Hello! I bought these little guys about a week ago and have since replanted them in cactus soil with perlite, pebbles, and charcoal. They sit outside in direct sunlight from 9 AM until about 3 PM. I live in the central valley of California. After repotting on Saturday I gave them a good watering and haven't touch them since...

Then last night I noticed the outer leaves have started to shrink and shrivel up. This morning when I checked on them the green one had a sunken in spot with strange coloring. Does anyone know what is going on with these little guys? I love them so and don't want them to die!! Thank you!!

Is there good drainage in your pot? These have a weird water scheduling. In the summer, they usually go dormant so they need little to no water! Starting around August or September they begin to grow again/flower so in the fall you can give them a good watering. But, when winter starts, you should keep the soil absolutely dry even if the leaves start to shrivel, because a new plant body will be growing from the center and taking in water from the older leaves.

I hope this helps!

I feel like it has good drainage.. there's a hole in the bottoms then small rocks and then cactus soil with perlite and charcoal mixed in to help it. Thanks for the watering tip. I've only watered it once but who knows how many time they watered it at OSH before I bought it. I've gotten such mixed reviews for watering. Some people have told me once every two weeks other says 4 times a year. I didn't plan on watering it again until the end of August but then it started doing this and the sunken in part was there... Thanks again!

Put them in the shade quick! Too much sun. Mine are in extremely bright light but not in the sun.

Thank you so much Daisyl! I got that same advice from a different forum as well. Do you think they will be okay?

Only time will tell.

Do not water for another few months, in the mean time read this:

http://www.lithops.info/

Ruud

Lithops and Pleiospilos do not require the same care, though both like to grow on the dry side. I water my indoor Pleiospilos every 2 weeks or so year round with no seasonal adjustments, and it has lasted several years. On the other hand, you really need to leave the Lithops alone during their season of rest.

Regarding the question of light, this is a very dangerous time of year to be moving indoor plants outside into the sun. My normal process would involve a couple of gradual steps from bright shade into morning sun and then eventually midday sun, over the course of several weeks. Indoor sun is much kinder than outdoor sun because of the more moderate temperatures and the fact that regular window glass cuts a lot of the UV. My indoor Pleiospilos enjoys hours of daily indoor sun by a SW-facing window, and I would recommend the same given moderate temperatures and good airflow. At this point I can't say whether the damaged plant will recover, but it has a much better chance indoors with good light.