Hi Matt,
I've been checking out your green wall blog for quite some time preparing to build my own green wall. I really like the Patrick Blanc style wall system in your I was wondering if you could give me more specs about the irrigation you used. I saw you said it was rubber hose, which would work for me as I'm trying to keep my costs down... could you tell me more? Also, any other info you may have would be fantastic. Thanks!
Katie
Hi Katie,
The tubing I used was PVC tubing. As I have mentioned before I wouldn't use PVC again because it is a toxic plastic although it is quite common. I would substitute an inert plastic like polyethylene. Something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Polyethylene-Tubing-Wall-Working-Pressure/dp/B000FN10CO
I used a pump similar to this one.
http://www.garden-pond-supplies.com/Pondmaster_Magnetic_Drive_Pond_Pump_MD_12_p/02712.htm
You'll need adapters to connect all your tubing to your pump. Depending on what setup you chose you'll need a few L connectors and possibly a T connector. Also you'll need to step down sizes if you use thicker tubing for the vertical. Read on for an explanation.
Ideally your pump sits at one corner of your basin and pumps water up to the top of the wall where it pumps across the wall and trickles down. That would make an L shape if you were looking at the tubing on the wall. You could also locate the pump in the middle of the wall and split the tubing to either side. This would form a T. The advantage of the T shape over the L is that you could balance pressure a bit better. In the L shape the holes closer to the pump get more pressure and thus more water. The further you get from the pump the less pressure and the less water. If you use emitters
http://www.dripirrigation.com/index.php?cPath=38&sort=2a&page=3
...then the flow can be balanced by the emitter. I didn't use emitters and I don't know much about them. I just know that they can balance flow. For my wall I just drilled holes in the tubing and used very low pressure. I also slope the tube down slightly at the end to use gravity to even out the pressure. Setting up the water pressure is one of the trickier parts in a greenwall.
I have mentioned before that I could probably have used a smaller pump that cost less but how much smaller I'm not really sure. The aquarium store that sold me the pump said I could return it if it was the wrong one. You may want to find a store willing to do this. Also be careful about recommendations from the aquarium store. They require much more pressure in their lines then a greenwall does. For that reason they recommended a pump that was larger than I really needed. If you use emitters you'll need more pressure. The irrigation store you get the emitters from can make a recommendation I'm sure.
The aquarium store did recommend a much thicker pipe for the vertical tube. I'd say the tube was about 1.5 inches ID (interior diameter). The idea is that pushing the water up to the top of the wall requires the most force so you want a wide tube to increase the flow and lessen the pressure. I followed their instructions but I am not completely sure it was necessary.
I drilled holes on both sides of my tubing (front and back) with holes every 4 inches as described by Patrick Blanc. In future I would only locate the holes facing backwards (towards the wall) because at times forward facing holes have led to drips off leaves.
Blanc describes the irrigation holes as being 2mm. I'm not sure if I converted that to figure out the right drill bit size. It was to my memory about the size of a pencil lead. Maybe a bit smaller.
Your pump will come with some kind of filter sponge and I highly recommend you use it. It doesn't take much to clog the small holes. Be very careful when you plant your wall to get as little soil/debris in your basin as possible. If possible install the basin after you plant your wall.You may want to consider some kind of inline filter as a back-up. The filter on my pump came off once and I had to take the tubing down and clean the holes out by hand.
I use a digital 7 day timer to water my wall. This is the timer I use.
http://www.intermatic.com/products/timers/consumer%20outdoor%20timers/digital%20timers/hb88rc.aspx
This timer is easy to program and you can set multiple very short intervals as many times a day as you like. Although it's a seven day timer I have it set to water the same times everyday. So you could probably use a digital one day timer too. I water 4x a day for 10 minutes.
I'm not sure how soon you plan to build your wall but if you can wait about a month I will have my fully documented wall build online. If you have any other questions please let me know.
Matt
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Denis' unique greenwall lamp
Denis has been emailing back and forth with me for awhile so it was great to receive these photos. I asked Denis to include a description too. Here goes.
In foundation plastic cachepots.
Post from polycarbonate sheets 6 mm. http://www.polygal.com/htmls/subject.aspx?c0=12012&bsp=12348
Material ssm45 http://www.hydrotechusa.com/product_data/moisture%20mat%20ssm45_pds.pdf
Watering tubes ftom metalloplastic pump for a fountain.
A lamp-shad is home-made.
Contacts it is possible will include without problems.
Denis
D&M studio тел.(495)968-7259 mailto:dimstudio@yandex.ru
(495)969-5915
www.dimstudio.ru
www.dimflora.com
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My very first post about greenwalls (January 13, 2008) before I even had one
Here's an old post I made on Tribe. It details my early thoughts and info on greenwalls before I'd actually made one.
Some of this info is WRONG! The Girbaud wall probably didn't have thin tubes at intervals (Blanc spreads his tubes out by at least 8-10 feet) and the backing for the Phyto wall was probably much thinner than I estimated. More like 1/3 of an inch than 3/4 of an inch.
