Tillandsia streptophylla
Tillandsia streptophylla is a striking species from Central America and the southern United States (especially Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Texas). It was described by William Jackson Hooker in 1836.
The name "streptophylla" means "twisted leaves" and refers to the characteristically curled leaf shape during dryness.
Characteristics:
This species forms large, bulbous rosettes with thick, heavily trichome-covered leaves that curl in a corkscrew manner when dry. Under high humidity, the leaves unfold significantly. The mostly branched inflorescence rises upright from the center and displays pink to salmon-colored bracts with violet tubular flowers. The plant is long-lived, impressive, and extremely decorative.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny, also with direct sunlight in good air circulation.
Water: Soak thoroughly 1–2 times a week or mist vigorously. Afterwards, be sure to let it dry completely.
Humidity: Medium to high (from 50%), especially important in combination with heat.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 18–30 °C, briefly up to about 5 °C frost-free.
Note: Tillandsia streptophylla loves a balanced combination of light, warmth, and air movement. It is excellent as a solitary plant in bowls, on branches, or in hanging constructions. Due to its unusual shape, it is one of the most popular species in collections.
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.
