Tillandsia streptocarpa Pulk
epiphytic dry Tillandsia from South America. It requires no soil, thrives well in bright locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia streptocarpa is a fragrant, diverse species from South America, particularly from Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. It was described in 1830 by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck.
The name "streptocarpa" means "twisted fruit" and refers to the spiral-twisted seed capsules.
Characteristics:
This species forms sprawling rosettes or loose clusters with softly curved, silvery-gray leaves. The inflorescence is usually branched and bears numerous lavender to violet tubular flowers that emit a pleasant, sweet-floral scent. Tillandsia streptocarpa tends to produce offsets and, over time, grows into impressive clumps.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny; direct sunlight is well tolerated with good air circulation.
Water: Spray vigorously 2-3 times a week or occasionally soak. Allow to dry well afterward.
Humidity: Medium to high (above 50%), good air movement is required.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1-2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 15-30 °C, briefly down to about 5 °C frost-free.
Note: Tillandsia streptocarpa is easy to care for, fast-growing, and has an intense fragrance during blooming. It is ideal for airy hanging spots, large cork pieces, or branch arrangements – particularly attractive in fragrance-focused collections.
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.
