I don't know the answer to your question, but that's a great picture of leaf collapse.

"This is the first time I grow lithops"

No, you are growing Pleiospilos.

I have never had any success with this genus, but that kind of collapsing did not happen with my plants, not as long as they were healthy at least. Is the collapsed leaf soft and mushy? If so I think it is rotting.

Cactusmcharris, thanks.

tjicken, oh yes, Pleiospilos. I searched that a while ago, but then I forgot. I don't know why lithops came to my mind. Maybe because it is also called "split rocks," and the "rocks" remind me of lithos.

I read that the collapsing is normal, but I don't know how fast this collapsing should be. I will continue to watch. I guess if the baby plant is ok, then it is ok.

This all happened very fast. I remember showing the plant to my friends last week, and the baby still hadn't split and was small. And then it grew and split within a week and the mother leaf collapsed.

The other leaf has collapsed too.
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The baby looks ok. I guess a new generation has started....
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I will not be surprised if it spreads to the new leaves too.

Dave,

I'm with TJ here - that doesn't look like 'regular' shrinking, but something hastened by a virus. I'd be surprised if it lives, but have no idea why it's doing it. I hope you surprise me.

You are all very right. Now the whole thing is rotting:

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That's not a virus. That's what happens when an unsuitable soil mix made predominantly of peat is used. Add to that poor lighting, and the end result is disaster.

The roots are suffocating and dying, and the plant has succumb to rot. This process did not happen overnight. The plant has been tolerating the poor conditions for a long time before its demise.

x

X,

And that's why no one let me grow lithops. You think the pictures of its demise are museum quality?

X, but I have only had it for about 1.5 months and have watered it only once! I don't think I can overwater it just once, can I? And is the soil that critical if it is watered just once?

As for light, it is sitting by a SE window and get as much sunshine as it can. For picture taking, I usually moved it inward a little to avoid direct sunlight because otherwise the picture will be too harsh; but other than picture time, it is receiving a lot of sun.

Unfortunately the answer to both questions is "yes".
A single watering can lead to rot if the plant is not prepared for it, and it happens especially easily if the soil is unsuitable.

What you describe is precisely the scenario that is most likely to lead to a quick rot. A healthy plant with a healthy and extensive root system will quickly utilize the water in a pot.

Poor soil means poor roots. Poor roots cannot handle water because they are not healthy enough to use the water, so the soil remains too wet with the unused water.

Maybe the light in the last 1.5 months was adequate, but the leaves should be more compact than they are in the photo which leads me to believe there was not enough light. A few hours of windowsill sunshine is very misleading to the human eye.

Once again, as I've said numerous times on this forum, these are basically not houseplants and the conditions indoors are generally not suitable for long-term health.

Unfortunately most new hobbyists don't understand or realize this. That's why we are here, to educate.

x

"Once again, as I've said numerous times on this forum, these are basically not houseplants and the conditions indoors are generally not suitable for long-term health."

Added to this is that the big box stores -- and I'm guessing that is where you got yours, Dave -- are notorious for taking horrible care of such plants. They are watered too frequently (in a bad mix to boot) and kept in dimly lit areas. A recipe for disaster so that even after you take one home it is often too late.