Tillandsia cyanea T9
Epiphytic tropical Tillandsia from South America in a 9cm pot. It does not require soil, thrives well in semi-shady locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia cyanea is one of the best-known and most popular species of the genus. It originates from the humid mountain forests of Ecuador and was described by John Gilbert Baker in 1877.
The species name "cyanea" is derived from the Ancient Greek kyaneos ("blue") and refers to the striking blue-violet flowers.
Characteristics:
Tillandsia cyanea forms flat, grass-like rosettes with soft, glossy, green to slightly bronze-colored leaves. Its most distinctive feature is the flat, pink to rose-colored flower spike ("herringbone shape"), from which several bright violet-blue, fragrant flowers emerge one after another. It typically blooms only once in cultivation but produces many offsets.
Care instructions:
Light: Bright to partially shaded, no direct midday sun – well suited for windowsills with east or west light.
Water: Keep the substrate slightly moist (for pot culture) or spray 2–3 times weekly (for airy cultivation). Use soft water.
Humidity: Medium to high (50–70%), especially important during the flowering period. Air movement is desired.
Fertilizer: We recommend using our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form 1–2 times per month in spring and summer.
Temperature: 18–28 °C, no temperatures below 12 °C – keep evenly warm.
Note: This species is often cultivated in pots or substrate but is also suitable for airy mounts. Ideal as a beginner plant and for indoor spaces – especially a real eye-catcher during flowering.
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.
