Tillandsia flexuosa var. vivipara
Epiphytic tropical Tillandsia from South America. It requires no soil, thrives well in semi-shaded locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia flexuosa var. vivipara is a special variety of the widely distributed T. flexuosa, found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas – from Mexico through the Caribbean to South America.
The addition of "vivipara" means "live-bearing" and indicates the uniqueness that this variety often produces offsets directly on the flower stalk – a rare feature among Tillandsias.
Characteristics:
The plant forms large, robust rosettes with long, wavy to spirally curled leaves. These are gray-green and heavily covered with trichomes. The inflorescence is tall, striking, and usually red to purple with violet tubular flowers. Characteristic of the vivipara variety is the formation of offsets directly on the inflorescence, which allows for rapid vegetative reproduction.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny – direct sunlight is possible with good air humidity.
Water: Spray thoroughly 2-3 times a week or occasionally soak. Then allow to dry well.
Humidity: Medium to high (50-70%) – good air movement is required to avoid rot.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1-2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 18-30 °C, robust – can tolerate temperatures down to about 10 °C frost-free for short periods.
Note: Due to its growth form and viviparous behavior, it is an exciting species for experienced keepers. Ideal for observing natural vegetative reproduction. Requires sufficient space for the rosette and inflorescence.
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.
