Succulent butts are the Lithops plants that are part of the succulent family.
Lithops are also known as pebble plants or living stones, and they have garnered all of these unique names because of their unique shape, which resembles small rocks or even a butt in most cases!
Lithops are incredibly small plants and usually don’t grow taller than one inch.
They are excellent for enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your garden, and you can plant as many as you want in your garden at any time.
The thing about lithops, just like many other succulents and cacti, is that they are incredibly easy to care for.
You don’t have to perform a lot of maintenance and consistently poke or water the plants to ensure that they grow to their maximum potential.
You simply let the plant be for weeks on end, and you will notice that it is still likely thriving.
They look incredibly unique and special as they grow in little clusters around your garden.
People often grow a vast variety of succulent butts in their rock gardens and specialized succulent gardens to enhance their appeal.
Of course, even though these plants don’t need a lot of care and poking to grow to their fullest potential, there are some things you need to take special care of to ensure that the plant thrives.
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How To Care for Butt Plants?
You need to let butt plants be, yes, but that does not mean you neglect them or perform routine maintenance on them without thinking.
Common care issues that can spring up in lithops include the plant having a wrinkled appearance or even being split in the middle.
If you notice these or any other issues in your succulent butts, you might need to figure out what you are doing wrong in terms of care.
Here are some of the things you should pay special attention to in terms of succulent butt care:
Light
The most important thing for a succulent butt plant is the lighting.
These plants are native to very bright and sunny regions and have, therefore, adopted themselves to thrive in direct, bright light.
Naturally, you should also make it a point to give these plants as much direct light exposure as possible.
In fact, succulent butts need at least 3-5 hours of bright, direct light a day.
Even after that, they should receive plenty of indirect light during the day.
Inadequate light will prevent the plant from thriving, and you might also see some discoloration issues.
In fact, the plant might split and even die in cases where it barely receives any light at all.
Even though the plant requires a lot of light, you should remember that it does not do well in very extreme conditions.
Exposure to very hot and dry climates with direct sunlight can also scorch the plant and prevent it from imparting its aesthetic appeal.
Water
Lithops are very small plants, and on top of that, they are also succulents. So, they naturally require much less water than plants normally do.
You need to soak the container of the lithops plant about once every two weeks or so.
Another good tip to know when you should water your succulent butt depends on when the soil of the plant dries out.
Sometimes you will also see the plant getting wrinkly and losing its vigor.
Unless you are overwatering the plant, this is usually a good time to know that the plant requires some water.
Remember that lithops, like most other succulent plants, are very susceptible to being overwatered if you are not considerate to the plant.
So, make sure that you are not watering the plant more than necessary.
Otherwise, the plant will begin to rot from within the roots and might even die out soon.
Temperature
Lithops are plants that are native to warm temperatures. This can also be seen in how much the plant loves the sun as well.
They can tolerate around 100 degrees as well and welcome moderately warm temperatures too.
The best temperatures for a succulent butt plant lie between 65-80 degrees.
However, the plant does not do well in cold temperatures and climates and can, therefore, not grow in areas where the temperature falls below 50 degrees.
In fact, exposure to very cool temperatures can also kill the succulent butt plant.
However, you should remember that the lithops plant can easily get scorched as well.
If you leave the plant out in too much sun and very high temperatures like 100 degrees for a few days on end, the leaves might get scorched, and the plant might even die.
So you should try to rotate the plant as often as you can when you are experiencing very high temperatures.
You can even spray the leaves with the mist of cool water to lower their temperature and prevent the plant from burning as well.
Pots
The pot you use for a succulent butt plant is also extremely important for the well-being of the plant.
Even though the plant itself rarely ever grows to be taller than an inch, it has surprisingly long and deep roots.
So you will need a relatively deep container for planting your succulent butt plant as well since it will not be able to thrive and grow properly in a shallow container.
In a shallow container, you will often see the roots of the plant jut out as well. In these cases, the plant will need to be repotted in a deeper container.
Keep Away from Pests and Predators
If you notice pest attacks on the lithops, you need to clear the plant out immediately.
Signs of pest attacks include white secretions on the plant, bugs on the plant, and small pieces of the plant being bitten off.
To get rid of these pests, you can use a commercial insecticide or make your own insecticide at home with vinegar and water.
Other than that, if you have mice in your garden or if your pets frequently play in your garden, they can try eating your lithops plant as well.
The plant is non-toxic and does not harm other animals. However, other animals can definitely harm it! So make sure you keep the plant away from mice and your pets.
You can also set mouse traps around the plant if it is in danger of being harmed by a mouse.
Let Them Be
Remember that the lithops plant in your garden is there to enhance the natural beauty of the garden, but it does not require you to constantly hover over it.
You need to let the lithops plant be and admire it from a distance.
The best way to let this plant thrive is to just let it exist in your garden.
You need to set the optimal conditions for its growth just the first time you bring it into your garden.
After that, you will only need to water it once in two or three weeks to maintain it and let it grow.
Remember that the succulent butt is a very slow-growing plant, even if it is very small.
So it would help if you were not alarmed when you have propagated it, and it takes time to grow.
If you are doing everything right, you will have a cute little stone plant in your garden eventually.
Repotting Succulent Butts
Since the succulent butt is a very low-maintenance plant, it will usually not require repotting frequently.
However, there are a few special conditions that the plant faces under which repotting of the plant becomes necessary.
This includes jutting out of the roots from a shallow container, pest attacks, rot, and many other similar issues.
Make sure you choose a relatively deep and wide pot for the lithops plant to support its vast system of roots.
If the problem with the previous container was exposed roots, you should ideally look for a larger pot than you had before.
Make sure that the pot has a good system for drainage. Using coarse soil or pebbles on the topsoil will also help with drainage.
This will prevent the plant from being overwatered as well.
To report the succulent butt plant, you need to remove the plant carefully from its old pot and discard all the dirt from the old pot.
Hold the succulent butt in the new plant the way you want it to be planted and fill it with the new soil. You can ask for someone to help you here as well.
Gently tap the new pot to eliminate air bubbles and lock the soil in place.
Conclusion
Succulent butt plants are also known as stone plants because of their stony, butt-like appearance.
They are a unique addition to any garden and if you live in a suitable climate, growing and caring for these plants is a complete breeze.
You need to actively care for very few things, and the plant takes care of the rest on its own! So get your hands on a succulent butt now and increase the appeal of your garden.
