Pachypodium lamerei T8
Pachypodium lamerei, also known as Madagascar palm, is a succulent plant from the family Apocynaceae (dogbane family). Despite its name, it is not a true palm but originates from the dry regions of Madagascar. Its distinctive, spiny trunk and the crown of long, narrow leaves give it a palm-like appearance.
Characteristics: The plant forms a robust, cylindrical, heavily spined trunk that stores water, allowing it to survive longer dry periods. The leaves grow in a dense rosette at the top of the trunk; they are elongated, glossy, and leathery. With age, Pachypodium lamerei can reach several meters in height. In indoor cultivation, the species rarely blooms, but it produces striking white flowers in the wild.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright location, preferably with plenty of direct sunlight; an ideal spot is at a south-facing window.
Water: Water moderately during the growing season; allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again; water very sparingly in winter.
Humidity: Normal to low humidity is completely sufficient.
Fertilizer: Lightly provide cactus fertilizer every 4 weeks in spring and summer.
Temperature: Prefers warm conditions; ideal is 20–30 °C, not below 12–15 °C in winter.
Note: The plant is sensitive to consistently wet soil—root rot is the most common cause of problems. A very well-drained, mineral substrate is important (e.g., cactus soil with pumice, sand, or perlite). Caution is advised when handling: the spines are hard and sharp.
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.