Julii ‘Peppermint Creme’ – Day 54

Hi Guys,

Not a lot happening with the ‘Peppermint Cremes’.  They look pretty much exactly the same as they did at day 47.

Step-by-Step

Light:  These guys are spending approximately 12 hours a day under their LED light.  They are not getting any natural light at all.

Water:  I continue to give them a good soak once a week. I have reduced misting to once a day.

Food:  Lithops are used to living in very poor soil conditions and don’t need much in terms of fertilizers.  That said, I do include a few drops (really…only three) of a balanced plant fertilizer in their soaking water once a week.  The soak takes place in the kitchen sink so this is a very very very small amount of fertilizer that probably doesn’t do any good or harm but for some reason, makes me feel like I am caring for them better

Temperature:  The nights are getting cold here and I worry about how far behind these little guys seem.  The days are still very warm.

 

Julii ‘Peppermint Creme’ – Day 47

I think you guys are going to be impressed!  Look at how fat our little seedlings got!!!

 

Julii ‘Peppermint Creme’ – Day 40

The seedlings are fattening up!  That didn’t take long at all.  I see some nice fat ones in the pot now 😀

Step-by-Step

Light.  This week, I bought a plant light.  The seedlings are under the light for approximately 12 hours a day.  I have already seen a BIG improvement in their condition.  So, my advise, if you don’t have access to extended hours of bright natural sunlight, buy a light.

This is the one I purchased.  Plant Light

Next year, I propose we start two pots of seeds.  One will use natural light and the other will use the plant light.  All other variables will be the same.  Then we will know if the light doing the trick!  Actually, we could have more pots and text out different kinds of lights!  This is my first time using LED.

Water.  I am still misting the seedlings three times a day.  Once a week, I have resting the pot in a sink of room temperature water until I can just start to see the water being pulled to the top of the substrate.  I do this so the seedlings will grow deep tap roots.  As the water recedes and starts to dry (always from the top down) the seedlings will be encouraged to put out longer roots as they search for the last remaining moisture.  The misting will keep them hydrated through the skin and shallow roots while they work hard to become established.

 

New Plant Light!

The new plant light has arrived!  Hopefully this helps turn our little lithops around 🙂

 

Julii ‘Peppermint Creme’ – Day 33

The seedlings are now 33 days old!  I have counted 61 seedlings in total.  Not bad at all!

As you can see, the seedlings are still too tall and spindly.  They are growing, which is good, but not in the way I’d like, which is bad.

For comparison, these are seedlings of about the same age that I grew a couple years ago.  There is big difference!  These ones were grown under lights.

Lithops don’t start looking like Lithops until they are about 5 months old, but I certainly think our new seedlings should be further along then they are.  My new LED light is currently at the Post Office and I won’t be able to pick it up until Thursday.  In the interim, I think I will put our peppermint cremes under some fluorescents.