Tillandsia funckiana Pulk on cork
epiphytic dry Tillandsia from South America. It requires no soil, thrives well in bright locations, and absorbs moisture through its leaves.
Tillandsia funckiana is a striking, needle-leaved species from the mountainous regions of Venezuela. It was named in 1856 by Heinrich Wawra and honors the Belgian botanist Théophile Funck. Its unusual growth form makes it a popular collector's species.
Characteristics:
Tillandsia funckiana grows climbing or creeping and forms numerous side shoots with thin, needle-like, light green leaves. The shoots grow spirally in different directions. The bright red individual flowers usually appear at the tips and exhibit an attractive, simple tubular shape. The plant quickly produces offsets and can form dense cushions.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to sunny – direct sunlight is well tolerated, ideal at south-facing windows or outdoors.
Water: Spray 2-3 times a week, more often in hot temperatures. Quick drying is important.
Humidity: Medium to high (50-70%) – good air circulation is necessary.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1-2 times a month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in diluted form.
Temperature: 18-30 °C, temporarily can tolerate up to about 10 °C frost-free.
Note: Especially decorative due to its bizarre growth form – well-suited for hanging forms, vertical supports, or dry, airy terrariums. Very undemanding and fast-growing.
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.
