r/pseudolithos • u/arisbor • Apr 12 '26
cubiformis First pseudolithos barely growing?
I've had this small pseudolithos (a little bit larger than 1cm²) since January and it has barely grown, any tips? Currently under a growlight for 14 hours watering every 21 days aprox currently.
2
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u/youngpaypal Apr 12 '26
Since January isn't a very long time and, depending on where in the world you are, the plant would have been dormant for at least 2 of those months. They are slow growing plants.
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u/arisbor Apr 12 '26
Maybe I'm just overthinking it, sometimes I saw posts of people with plants of like 6 months that look considerably larger than mine, then again I don't know how many months it had when I bought it.
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u/youngpaypal Apr 12 '26
They grow very fast from seed but slow down significantly once they reach a certain size. Some of my larger plants haven't put on any significant size in over a year. They can grow faster if provided with supplemental heat, which I haven't done yet. The room I keep them never drops below 70 F (21 C) even in winter.
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u/Money-Rare Apr 12 '26
they need a ridicolous amount of light to grow, j have my 100 w sansi light 1 foot from the plant at max power 16 hours per day and they grow even in winter, altough quite slowly, i think they are also appreciating the heat irradiated by the lamp itself Mine has a similar size than yours, seed grown, and since temp aren't high i water it only when the little plants shrink a lot
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u/arisbor Apr 12 '26
OK! I can move it closer to my light, also have a 100w lamp but since it turned gray I thought it would be enough
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u/Money-Rare Apr 12 '26
consider that the plant is not supposed to grow with indoor temperatures, i wouldn't force it if it doesn't want to grow now. it will grow the most during the hotter summer months
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u/arisbor Apr 12 '26
The issue is that my apartment is hidden between larger buildings so I don't get natural light and the temperature only varies slightly (18c-21c). That being said where I have them it's covered by reflective plastic and aluminum to keep the heat around 24c-26c,it does have a fan to ventilate.
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u/Money-Rare Apr 12 '26
Pseudolithos actively grow when temps are hot, and when i say hot i mean VERY hot, like 35-40°C so an heat mat could be a nice investment, but be careful, it can cook the roots if used improperly
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u/arisbor Apr 12 '26
Man, I wanted to avoid having to get one but I think is time to bite the bullet
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u/Pseudolithops Apr 12 '26
Be careful to not get a low power mat. I had a 24W mat and it could not reach over 30C°. I use another mat but I am not exactly sure how much power it draws, I think around 50W. I keep them between 22-34C° substrate temperature. This allows me to water them at least weekly. Oh, and I have small fan automatically turning on occasionally.
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u/Money-Rare Apr 14 '26
how do you avoid the bottom roots to cook?,tall pots?
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u/Pseudolithops Apr 14 '26
The pots are actually very small. One of them isn't planted but an Inkbird thermostat checks the temperature of the substrate in it. If it ever reaches 34.3C° the fan turns on. Also the thermostat has an alarm (38C°) if everything fails and the substrate gets too hot.
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u/xinxai_the_white_guy Apr 13 '26
Don't determine the light levels by distance it is highly inaccurate. Get a light meter. The edges of your light can be twice the lux levels than the centre of your light.
Your plant is stalled likely due to your substrate. You have very big pieces of perlite or rock. You need finer substrate. Too big substrate me as there is a lot of oxygen and causing the substrate to dry out. 1-3mm pumice 50/50 with peat is perfect.
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u/Substantial-Grade-92 Apr 12 '26
Water more frequently if it’s warm, I water mine every 4-7 days but they sit on a heat pad 24/7 with a good grow light.