Neoregelia Betty Head
Offshoot of a breeding hybrid from the bromeliad subspecies of Neoregelia, native to the lower regions of the tropical rainforest of South America in the humid shade of the large trees.
Neoregelia 'Betty Head' is an impressive hybrid of the genus Neoregelia within the bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae). The variety was developed through selective breeding and is named after its breeder or namesake "Betty Head." The parent species of this hybrid originally come from the tropical rainforests of South America, particularly Brazil, where they grow epiphytically on trees.
Characteristics:
Neoregelia 'Betty Head' forms a dense, rosette-like structure with broad, glossy leaves. The base color is usually bright green to olive, covered with reddish to purple spots or stripes that can vary depending on light intensity. During the flowering period, the center of the rosette turns an intense red, while small, pale violet to blue flowers appear inside. After flowering, the mother plant slowly dies off and produces several offsets for further propagation.
Care Instructions:
Light: very bright location with some direct morning or evening sun; good light enhances the red and purple coloration.
Water: the center of the rosette should always contain some water, renew regularly; keep the substrate slightly moist, but never soggy.
Humidity: prefers high humidity; regular misting is recommended.
Fertilizer: in spring and summer, 1-2 times per month with our special tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: optimal between 18-28 °C, not below 15 °C in winter.
Note: Neoregelia 'Betty Head' shows its most beautiful coloration only in bright lighting. After flowering, the offsets can be separated and raised individually once they reach about one-third the size of the mother plant.
Our greenhouses are equipped with modern energy screens and double glazing to efficiently save on heating costs. Additionally, we collect rainwater over the entire roof area of 9,000 square meters and use only this water to irrigate all our crops. We collect the rainwater in underground tanks with a total volume of 600,000 liters.
Since 2007, we have been heating our entire operation with a fully automated 850 kW wood chip heating system and a 100,000-liter buffer storage tank. Environmentally friendly and CO2-neutral. Only to support during very cold winter days and nights is a conventional oil heating system available.
Since 2014, the heating has been supported by a solar thermal system with an annual yield of about 20 megawatt-hours.
In 2020, we installed a photovoltaic system with 30 kW peak and have been producing more green electricity per year than our entire operation requires.
Since 2021, we use exclusively pots for our self-produced plants that are not only 100% recyclable but are also entirely made from recycled pots. To this end, we collect all used pots that arise in our operation and have them picked up in big bags by our pot supplier Göttinger. There, the pots are cleaned and processed in a water-free recycling facility into new pots that come back to us.