A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Cacti and Succulents Indoors Pleiospilos nelii watering question

I have 2 Pleiospilos nelii, one is regular green, the other is purplish, a variety called "royal flush".

They seem to be doing ok, but i'm puzzled about watering. I heard that while the new leaves are growing, you are not supposed to water, as the new leaves will suck the liquid out of the old leaves, and watering at this time could kill the plant from rot.
I got my plants in November, it's been almost 5 months of no watering, and plenty of sun and artificial light. The new leaves have doubled in size, the old leaves have "deflated" a little and had gotten a bit squishy rather than very firm when I first bought them. But you would think the old leaves should be almost dried up by now?

Look at the bottom pic, when do I water when the new leaves are still so small and old leaves still alive?
[img]http://milewidenursery.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/livingstone_0227web.jpg?w=288&h=430[/img]

Fast draining soil is a must. Water your Living Stones thoroughly, then wait for the soil to dry completely before watering again. Avoid getting water on the plant.
Why do you think that the old leaves should be drying off?

I have them in special cactus soil with extra perlite.

These are not living stones (lithops), they are split rocks. On most sites online it says the old leaves must completely shrivel and dry up before watering again, as to prevent mold from rotting leaves.
In the wild it's natural for them to die off when new leaves start growing and that is how the new leaves grow when there is no rain, so to keep those old leaves is unnatural and that causes rot since the leaves get over watered and dont shrivel up.