Tillandsia reichenbachii
Tillandsia reichenbachii is a delicate, soft-leaved species from the dry regions of Bolivia and Argentina. It was described by John Gilbert Baker in 1889.
The species name honors the German botanist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, who specialized in orchids and bromeliads.
Characteristics:
Tillandsia reichenbachii forms loose rosettes of narrow, soft, silvery-gray leaves covered with dense trichomes. It is one of the fragrant tillandsias: its delicate, violet-purple flowers are tubular and emit a pleasant fragrance. Due to its flexible structure and graceful appearance, it is particularly decorative in airy arrangements.
Care Instructions:
Light: Bright to partially shaded, no direct midday sun. Water: Spray 2–3 times a week, immersion baths possible with good ventilation. Humidity: Medium to high (from 50 %), good air circulation necessary. Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times per month with our special tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form. Temperature: 16–28 °C, briefly down to about 5 °C frost-free.
Note: Tillandsia reichenbachii is well-suited for glass globes, nets, or cork pieces in airy, protected areas. Its fragrant flowers and soft silhouette make it a particularly charming species for lovers of delicate tillandsias.
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.
