Tillandsia ionantha var. curly half-ball
Epiphytic dry Tillandsia from South America. It requires no soil, thrives well in bright locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia ionantha var. curly is a cultivated form of the well-known Tillandsia ionantha, characterized by particularly tightly twisted leaves. It is likely the result of selective breeding and enjoys great popularity in collections and decoration projects. Like the original form, its origin is in Central America.
Characteristics:
Tillandsia ionantha var. curly grows as a compact miniature rosette with strongly curled, silvery-green leaves that give it a striking wavy appearance. During the flowering period, the inner leaves turn intensely red to pink, from which violet tubular flowers emerge. The plant remains small, grows slowly, and produces offsets after flowering.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny – strong light promotes dense, curled growth.
Water: Mist lightly 2–3 times a week or occasionally soak. Always allow to dry well.
Humidity: Medium to high (50–70%) – adequate ventilation is important.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 16–30 °C, well adaptable – can be kept frost-free for short periods down to about 5 °C.
Note: Particularly decorative due to the wavy leaves – ideal for small containers, glass objects, or as a focal point in airy compositions. Easy to care for and also well-suited for beginners.
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.
