How to Save Overwatered Lithops (Step by Step)

It is not a matter of surprise. Overdoing anything doesn’t end up well. Concerning irrigation of plants, it may be a dead plant. Overwatering drowns the plant in basic terms.

Healthy soil makes oxygen available between dirt particles. There are not enough air pockets if there is too much water or the ground is continuously muddy. It contributes to a small supply of oxygen, and plants cannot breathe.

With Lithops, you must be patient. Just 3 or 4 times a year will be needed for watering. For some, during their growing seasons, they can be watered every few weeks.

But if you have poured some extra water, there may be still some to save them. If you notice your plant has been receiving too much water, don’t panic.

This article has arranged some solutions (step by step) to prevent and save overwatered Lithops.

Can you save it?

When you notice the overwatering symptoms (you will know soon enough), the first question may come, or we can say, can you save it? 

Well, of course, YES!!

No guarantee is ever provided that your plant will recover from overwatering. You will be able to see results in a week or so if your plant survives. At this stage, the plant can be transferred back to its original position and watered again as usual.

Remove all the soil from the muddy. Cut any soft, soggy, and unwieldy roots off. Let your plant settle naked and dry overnight — just a few inches or two more expansive than the root ball bring the plant into a small jar.

You can save your overwatered plants by drying the roots until it is too late.

• Watering Lithops

This part is essential because this is where owners make mistakes. Lithops don’t follow the same rules as most other plants. They have a very distinct seasonal cycle that determines watering schedules. We are giving you this information because it will help you to prevent overwatering from next time.

If you follow these watering guidelines, your Lithops should live a full life extending to 40-50 years. Be aware that for some Lithops, watering may only be necessary 3 or 4 times a year.

• During Winter

In this season, it’s safer not to water. The new pair of leaves draw water from the old leaves during winter. Over time they tend to shrink, and the new team is continually expanding. If your water, the old leaves want to drink it, confusing the plant’s growth and destroying both sets of leaves.

Leave your Lithops in this season untouched. Often ensure that temperatures below 55°C are not exposed to them. They are mainly made of water, and in cold climates, they may not survive.

• During Spring

When the older leaves shrink into paper-like husks, they can be removed and watered again. Water gently stimulates the new bud, then gradually increases to maximum watering if necessary.

Pour water in the soil until the ground drinks and water drains out of the ground. Don’t water in any doubt until you see that your leaves reveal visible rubbish.

Before irreversible harm arrives at your plant, you will still have time to fix any thirst issues. Water in the morning, if possible. During the day, water will evaporate, and the root is kept with less harmful moisture.

• During Summer

Don’t water in summer, like winter. In the summer, they are sleeping, and they could be killed by water. You are expecting no humidity or rain in this season.

Watering can make them mushy and gross. Only if you are highly wrinkled make an exception. Perhaps you will be able to water very little water and plump it up once more within a week.

• During Autumn

Lithops return to development in early autumn. The first indication is always a bud, which forces it to get out of the leaves. This shoot is transformed into a flora, and around this time, you can also see the beginnings.

Start the growing process by watering the plant entirely at the start of the season. If required, proceed to water. Note never to water a succulent if the last time the soil is still moist.

Symptoms and Solution for Over-watered Lithops

Lithops are such a unique and beautiful plant and so worth having in your home once you learn the tips to help them thrive. You can look for these symptoms in your Lithops mentioned below. If they are present in your Lithops, then you must follow the tips to save them. 

Symptoms

• No roots: This is true of Cacti that get too much water and don’t mean game over instantly.  The origins of lithops are very delicate and can dissolve if they stay too long in the water. When you look at that, it’s time to repot your lithops in a better drainage jar. 
• Split lip: The water overload does not have much to do so that the leaf is free to adjustment. It looks like a shredded cut on your plate of lithops. Your Lithops will force new leaves of the root system at this stage. These leaves replace the leaves that wilt and will die when the fresh leaves join.

The new allowances absorb old leaves nutrients as they expand. When fresh leaves have come in, old leaves will be shrivelled and die.

• Being Mushy: Strong lithops seem powerful and firm. The first sign your Lithops gets much too much water is yellow, muzzled leaves.

You can also say if the cause is the overwatering of your yellow, mushy sheets. You overwater when the leaves feel bloated or mush between your fingertips.

• Rotten Root: It means that your plant has grown infected roots when you uncover your Lithops and find that their roots have turned dark brown or black. In this way, you must handle it right away, or your plant will die.

If the red reaches out into stems and leaves, they get pale and yellow. The leaves of your succulents are mushy over time. Possibly because of overwatering, if the lower leaves turn pale.

However, it possibly suggests a lack of nutrients if the top leaves turn yellow.

