An Unusual Succulent Is Key To This Living Halloween DIY Decor

There's one particular succulent you might want to hunt down if you're keen to create a realistic, living Halloween display that's sure to impress. When you first take a glance at the Lithops range of succulents, you might think that they look somewhat like smooth rocks. This is why they are often called living stones. However, if you get creative, they can also make an impressively creepy Halloween decoration. Some of these plants have tiny fissures in them that make them look a little like brains. While this can be creepy on it's own, it makes them a pretty fun Halloween decoration with just a few tools, and a little DIY.

First, let's talk about the plants. There are roughly 37 Lithops species, and while they come in various colors and shapes, they all tend to look like they are pebbles. But for this project, if you really want it to look like a brain, you need a species with fissures on top. These fissure tend to look like dry river beds, or like the crevices in a brain. A few good options are Lithops aucampiae, L. bromfieldii, L. gesinae, and L. gracilidelineata. However, there are several other species you can try this project out with. 

Now that you have an idea of what plant you need, it's time to get started. You will also want a bottle of red food coloring, a toothpick or thin paintbrush. some gloves and paper towels.

Set paper towels down beforehand and put on gloves if you want to keep as clean as possible. It's a strong dye and will quickly stain your hands and whatever surface you are doing this project on. From there, making this living Halloween DIY decor is pretty easy. Take your red dye and place a bit on the top of the succulent. Start with just one drop at a time, and spread it out over the top with your toothpick or paintbrush. This will give the plant a gory and bloody-looking top that somewhat resembles brains. Since Halloween decor can be expensive, it's nice to find cheap and easy Halloween decorations you can DIY, and a plant you may already have or can easily find, is definitely one of the best ways to save money.

Continue this with the tops of all of your plants, adding more dye drop by drop until you get the consistency you want. You can also let a little go down the sides to carry the look. Be careful not to let a lot of the dye get into the soil, though. While some is okay, since it's non-toxic, too much of the excess moisture can lead to root rot. If you add an excess of liquid, or it doesn't look quite right, you can pat the top gently with a paper towel to get closer to the appearance you want. 

Once this is done, the plant is ready to go. Set it somewhere amongst the rest of your decorations to add a bit of a creepier vibe, or place it by itself to be the star of the show. Lithops should always be in their own container, as they have very specific needs, which is why it is a succulent plant you shouldn't grow alongside others.

After Halloween is over, don't worry about trying to clean off all the dye. While it's fine to gently wipe off any excess, rinsing it or rubbing with a paper towel can cause damage to the plant. After some time, the stone plants will handle it themselves. To grow, Lithops produce new leaves inside of the old. They slowly drain the old ones of water, giving them a wrinkled and cracked look. Eventually, as the leaves fully dry out, they split open down the middle, allowing the new ones to grow and take over. That's another reason why these plants are ideal for this Halloween DIY.

Lithops can live for several decades if cared for properly, and you can repeat this dye trick every Halloween, making for a very long-lasting holiday plant. In fact, they would look excellent alongside a DIY spooky graveyard scene with affordable Dollar Tree supplies, since zombies and brains go together so well. Because of their charming and unique appearance, they also make amazing and low-maintenance succulents to keep around during the rest of the year.