Tillandsia ionantha 'Carousel'
Tillandsia ionantha is one of the best-known and most popular air plants. It originates from Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America, and was botanically described as early as the 19th century.
The name "ionantha" means "violet-flowered" and refers to its typical purple flowers.
Features:
Tillandsia ionantha grows compactly as a small, dense rosette with overlapping, silvery-green leaves. During flowering, the inner leaves turn bright red to pink – a strong contrast to the striking purple tubular flowers that emerge briefly from the center. The plant is very easy to care for, produces plenty of pups after flowering, and is excellent for both group and individual presentations.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny – can also tolerate direct sunlight with sufficient humidity. Water: Spray 2-3 times per week or occasionally soak. Afterwards, allow to dry completely. Humidity: Medium to high (50-70%) – good air circulation is important. Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1-2 times per month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form. Temperature: 16-30 °C, extremely robust – can be kept frost-free for short periods down to about 5 °C.
Note: The ideal beginner plant among the Tillandsias – easy to care for, attractive, and versatile. Especially decorative in glass orbs, on wood, or in miniature landscapes.
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.
