Thank you so much for watching and commenting... I Use Kaizen Bonsai for my Lava, Pumice, Kyodama & small grade clay Pebbles. I source the reptile Fir Bark, VitaLink large clay Pebbles, Jondo flint hen grit, (Silver Sand is just my preference), coarse Vermiculite (brand I Use is 'Habistat') ... All from different Ebay sellers. I Use 'Pets at Home' and 'Wilko' interchangeably for the bird grit and get my charcoal from either Pets at Home (in the bird aisle) and my recent batch was off an ebay seller. (the charcoal is just an extra I like adding... You need only a sprinkle and it needs adding regularly so I replenish it at Repotting or sprinkle onto the top dressing across the season) . The fine grade Pink Moler Clay is a huge bulk sack designed for spillages... You can watch my short video about it which is in my playlist 'SUBSTRATES' in case you were interested in that product (also there's a large grade Moler Clay which you can get but I don't have that size yet). Coco Coir is easy to source but I use the 'Coco grow' brand off an ebay seller or I use those brick ones from the pound land store when they have them in stock 😆 If there's any specific details you need about any products then let me know. 😆 🌵🌸🌵🌸🌵😊
This is a very good detailed video. Phew, so many choices for substrates! The only thing I do differently is that I use a top dressing that “does not breath” like gravel. It is because I have a very dry air here and I also use terra cotta pots. Top dressing for me is to actually help retain some moisture in the soil. I use the “breathable” top dressing only for plastic pots or glazed pots. I’ll sure be re-watching this video to remember everything that you said. 😉
Thank you for your great comment 🤗 It's so funny... it's a must for your plants in the desert region to retain more water when growing in restricted spaces and pots and you need to keep in more moisture... In in the UK we are trying to achieve the opposite... Less moisture and a faster drying mix 🤣 Many times you address this in your videos which is great, because some growers don't realise we have to adapt growing conditions based on our climate and a soil or substrate that seems wrong is not wrong when we are growing plants in the confines of pots which means adaptions to soil and water and top dressings, need to be made 😁
BRILLIANT video Claire :-D this video is so helpful and amazingly detailed and the BEST detailed and helpful video I have ever seen for Substrates for Lithops, thanks so much for sharing this really wonderful video, and going to watch Part Two now :-D sending you tons of love and happiness and PLANT POWER from Hans and me from across the Sea XXXX
Thank you Lyn for watching and for your lovely words 👍🏻🌵🤗 I know you know your stuff! 😆 Well I hope it helps beginner's branch out into using new things if they haven't already... There's so many more to explore, perhaps I need more choice now 😆🤗 have a great evening Lyn & Hans, and take care
Thank you so much for watching and for your informative comment, it is much appreciated, and to know this video has been of help to you, happy growing Rebecca! 👍🏻🌵🪴😁
Awesome video Claire, very detailed and informative. This will certainly help me should I decide to give Lithops another go this year. Off to watch the other part now 😁 Thank you for sharing with us, from Edith & myself, have a wonderful day 🌵🏜🌺🌼🌸🏜
I have only ever used perlite when i was very new to houseplants. After a couple of months, i stopped using it and replaced it with pumice especially when i transitioned to cacti and succulents. I’m gonna get some Lithops the next time i go to a nursery. 🥳 Thanks, Claire. 🥰 Hopefully the confidence i mustered from your videos will help me through. 😂
Thank you so much Daz for your great comment, and for watching 😀 Lithops will be a breeze for you now, I'm sure there are Lithops out there dreaming and waiting for you to buy them so they can be part of your plant family! 😆 🌵👍🏻🌵🤩
@@edithcoliagrandis Yes it's funny, I only used Perlite when I started growing Bonsai trees, actually, going off subject... over 20 years ago... I only used books for information on Bonsai growing etc and didn't use Internet much! ... I couldn't afford all the fancy Substrates so I used the basics at first. Perlite is a great starting point, if only it didn't float or change colour! 😆 I dont think it would have been as credible a video, unless my dusty bag of Perlite got a mention 😂 and still add it for seed sowing to try and use it up. It's crazy how many Substrates I had and I still think I might need more choice 🤣 Thanks Edith so much for watching and take care 🤗☀️🌵🌸☀️🌵☀️ I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CHOICE OF LITHOPS AND MAYBE YOU CAN DO A VIDEO FOR Daz TO UPLOAD maybe as part of his video when he gets some Lithops he could add your footage, that would be lovely!
