Growing Living Stones at 63rd Parallel North

the temperature is + 23 °C and the grow lights are on for 12 hours. i bottom water all of the containers properly and open the conophytum container. it has finally reached 50 % germination rate (5 seedlings).

my vacation is over and it's time to check the results of the experience. the temperature is + 23 °C and the growlights are still on for 12 hours. i open the monilaria container and leave it so. i also open the lithops and the argyroderma containers and leave them open because most of the lithops seeds have germinated but some argyroderma have been decimated... all of the 22 of the monilaria are still alive and only one of them is still not splitting. 9 of the argyroderma are still alive, 1 is clearly dead and about 1/3 of them look like they've "burned". i water the argyroderma lightly. 15 of the lithops seeds have germinated and 4 of the conophytum seeds. at one point during the autumn i adjusted my grow lights and moved them on a higher stand (cardboard box) because more and more of the plants were showing light stress (reddish tint). however i didn't write down when i decided to adjust the lights.

en vacances!

the temperature is + 24 °C and the growlights are now on full 12 hours. all of my living stones are under a lid/cling film. no time for maintenance as the time to leave for my vacation is approaching.

the temperature is + 23 °C and the growlights are now on between 7 am to 7 pm, 12 hours. i am watering all the pots because the first test is coming. i am away from my "babies" for a long weekend and it makes me nervous. everywhere i read that the seedlings need a good airflow so they don't die of fungal diseases but on the other hand there's no way i can keep their moisture up when i am away without lightly sealing the pots. so first i water them all. monilaria pot is quite dry with a lot of algae, on the other hand the conophytum pot is quite moist and the lithops and the argyroderma are something in between. then i cover the monilaria pot in cling film lightly, the rest i reseal with their lids. 22 of the monilaria seeds have sprouted and i can already see nice bunny ears, 11 argyroderma have sprouted, 11 of the lithops and 3 of the conophytum.