Strange Lithops seedling growth

[kwesiobruni]

I have been growing a lot of seeds lately and had a couple of odd seedlings. The first is L. optica rubra and one of the seedlings devided into four lobes when it got its first leaves. Is this normal and what will the plant look like later on? The second one is L. hookerii. One of the seedlings suddenly had a wierd growth come up from its base. Looks like many little lithops heads. What might cause this?

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IMG_1439.jpg (151.97 KiB) Viewed 1274 times

[Aiko]

The plant with the four leaves will probably turn into a two leaves plant next season, when current leaves have been replaced by new ones.

It is not an uncommon thing to do for a Lithops, although you would probably see three leave more often than four (or even more?).

[Edwindwianto]

Well done

I see that you use silica sand as a substrate (i do too)
But what is that big white thing partially burried in and allover the substrate (like the one below your multi-headed (?) seedling)?

[kwesiobruni]

The white thing is a thin piece of cotton. Like a cotton ball I stretched out. I experimented and started the seeds on the cotton in a sealed container and once they were growing laid the cotton on the soil and covered it in sand. It seemed to work pretty well. I did others on the sand without the cotton and so far I had better germination on the cotton but that may have just been the seeds. Don't know. I also don't know if the cotton will cause problems later on. I think it should be fine.

[Edwindwianto]

The white thing is a thin piece of cotton. Like a cotton ball I stretched out. I experimented and started the seeds on the cotton in a sealed container and once they were growing laid the cotton on the soil and covered it in sand. It seemed to work pretty well. I did others on the sand without the cotton and so far I had better germination on the cotton but that may have just been the seeds. Don't know. I also don't know if the cotton will cause problems later on. I think it should be fine.

Ah OK
Thanks for the explanation and nice to know another sowing technic

Good luck

[bbarv]

The second one is L. hookerii. One of the seedlings suddenly had a wierd growth come up from its base. Looks like many little lithops heads. What might cause this?

IMG_1439.jpg

More seedlings sprouted later on too close to that one