Fabulous review about substrates for lithops, Claire! I have been buying lithops this winter (I'm new at lithops cultivation) and I need to repot them so this is going to be very useful. Thank you for sharing 💕.
Wow, this is a very helpful video, thanks. I keep seeing a product called "composted fine bark' by Melcourt in some garden centres. Do you think it would be suitable replacement?
I think Melcourt is a very professional quality brand. I personally think using the composted fine bark would be okay, but just use a smaller amount. I'm not sure if it's been pretreated or sterilised, so unless so, if it was me I would sterilise it before use. So if you're using a microwave for instance, you thoroughly wet a small batch into a microwave safe tub/bowl and put it in for 2 or 3 minutes at a time and stir, once it looks very hot and steaming it should be okay. The PH level seems to be okay for this type of product and it will hold onto any fertilisers you add very well.
Hi. Thank you for this very in depth videi. I have just purchased my first lithops and need to repot. To simplify things, for us novices lol is there maybe one or two ingredients we could use for potting that would keep our plans happy. Most of the ingredients come in bags which are far to big for our needs. I'm very excited if not a little nervous about this repotting. 😀😀
Yes you can use a couple of things easy to get hold of: lots of grit or gravel stones , try not to have the sizes too big (these are for loads of drainage) Also add something to the plant pot that will hold onto water that will dry out fast over 2 or 3 days... Like a tiny amount of coco coir which you can buy in those tiny 'plug' sizes if you really only want to use a very small amount of substrate without buying a huge sack. The coco coir is only there for minimal water retention. So for an example: 80% STONES/GRAVEL + 20% COCO COIR shows you how much drainage Lithops need. If you don't want to buy anything... Last option is dig out some stones from the garden all about say gravel size, soak them in boiling hot kettle water to sterilise before using. I have also seen for sale on Ebay little small packets of stones or soil Mixes for people who want to pot up a couple of plants but don't want a huge amount, if you use Ebay that's a good place to look. Also PURE PLANT UK a website I recently bought from sells little packets of mineral substrate which Is great like the ingredients I use. If you get really stuck I would be happy to send you some of my substrates to you via post. 😊🌵👍🏻
Great video! Are the substrate ingredients easy for you to get in your area? I noticed a lot of UKers have relatively easy access to things like molar clay and all sorts of types of gravel. It's hard to find even pumice here, there was only one nursery that had the really small bits for plants. Right now I'm using top soil amended with pearlite and the pumice as that's the best I can do. The pre-made cactus soils here are pretty bad. It's mostly peat and water tends to pool on top 😟.
Hello Yes all the Substrates I showed in video are easy to get hold of in the UK. I buy in actual shops or online store sellers and also ebay sellers. 😊🌵
I have a similar mix, consisting of quartz(I think? it is a coloration of white, black, white) coarse sand(individual coarse sand measure from 2mm-4mm), scoria, pumiced, fine horticultural grit, and garden soil. Very gritty mix, I really want to get my hands on MVP turface so badly.
That mix sounds great even without the MVP Turface. Yes... the MVP Turface will be a fantastic product to use! 😉 Perfect component and excellent properties, thank you so much for watching and for your great comment 😁🙏🌵
You could try but I wouldn't use too much because it might hold onto too much moisture. As long as you incorporate lots of well draining gravels or stones etc, it will help to dry out quicker on between watering.
Hello, Lithops don't need any fertiliser. But if you wanted to fertilise them, I would highly recommend not to do it more than once a year, and it is best to use a fertiliser suitable that would be used on cactus and succulents, definitely one that has as lowest Nitrogen that you can find. I do not fertiliser my Lithops at all, but I hope the information I've provided helps. Lithops will grow far too quickly with weak growth and could go mushy when given too much fertiliser. Thanks for watching.
