I got these two lithops julii from Steven hammer about a year ago. They are both from the same seed batch and both were double headers (one of the double headers had a head rot). They were even grown in the same pot yet one is stronger than the other.
by Carniverouspitchers
2 Comments
Just like with animals, some plants are just “born” weak. In habitat the plant on the right would have likely died well before it could reproduce (of course, whatever genes caused the weakness would still be passed down by the parents and stronger siblings).
But of a weird conclusion to come to about “strength,” tbh. Just coincidence isn’t it? Something about the conditions led to one of the heads suffering an infection that led to rot. Could have been a bit of dust in a problematic spot that stayed wet longer than the surrounding areas. Or something else as inconspicuous. Not really a statement on the strength of the plant when it’s in cultivation, more a statement on some variable controlled, or overlooked, by the grower.
Just means that plant not only had reduced photosynthetic capability but had to spend valuable energy on fighting the infection and compartmentalizing it so it didn’t consume the whole plant. “Strength,” doesn’t really factor into it. The other double header didn’t have to deal with an infection so… of course it’s got a more developed root system?