Tillandsia cacticola (large)
Tillandsia cacticola is a rare, tall-growing species from the dry highlands of Peru, where it grows at altitudes over 2,000 meters – often on cacti, which is also reflected in its species name ("cacticola" = "living on cacti"). It was described by Werner Rauh in 1961 and is particularly valued for its beautiful flower.
Characteristics:
This Tillandsia forms an open rosette of silvery-grey, narrow, and heavily scaled leaves. During flowering, it produces a tall, usually branched inflorescence with striking lavender to violet tubular flowers. The bracts are silvery to pale pink. It grows slowly but is long-lived and eventually produces offsets.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny, prefers warm, airy locations with intense lighting. Water: Mist 1–2 times a week or rarely soak. Allow to dry well – low water requirement. Humidity: Medium (40–60%), also copes well with drier air; air movement is desired. Fertilizer: We recommend using our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form 1–2 times a month in spring and summer. Temperature: 16–28 °C, cultivate rather dry. Can be kept short-term frost-free down to about 5 °C.
Note: Ideal for bright, airy places with good drying. The decorative flower and robust nature make it a popular collector's species. Requires some patience but is easy to care for.
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.
