Greenhouses
The greenhouses are used first and foremost for cultivating young plants. Seeds are sown in the greenhouses in the spring; the young plants are nurtured and then moved to a cold frame and hardening system to acclimatise shortly before being planted outside.
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Utilisation of the greenhouses
One greenhouse keeps the tradition of the old show houses alive. Not all the plants there are merely for show, however. They are also harvested for the purpose of homeopathy: plants such as Ficus religiosa (sacred fig, peepal or bo-tree), Ananas comosus (pineapple), Carica papaya (papaya), Caladium seguinum (Dieffenbachia or dumb cane), Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night) and Persea americana (avocado). The plants in the greenhouses are irrigated primarily with rainwater from the pond system.
Beneficial insects maintain the balance
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In the greenhouses at Terra Medica, we aim to achieve a biological balance between harmful and useful insects. An optimal temperature and ideal climate are the preconditions for this. Beneficial insects are used specifically to keep the red spider population down. Certain types of fly, such as thrips, can be trapped with blue sticky boards, while the white fly is attracted to yellow sticky strips.
Since 1995, quails have been kept in the greenhouses – they like to supplement their mainly grain-based diet with a few proteins. They pick all manner of tiny animals out of the soil and the plants, keeping the woodlice at bay. Woodlice like to nibble at the vegetation points of the plants, and so are a particular hazard to the sensitive balance we try to maintain in the greenhouses. With all these measures, wholly beneficial living conditions have been achieved for the plants in recent years.
