Tillandsia disticha (large)
Tillandsia disticha is an unusually shaped species from the Andean regions of South America, primarily from Peru and Bolivia. It was described in 1802 by Ruiz & Pavón.
The name "disticha" means "two rows" and refers to the symmetrical arrangement of the bracts along the flower spike.
Characteristics:
This species forms an upright rosette with relatively stiff, linear, gray-green leaves. The conspicuously flat flower spike bears alternately arranged, mostly reddish to greenish bracts, from which small, purple flowers emerge. Tillandsia disticha grows terrestrially or epiphytically and likes to produce offsets at the base.
Care Instructions:
Light: Bright to partially shaded, preferably some filtered sunlight – well-suited for east or west-facing windows.
Water: Spray thoroughly 2–3 times per week or occasionally soak. Good drying is required.
Humidity: Medium to high (50%+), but can also tolerate temporarily drier air – air movement is important.
Fertilizer: We recommend using our special tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form 1–2 times per month in spring and summer.
Temperature: 16–28 °C, not below 10 °C – prefers consistent warmth.
Note: Due to its distinctive flower spike, it is particularly decorative in collections. Suitable for airy mounts as well as for pot culture with well-drained substrate. Relatively easy to care for and robust.
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.
