Living Walls

Is anyone interested in starting a living wall thread/discussion? I found one thread that has seemed to end where a member created a huge living wall of rock in his greenhouse. There is info on the web, but DG seems to be a great place to get a discussion going. If there is already a thread or posting about living walls, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm looking for info from members who have had experience creating indoor living walls. Thanks!

Actually, the posting was just below from plantladylin, but seems to have ended. Does anyone have anything to add?

I guess Horticulture Magazine doesn't have that article on line any longer! I wish I had printed it out with the photo's, it was really awesome! I googled indoor gardening living walls and found this: http://www.greenfortune.com/plantwall.php

Scroll through ... some interesting pictures.

Wow, what a great idea. I wonder what types of plants are recommended for this kind of thing. It would be interesting to see the structure underneath that is supporting the plants. I would love to do that with a wall in my home. It would need some planning and careful decision making based on light requirements, etc. I just read a recent study from Australia about the ability of plants to remove toxins from the air in offices. This would certainly do the same thing, I would think!
Claire

Hi Claire! Yes, Plants are GREAT to have indoors ... they remove carbon dioxide from the air inside our homes!

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/houseplants.html

I think bwilliams had a thread over on Tropicals about a year ago about living walls.

I found this and haven't read through it yet ... but love the looks of this wall planter: http://www.spabodyworkmarket.com/custom.aspx?id=13 I've gotta go read about it!

This is so interesting but I'm having trouble figuring out what holds the soil in and how do you water the plants?

http://www.eltlivingwalls.com/buynow1.php

The compartments look like those black plastic seedling trays one can buy at the local garden center!

I also would like to find information on construction and watering of living walls, or green walls. On the internet, there are all sorts of articles, but most deal with planting in soil mix, but occasionally one will mention using rock wool, etc. like a hydroponic setup. I'm hoping that someone on DG will have some info on setup without using soil, especially for epiphytes like orchids and other "primitive plants" like ferns and mosses which seem to be able to grow on rock ledges, etc. without soil as long as they get steady water or a misting. Some of the examples on the internet are really impressive, especially in Europe and Taiwan. Some involve using greywater and all tout the benefit of cleaning pollutants from the air inside buildings.

I was looking into wall gardens a few weeks ago and came across this description for a pre-assembled garden wall http://www.kisssgarden.com/pm-48-2-more-information.aspx. There aren't any photos but it sounds like it would be easy to make one. I found a supplier with inexpensive coco fiber mats in bulk rolls but I can't remember the company name. I'll find the bookmark and post it when I get home. It sounds like you lay it on the ground and add the plants and then let them grow a while before hanging it on the wall.

I'm thinking about setting up something like this on an outside wall to keep the house a little cooler in the summer. I'm trying to think of a way to sandwich some water absorbing crystals between two sheets of coco fiber so they won't all end up at the bottom, kind of like down in a quilt.

Janel

Katlian: Your link doesn't work. It says the page cannot be found.

Sorry, I forgot to put a space between the link and the period at the end of the sentence.
Try this -
http://www.kisssgarden.com/pm-48-2-more-information.aspx



This message was edited Jan 30, 2008 11:14 AM

Thanks, Katlian! This seems to be much more what I was looking for. I sure wish there was a picture. I'll look into this and let you know what comes of it.

My bookmarked link doesn't work anymore, but if you search for
Gardman #R989 24x33 Coco Liner
at Amazon.com they have it listed for about $36, which is a lot less than anyone else charges.

I thought it would work to sandwich two layers together with some water crystals and drip lines in between and tie it like a quilt. Then cut slits in one side and tuck the roots through the slit and between the layers. If the coco liner doesn't seem strong enough, maybe I could add a layer of netting to the back and tie through all the layers.

I'll post pics if ever set this plan in motion ;)

Janel

How long do water crystals last before they disintegrate? I've always wondered if they have to ever be replaced, which is why I've hesitated ever using them.

I've never used the water crystals, but based on knowing what they're made of, here are my thoughts. If you're using one of the ones that's made from superabsorbant polymers (most of them are this type) I would think they'd last a really long time (years at least). Your potting mix will break down and need to be replaced before the water crystals would. If you use one of the natural based ones like Zeba which is made from cornstarch those might break down more quickly, but even with them, by the time they break down, I would think it's probably about time to replace your potting mix anyway.

Well, looking at the coco fiber mats, I think those will break down in a few years too. Once they start to fall apart, you could just make a new one and cut the plants out of the old one to reuse. The coco mats are inexpensive compared to the plastic bin systems, even though they don't last as long.

Thanks for the info. I think I would like to construct some living wall system where I could establish small ferns, such as maidenhair. I've seen them growing in the wild, on moist rock ledges near natural springs. As such, I would hope to not have to replace any substrate as that would certainly be traumatic for ferns. I think I'll experiment with large, porous, lava rocks for a base where the ferns can establish and the rocks of course would last my lifetime! I could cut and carve them and fix them to some sort of plastic mesh and then have recirculating water like they use in any of the commercial green walls. Any opinions? (I think the living wall that was constructed last year on another thread was lava rock and a misting system. I wish he would post photos of how it looks now!)