Solutions 

1. No roots solution: Lithops roots are delicate. They need plenty of space to grow. Choose a pot that has enough space to spread and expand the bases. To avoid potential soil problems, use a cactus potting soil with lots of light rock combination and some sufficient ground.
2. Split lip solution: Since divisions come from so much water, it would be a good idea in either case not to water for a while. When a leaf is randomly divided, do not water until it recovers. It’s not going to look so hot.
3. A solution for Being Mushy: You will suffer if you don’t give your Lithops time to dry up between watering your leaves. Sunlight is ample for lithops; direct illumination is ideal for 5 or 6 hours of sun—a window facing south is acceptable. Turn the pot every few days for a fifth, to maintain consistent growth.
4. Solution Rotten Root: Before your plant dies, it depends entirely on how you assess and begins handling the rotting roots. First of all, it is a possible solution to dry your greens. This technique, however, does not always work. Only if the rot did not spread into the tongue is successful. Leave the air dry for a few days with your delicate plant.

Saving An Overwatered Lithops Step by Step

Above we have provided all the primary necessary steps which will be of great help. Let’s have them in one place in a  more compact way. You may want them this way to understand the steps more comfortably.

• Stop watering

Take breaks when you think your Lithops is overwatered. Others will continue to escalate the problem. Don’t add additional water to the pot until the roots and the soil are healthy. It might take many days, so don’t worry if the watering gap is high.

• Loosen the plant and soil.

Tap the side of the pot softly using your hand or a small shovel. Do this on multiple sides to loosen the soil and roots many times. It can produce airbags to dry your seeds. Also, it is easier to extract the plant from the container by tapping the pot’s sides.

• Speed up drying

Although your plant does not have to be removed from the container, it is best to go ahead and do it. This makes your plant dry up more quickly and encourages you to re-plant in a better drainage tank.

You are using one hand to raise the plant base just above the ground to extract it quickly. Then turn over the plant slowly and shake the pot with your other hand until the root ball is gone. You should keep the plant in your hand upside down.

• Prune away rotten roots

Whisk brown roots with scissors or shears. Good sources are white and firm, and red roots are soft and black or brown. To reduce as many decaying roots as possible with pruning shears or scissors, saving the healthy seeds.

Maybe you can’t save the plant if most or all of the root looks red. However, you may try to reduce it to the base of the root and then replant it.

• Use a pot with drainage holes.

Use a pot with tiny troughs on the bottom so that the plant can drain excess water. This stops the water from collapsing and rotting around the root ball.

Get a tray under your pot that you can place if you don’t have one. The tray collects excess water so that the surface of your pool is not spotted. A tray is attached to specific pans. If this is the case with your pot, check the drainage troughs within the bank, as you can’t remove it.

• Use mulch at the bottom.

This is optional. In future, it will help you to stop overwatering. Place the mulch at the bottom of the pot clearly and measure around 1 to 2 in layer (2.5 cm – 5.1 cm). Let the muzzle loose rather than wrap it. The mulch lets the water drain out of the pot more efficiently so that your roots do not sink.

• Water when the soil feels dry. 

Once the plant has been repotted, place water on the soil to moisture it. Recheck the ground before you water the plant to ensure that the soil is dry and have water to require.

When the plant is watered, spill the water over the soil directly to the roots. It’s best to water your plant in the morning to help dry the light from the sun.

Some Important FAQs

This questions and answer will help you to to understand the discussion better. It will also help to solve any confusion you have related an un-related to the topic. 

• How deep do Lithops roots go?

Compared with the plant, the roots are up to 6 inches wide, so a deep pot is required. Older examples of some species are associated with more than one pair of the leaves, and they emerge in a cluster of crowds.

• Can you save it from root rot?

You must decide whether the plant can be stored when root rot is detected. If the whole root system is mushy already, the plant will be rescued too late. However, if there are some healthy white, firm roots, try to restore the plant to good health by replanting with good drainage in fresh soil.

• How to determine rot roots?

Take the plant off the ground and feel the roots. The roots that are affected by root rot are black and mushy. After you touch the affected hearts, the plant will fall off. Good roots can be black or pale, but strong and folding.

• Can you reuse soil that has root rot?

The soil infected by root rot fungus will first be sterilised and then reused. Sterilised soil may be combined with water and exposed to boiling water temperature.

• Do Lithops die after flowering?

Every year, lithops grow new leaves. They have only a couple of leaves, so the old leaves die for the new. Typically, after the flowering period, fresh leaves are cultivated. Lithops will dormant for a while after the flowers to prepare themselves for the new growth.

Final Words

Lithops in dish gardens are simple to grow, unique and look fantastic. Most plant pests are immune. Step by step, raise the quantity of water, too many good drinking times in mid-spring. Make sure the soil is dry between irrigation.

Reduce irrigation as the sun approaches and long summer days, helping plants to prepare for sleep. Watering at the most once or twice a month is the practice even in the droughtiest climate. We know you can keep the plant alive if you can value the fact about this plant and give it ample bright light.