Tillandsia straminea (extra-large)
Epiphytic dry Tillandsia from South America. It requires no soil, thrives well in bright locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia straminea is an impressive species from the dry highlands of Ecuador and Peru. It was first described in 1797 by Hipólito Ruiz and José Antonio Pavón.
The name "straminea" refers to the straw-like, pale yellow color of the floral bracts ("stramineus" = straw-colored).
Characteristics:
This species forms large, elegant rosettes with long, softly curved, silvery-gray leaves that are heavily covered with trichomes. The richly branched inflorescence bears striking, fragrant, lavender to violet tubular flowers, often with straw-yellow bracts. The flowering period can last several weeks. Due to its size, Tillandsia straminea is a real eye-catcher.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny, direct sunlight is well tolerated with sufficient air circulation.
Water: Spray vigorously 2–3 times per week or occasionally soak. Afterward, let it dry completely.
Humidity: Medium to high (from 50%), very good ventilation is required.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, apply our special tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form 1–2 times per month.
Temperature: 16–28 °C, briefly frost-free down to about 5 °C.
Note: Tillandsia straminea is ideal for large, airy arrangements or solitary presentations. Due to its size and floral fragrance, it is especially attractive to advanced collectors and lovers of fragrant 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.
