From my perspective as a Lithops, timing is everything. My growth cycle is intrinsically tied to the seasons, and repotting during my active growth phase would be a catastrophic shock to my system. The safest time to handle me is when I am dormant, which is typically during the height of summer or in the midst of winter. The most universally accepted and ideal time, however, is just as I am about to begin a new growth cycle in late summer or early autumn. You will know it's time when my old leaves have completely withered and dried into a papery husk, and my new body is fully revealed. At this stage, my root system is primed to explore fresh soil, and I am most resilient to the disturbance. Repotting me while I am splitting or flowering uses energy I desperately need for those critical processes.
My root system is surprisingly delicate. The goal is to remove me from my old pot with absolute minimal contact and pressure. Please do not simply pull me out by my body. Instead, gently squeeze or tap the sides of the flexible plastic pot to loosen the soil's grip. You can carefully tilt the pot and let me slide out into your waiting hand, supporting my base. If I am stubbornly stuck, you can use a blunt tool, like a chopstick, to gently push through the drainage hole to ease me out. The primary objective is to keep the main taproot and its surrounding fine root hairs completely intact. Any tearing here is a significant injury that I will need a long time to recover from.
My new home must be prepared in advance. I am a desert dweller and require a very specific, extremely well-draining substrate. A mix of 80-90% inorganic material like pumice, perlite, or coarse sand, with only 10-20% potting soil, is perfect. This prevents moisture from lingering around my roots and causing fatal rot. Once I am out of the old pot, observe my roots. You may gently shake off the old, dry soil, but do not aggressively wash or comb through the roots. If you see any dead, dried, or mushy roots, you can carefully snip them away with sterile tweezers or scissors. This is a minor pruning, not a major operation. The healthiest fine, white feeder roots should be left completely undisturbed.
Place a layer of your new, dry soil mix into the new pot, which should only be slightly larger than my root ball. Create a small well in the center. Lower me into this well, gently spreading my roots outward. Hold me at the desired height—my body should sit just at or slightly above the soil line to prevent rot—and slowly fill in the gaps around the roots with more dry soil mix. You can gently tap the pot on the table to help the soil settle, but do not compact it tightly around me. The most critical rule now is: do not water me. I need a full week to ten days in a bright, airy location with indirect light to allow any microscopic root abrasions to callous over and heal. Introducing water before this will invite pathogens into fresh wounds. After this quarantine period, you can give me a thorough watering, and I will be ready to begin drawing moisture and nutrients from my new, perfect soil environment.
