Tillandsia tectorum (small)
The name "tectorum" derives from the Latin word tectum (= roof), as it often grows on roofs in its native habitat.
Characteristics:
This species forms loose rosettes with strikingly silvery, soft leaves covered with particularly long trichomes. This gives the plant a fluffy appearance and strongly reflects sunlight. The simple or slightly branched inflorescence bears delicate violet tubular flowers with reddish-pink bracts. Tillandsia tectorum grows slowly but is very long-lived.
Care Instructions:
Light: Very bright to full sun – ideal for south or west windows.
Water: Lightly mist 1–2 times per week. Soaking is only rarely recommended. Be sure to allow it to dry completely.
Humidity: Low to medium, well adapted to dry conditions. Very good air circulation is required.
Fertilizer: In spring and summer, 1–2 times per month with our special Tillandsia or orchid fertilizer in a heavily diluted form.
Temperature: 16–30 °C, very adaptable, briefly frost-free down to about 5 °C.
Note: Tillandsia tectorum is ideal for dry, bright locations and requires less water than many other species. Its extraordinary appearance makes it a favorite among collectors, window displays, and minimalist designs. Less is more with this species!
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.
