Tillandsia kolbii
Tillandsia kolbii originally comes from Mexico and Guatemala and is a natural hybrid, presumably between Tillandsia ionantha and Tillandsia scaposa. It was named after the German botanist Werner Kolb and is now a popular species in cultivation – due to its easy-care nature and attractive shape.
Characteristics:
Tillandsia kolbii forms compact rosettes with slightly curved, softer leaves that appear gray-green to silvery. The dense scaly covering gives it a velvety appearance. During flowering, the inner leaves turn pink to reddish, followed by violet tubular flowers. It usually sprouts abundantly after flowering and over time forms dense groups.
Care instructions:
Light: Bright to slightly sunny – best with some morning or evening sun.
Water: Spray 2–3 times a week or occasionally briefly submerge. Then allow to dry well.
Humidity: Medium to high (50–70%) – good air circulation recommended.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 16–28 °C, relatively robust – can be kept frost-free for a short time down to about 5 °C.
Note: An ideal beginner plant with a charming appearance. Well suited for smaller containers, airy arrangements, or as part of a Tillandsia garden.
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.
