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow.