So cute! I wish I could find these guys in my city. I ordered seeds but it'll be so long before flowers.

Great Stuff! Just enjoy the flowers while you can.. Like minty said, it's probably the weather throwing these guys off for a second bloom..

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll double check my timer durations and may set them 30-60 minutes less based on sun times.

Here are my temperatures over the past three months for fall:

It's been unusually mild here so December temperatures have stabilized. Day/night temperature differential is about 10°C.

I will try withholding water with this particular Lithops and see if that helps. The new leaves just started growing in for the other heads (I can see them deep in the fissure).

Before only one head was with two pairs in the summer and the rest normal.

Took a closer look tonight of my L. hallii and one head is growing a third flower! It had flowered already on October 11th, 2015.

This my L. hookeri today, where the central head has a new bud growing. The remaining two heads I have yet to see if they will grow leaves or a bud next. It had flowered already on October 8th, 2015.

And a few more bonus plants which are not Lithops, but closely related and also getting ready to flower.

My F. felina has another 8 buds growing, including the 3 nearly-fully-developed with petals sticking out. It had flowered already on/since September 28th, 2015.

This A. schooneesii is growing just one more bud (bottom left). It had flowered already November 15th.

Eagerly awaiting for R. albipuncta to flower. It had one bud when I bought it and over the past few months it has grown eight more (right center the bud has several points vs. the leaf with just two). Hasn't flowered yet! Mid-winter perhaps?

I've kinda figured out you're definitely a lithops fan (: @ewwmayo Congrats(I hope) on the beautifully strange blooms! Is it bad that they are blooming again? It kind of seemed like this was concerning by reading the comments, or is it more about the leaves(didn't realize these guys have leaves), or am I way off due to my lack of knowledge? My first thought was yay, but then I became unsure if it is a good thing..Mary

Mary - I have no idea and that's why I asked! Never read anything about it before, so I was curious.

It is about the leaves as well, because normally you should water when Lithops are flowering. However, it's a bit of a conflict since new leaves are growing in at the same time (I don't want multiple pairs of leaves on mine).

I'm not really sure how other growers get all the heads synched up. Maybe over time with proper growing conditions they end up flowering much closer together/etc?

Kevin, it's definitely a great thing that your plants decided to flower again within one season. It means the plants are opportunistic and the environment is conducive enough for them to push for more blooms.

Usually for lithops/mesembs, temperature and light are the trigger cues for these plants to change its growing patterns. I can say, when growing them indoors under light, the plant might think it still isn't ready to winter yet, as compared to growing them in the wild where conditions are much harsher. I would say keep at what you are doing until the bloom dies away, then look forward to their signs of shredding old leaves then react..

The problem though is that you have them grown together in community pots, so some might not want the same treatment as the other. You gotta figure that out on itself..

Play with your paintbrushes to pollinate, who knows you might have more seeds coming your way!

Kevin, once again, I'm gonna leave with another of Mark's thread. There is a short debate between him and Norma's thoughts on dormancy and how plants can be forced to go dormant to benefit the necessary growth period or just simply be kept going.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1757317/in-need-of-new-terminology?n=20

Bernard - Good thread and much to think about. Feels like I just need a rocking chair to sit and stare/ponder the complexities of growing Lithops.

With my Gibbaeums and Cheiridopsis, I'm trying so hard to have them absorb all their old leaves but it's been a challenge. Withholding water is annoying and I can't wait until I can water them normally again.

At least those are not flowering (hopefully late winter) so it's a bit simpler.

The pots above are actually individual plants! They have a connected stem and singular root system.

Haha Kevin, lithops are definitely plants for the more self-controlled growers.. And definitely flourish with neglect at the right time..

Another link that might help.. this time this is by Ryan/Hanzrobo..

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1758465/growing-mesembs?n=2

"Otherwise, there are a handful of Mesembs that mights tolerate window/sun room conditions. I've found that many of them really need the heat and strong light to properly absorb old leaves. A plant like Mitrophyllum might do fine in low light until after summer when its leaves should have been dried up by the sun and instead are juicy, limp and too thick for the soft new leaves to break through."

I'm still not yet familiar with their habitual cycles.. but are you actually waiting for them to absorb their leaves during Winter? I thought they do that during Summer?

Oh wow! Then those are definitely very mature plants!! That's great!!

Bernard - My understanding is that they absorb their leaves during the winter. And they definitely require a lot of light to do so (otherwise it will take even longer). I would also say it's easier to get them to absorb old leaves while the new ones are growing in.

Hopefully you all don't mind me straying off on other Mesembs, because I think the behaviour is similar (and should mostly be at the same time of the year).

Here is are my Gibbaeums, which I'm trying to absorb the old leaves:

It was just 3 heads in the summer, but based on the new growth there I might end up with 7 or 8? That's just a guess though, I'll know for sure once the old leaves are totally dried up.

Although one thing threw me for a loop today, I saw a Gibbaeum with a bud at the local greenhouse! I had thought they were late winter bloomers, but I think I was wrong.

The bud is in the center, surrounded by a few pairs of beat up leaves. This particular plant had been sitting there unpurchased for at least several months.

Ended up buying it, mostly out of curiousity. I really wonder if I had kept watering that I could have had flowers too. I'm too far along the re-absorption phase to stop anyway, so I'll just have to find out what happens next. =/

Off topic: The nursery also had Gasteria glomerata beginning blooming too, which was also a surprise. I thought they were Spring bloomers too... maybe the unusual weather has all their plants confused! Gah!

Kevin

I am thinking it's the conditions you provide (judging by what you posted). You have better than average lighting, keeping temps higher, and you water and fertilize your succulents very often (-more than I would 'dare'-especially watering). It's like they are on steroids :) - pls. don't take this as criticism - Just wondering...Rina

Bit off the original topic, but I also have Gasterias blooming now..