Pilea cadierei T8
ground-covering tropical plant in an 8cm pot, ideal for rainforest terrariums
Pilea cadierei, also known as the Aluminium Plant, originally comes from Vietnam and China and is a popular houseplant due to its unusual leaf pattern. The silvery shiny spots on the dark green leaves resemble applied metal and give the plant a striking, almost futuristic appearance. With its compact growth and robustness, it is ideally suited for windowsills, offices, and modern living spaces.
Characterstics:
The decorative, oval leaves of Pilea cadierei are deep green with raised, silvery shimmering stripes along the leaf veins – a vibrant contrast that has earned it the name "Aluminium Plant." The plant grows bushy and compact, with upright, slightly branched shoots.
Care Instructions:
Light: Bright to partially shaded, without direct sunlight – ideal at east or west-facing windows
Water: Keep evenly moist, but avoid waterlogging – allow to dry out slightly between waterings
Humidity: Average – higher humidity is appreciated but not strictly necessary
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times per month with a diluted houseplant fertilizer
Temperature: Optimal at 18–24 °C, does not tolerate cold below 15 °C
Note: With insufficient light or dry air, the shoots tend to become leggy – regular pruning promotes a compact, dense growth.
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.