Ficus elastica 'Tineke' T8
Ficus elastica, also known as the rubber tree, originally comes from tropical South and Southeast Asia. It was introduced as an ornamental plant in the 19th century and is now a popular houseplant due to its robust nature and large, glossy leaves. The name "elastica" refers to the elastic, rubbery sap of the plant.
Characteristics:
The Ficus elastica grows as a large shrub or tree with thick, leathery, dark green leaves that are glossy and oval-shaped. Young leaves are often reddish or bronze-colored. The rubber tree can reach several meters in height indoors, forming a strong trunk and woody branches. It exudes a white, milky sap when injured.
Care Instructions:
Light: Bright to partially shaded, avoid direct midday sun.
Water: Keep evenly moist, avoid waterlogging.
Humidity: Medium, occasional misting recommended. Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times per month with standard green plant fertilizer.
Temperature: 16–24 °C, no temperatures below 12 °C.
Note: Ficus elastica is robust and easy to care for, but it requires sufficient space. It is well-suited as a house tree or in large containers. With insufficient light, the leaves often grow smaller. Caution is advised when in contact with the milky sap, as it can cause skin irritation.
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.
