Tillandsia nana
Tillandsia nana is a delicate species from the bromeliad family, native to the high Andes of Peru.
The species name "nana" is derived from Latin and means "dwarfish," which indicates its particularly compact growth form. The plant was botanically described in the 19th century and is one of the popular representatives of the genus Tillandsia.
Features:
Tillandsia nana forms a dense rosette of narrow, silvery-green leaves covered with fine trichomes. These scale hairs serve to absorb water from the air and give the plant a slightly velvety appearance. The rosette remains very small – rarely exceeding a diameter of 5 cm. Under optimal conditions, Tillandsia nana develops a vigorously colored inflorescence with bright violet, tubular flowers that emerge from the center of the rosette. It is a rather slow-growing, but extremely decorative species that is well-suited for smaller arrangements.
Care Instructions:
Light: bright location with plenty of indirect light; some morning or evening sun is beneficial
Water: spray 2–3 times a week with low-calcium water or briefly immerse
Humidity: medium to high (from 50%), good air circulation is necessary
Fertilizer: in spring and summer, 1–2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form
Temperature: ideally between 15 and 28 °C; temporarily tolerates lower temperatures above 5 °C
Note: Tillandsia nana is ideal for glass terrariums or miniature landscapes but should always be well-ventilated and not kept permanently moist to avoid rot.
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.
