Tillandsia tricolor var. melanocrater (extra-large)
Tillandsia tricolor is a widely distributed species from Central America, particularly from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. It was described by John Gilbert Baker in 1854.
The name "tricolor" refers to the colorful appearance of the inflorescence, which often consists of three distinctly different shades. Tillandsia tricolor var. melanocrater is a color-intensive variety of the species Tillandsia tricolor and, like it, originates from Mexico and Central America.
The addition "melanocrater" means "dark crater" and presumably refers to the dark-colored leaf sheaths or the contrasting inflorescence.
Characteristics:
This variety forms upright rosettes with narrow, firm leaves that can be colored green to vivid reddish-brown depending on light intensity. The lowest leaf sheaths are often darker in hue. The upright inflorescence displays bright red bracts with deep violet tubular flowers – an impressive color contrast. It reliably produces offsets and develops into dense groups.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny; direct sunlight promotes the intense red coloration of the leaves.
Water: Spray vigorously 2–3 times per week or briefly submerge. Afterward, allow to dry completely.
Humidity: Medium to high (from 50%), 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: 18–30 °C, briefly down to about 5 °C frost-free.
Note: Tillandsia tricolor var. melanocrater is a particularly color-intensive and robust Tillandsia, ideal for bright places with good ventilation. With its vibrant colors, it is a real eye-catcher in any collection and is suitable for driftwood arrangements as well as decorative bowls.
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.
