Marisol Cabrera
Mendoza, Argentina
Arid continental — hot dry summers, cool dry winters
9 years growing Lithops outdoors year-round under partial shade. Climate is close to habitat conditions, which makes for fast growth but unforgiving summers.
About
Mendoza sits at the foot of the Andes in a rain shadow, with maybe 250 mm of rain a year. Lithops do well here outdoors as long as I shade them through midsummer afternoons — the light alone can scorch a body in an hour.
Because my conditions are close to wild conditions, I'm useful as a reviewer for habitat-style growers: what works here usually translates to growers in Arizona, Murcia, and the South African Karoo. I'm the climate counterpoint to most of our cool-temperate reviewers.