Spring is definitely in the air and the lithops are starting to shed their outer leaves. First signs are when the centre starts to crack, like here
Somtimes, the upper layer just gets progressively thinner, like these
Until they split and begin to dehydrate
Others do it differently: the older leaves remain thick and present for far longer
It is not necessary to water lithops while they are shedding but I think that watering them lightly assists with the growth process although you have to be careful with that, sometimes they will continue producing new leaves instead of only having only one pair and the newer ones will burst through the outer ones, tearing them. Lithops dorotheae is particularly prone to doing this and luckily this pot hasn't shown any signs of new growth. I haven't watered them much at all, though.
The other sickly lithops that I was given have mostly recovered with regular watering and a systemic insecticide although I did lose 2, but I expected that. Only one is getting ready to shed so far but I think the others will follow soon
This is precisely why I didn't get any more lithops for so long. Their numbers always get out of hand. I will say that I only bought a very few of these so I am not complaining. I am a happy lithops addict, they are such pretty and undemanding plants to grow
