I think my favorite cultivation phrase is...."It all depends on ones growing environment and cultivation style." To add: The other one is "adapt or die". 😁

This is an excellent site showing lithops in the wild. It's optimal to try and replicate it within reason those things that are doable. https://www.travel-tour-guide.com/Namaqualand_flowers_photos_south_africa_succulents_trip/07_lithops_photos_conophytum_photos_fenestraria.htm

This is how big-box stores sell their plants....which are cultivated in a setup that grows tons of other plants and is automated to make life easier and more efficient for the company and allows them to get plants out the door more quickly. It gets the razzie 🏆for best sub-optimal, awful-for-a-homegrower potting. https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/vazdue/when_is_the_right_time_to_repot_these_they_were_a/

This is how the boutique seller° I purchase from pots his plants. Potted in this manner, this could be a "forever" setup. I consider this optimal and as close as possible to their natural substrate for home cultivation short of bringing substrate from Namibia/Namaqualand. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNWVgB9JzyC/

To replicate more closely my seller's pot substrate and substrate in the wild, you can use this: Decomposed Granite. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09FRQZ294/ Add in about 10% by volume of organic potting material and you and your plants are good to go.

My go-to organic is Sungro Blackgold Succulent Mix....available at Amazon, Ace Hardware or maybe your local upscale garden center if you are in the US. I aggressively sift it to remove (or manually break up) large pieces.

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My current potting mix is this: https://www.instagram.com/p/CeaFVtog8g-/ Deets are in the description.

This is the 1/8-inch pumice I most recently purchased. Perlite is not a fav as it's too floaty but it does serve a purpose and it's a less expensive point of entry. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06XP36YCM/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_J7TKJNMBWDR857TMYZA6_0

This is the sharp sand I purchase via Home Depot.... https://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-0-5-cu-ft-Step-2-Paver-Leveling-Sand-40100316/205153035

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Most premier growers use 4x4-inch plastic pots..a few use terracotta but they aren't my fav. My plastic pots are a tad smaller....3.5x3-inch repurposed plastic cups. More pot size thoughts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/w89z6s/is_7x7cm_plastic_pot_ideal_for_growing_a_lithops/ihos91g

Solo v Community pots... https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/wnmc1n/thanks_to_another_kind_redditor_i_was_finally/ik8wccg

My thoughts on clear pots...hint.....👍🏻💕. But of course, there always needs to be a drain-hole..... https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/xg6dnx/planter_size_advice_please/ioqujtj

https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/verd0n/finally_new_root_growth_d/

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I wrote a Big Brain Dump on my cultivation thoughts, parts 1 and 2 plus random other thoughts rounded up as a comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lithops/comments/v42cx9/my_lithops_are_dying_one_by_one_advise_is_needed/ib2b372

And if you live in the northern hemisphere, more likely than not, if you plan on indoor cultivation and want a better chance of success, you will need to augment with a full-spectrum, white-lite grow light...not the truly awful gimmick of the blurple lights. (Bleh! My eyes hurt just thinking about them. 😆)

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° Where I purchase lithops: Succulents of the Veld. https://www.etsy.com/shop/SucculentsOfTheVeld