Venelin.Petkov said...
"Can you post a list of the plants you used and what nutrients are you using (I imagine you are not using pure water, since there are no minerals in the felt substrate). Thanks"
Llazar said...
"It would be great if could list the plants you used. Also, isn't there a problem of light? don't the plants need natural light in order to survive?"
People have asked me a few times now what plants I used and how I care for them. I'm happy to list what I can remember but honestly it doesn't matter as long as you match your plants to your wall. Each wall can be setup to provide varying amount of light, water, and nutrients. Patrick Blanc has used thousands of different types of plants on his walls. In theory almost any type of plant can work. I've even seen trees growing out of Blanc walls in Paris.
Each wall builder will need to decide how much light, water, and nutrients they want to provide. Here's a brief overview of my wall.
Light
I have pretty good light in the room but I decided to add some supplemental light from compact fluorescent bulbs. The lights aren't special "grow" lights. They are just regular bulbs. I think my wall would survive with out the additional light but the light helps the plants grow and makes the wall look nicer. Powerful artificial grow lights are available if you want to grow high light demanding plants.
Water
I water my wall 4x a day for 10 minutes a day (by drip tube on a timer). I had difficulty with the ferns on my wall drying out and dying at first. Originally I was watering 3x a day for a shorter period of time. I added a 4th time and increased the watering time to help the ferns. With the increase in water I saw an overall increase in growth from all the plants. If I had plants that needed even more water I'd make a larger basin and increase the frequency and amount of water.
Nutrients
I added fertilizer to my wall once in the time I have had it (just because a friend gave me some to try). I don't see the need to add more. We tend to trim our wall back when it grows out so more growth isn't required. We get new growth all the time so clearly the plants are getting what they need. Keep in mind that there is soil around the root ball of each plant. Also as the water trickles down the wall it picks up nutrients from the soil in each plant. At this point I wouldn't add more nutrients because my plants don't seem to need them. There are a variety of fertilizers on the market to suit just about any plant's needs.
Work with your local plant dealer to determine the plants that are right for your wall. Remember that on a small wall all the plants are in basically in the same environment so plants with different needs may die off. Also some plants cannot grow together. This can be determined from trial and error. Plant a range of plants with similar needs and see what does well. It's easy to add and remove plants from the little felt pockets.
Here's a partial list of plants I have on my wall listed in order of quantity.
Philodendron (35%)
Philodendron scandens “Green”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=210
Pothos (35%)
Epipremnum aureum “Marble Queen”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=224
Fern (15%)
Nephrolepsis exaltata “Fluffy Ruffle Fern” http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=68
Adiantum pubescens “Maiden Hair Fern”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=73
Asplenium nidus “Bird’s Nest Fern”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=64
Nephrolepsis cordifolia “Lemon Button Fern”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=71
Nephthytis (10%)
Syngonium podophyllum “Various”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=320
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=188
Ivy (5%)
Hedera helix “Various”
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=133
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=144
http://www.exoticangel.com/Varieties/ShowProductDetails.aspx?productid=168
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