Re: Looking for marterials to make a Living Plant Wall
Sun, January 13, 2008 - 6:20 AM
Hi,
I'm interested in making a planted wall too. Here's some info. Dwell issue Nov 2006 (page 144) has an article on Patrick Blanc. In it he describes a simple "recipe" for the wall.
"10mm thick waterproof PVC slabs covered with polyamid felt, into which holes (pockets actually) are cut for plants; a small hose, punctured every 10cm by a 2mm hole, to run the length of the top of the wall; a timing device to ensure regular, light watering- like a trickle slowly wending its way down a mossy rock. The ensemble is then attached to a metal structure that stands out from a supporting wall, trapping a cushion of air, which acts as insulation."
In addition to this info there is also a plant map of one of his walls which is really what you need to understand what he's planting where.
I live in New York city and there are currently two walls that I am aware of here. One in the Girbaud store and one here:
www.interiordesign.net/index.asp
I have visited both walls (the phyto wall just yesterday) and have been able to gather a bit more info. There appear to be two layers of felt stapled to each other. The outer layer is cut to create a pocket for the roots. Contrary to what I assumed there is some soil around the roots in the pocket. However to avoid insects etc. I think it's probably wise to remove all potted soil and replace with steralized soil unless you are certain your plants are planted in safe soil. Although being a fishtank keeper part of me would argue that insects and whatever else is in the soil mass probably would contribute to the health of the wall. There is also a drip catch at the bottom of the wall. You might also want to see the TV show "21st Century Garden Art The Planthunter Patrick Blanc". I found it on Azureus "Vuze" for 99cents to rent and 1.99 to buy. In in Blanc talks about there being different climates on the wall. The bottom being shaded and wetter and the top being lighter and dryer. This is one of the keys I believe to success. You need to plant the right plants in each area or plant very forgiving plants that do well in quite a range. You might also want to contact Laurent Corradi. He maintained the Phyto wall. He's located at plantwalldesign.com. The polyamid felt is a common carpet liner and should be easy to come by. Also I have yet to see any real mold growing on a Blanc wall and I think this is due in part to the use of the polyamid. You need synthetics otherwise you are asking for trouble. On the phyto wall there was a thick plastic sheet about 3/4 thick. On to that was stapled what looked like a synthetic black burlap and on top of that was the felt. On the Girbaud wall it seemed as if there were many fine irrigation hoses running at intervals horizontally across the wall but I could have been mistaken. In the coming weeks I'll be getting more info so stay tuned and good luck.
Matt
Some of this info is WRONG! The Girbaud wall probably didn't have thin tubes at intervals (Blanc spreads his tubes out by at least 8-10 feet) and the backing for the Phyto wall was probably much thinner than I estimated. More like 1/3 of an inch than 3/4 of an inch.
Re: Looking for marterials to make a Living Plant Wall
Sun, January 13, 2008 - 6:20 AM
Hi,
I'm interested in making a planted wall too. Here's some info. Dwell issue Nov 2006 (page 144) has an article on Patrick Blanc. In it he describes a simple "recipe" for the wall.
"10mm thick waterproof PVC slabs covered with polyamid felt, into which holes (pockets actually) are cut for plants; a small hose, punctured every 10cm by a 2mm hole, to run the length of the top of the wall; a timing device to ensure regular, light watering- like a trickle slowly wending its way down a mossy rock. The ensemble is then attached to a metal structure that stands out from a supporting wall, trapping a cushion of air, which acts as insulation."
In addition to this info there is also a plant map of one of his walls which is really what you need to understand what he's planting where.
I live in New York city and there are currently two walls that I am aware of here. One in the Girbaud store and one here:
www.interiordesign.net/index.asp
I have visited both walls (the phyto wall just yesterday) and have been able to gather a bit more info. There appear to be two layers of felt stapled to each other. The outer layer is cut to create a pocket for the roots. Contrary to what I assumed there is some soil around the roots in the pocket. However to avoid insects etc. I think it's probably wise to remove all potted soil and replace with steralized soil unless you are certain your plants are planted in safe soil. Although being a fishtank keeper part of me would argue that insects and whatever else is in the soil mass probably would contribute to the health of the wall. There is also a drip catch at the bottom of the wall. You might also want to see the TV show "21st Century Garden Art The Planthunter Patrick Blanc". I found it on Azureus "Vuze" for 99cents to rent and 1.99 to buy. In in Blanc talks about there being different climates on the wall. The bottom being shaded and wetter and the top being lighter and dryer. This is one of the keys I believe to success. You need to plant the right plants in each area or plant very forgiving plants that do well in quite a range. You might also want to contact Laurent Corradi. He maintained the Phyto wall. He's located at plantwalldesign.com. The polyamid felt is a common carpet liner and should be easy to come by. Also I have yet to see any real mold growing on a Blanc wall and I think this is due in part to the use of the polyamid. You need synthetics otherwise you are asking for trouble. On the phyto wall there was a thick plastic sheet about 3/4 thick. On to that was stapled what looked like a synthetic black burlap and on top of that was the felt. On the Girbaud wall it seemed as if there were many fine irrigation hoses running at intervals horizontally across the wall but I could have been mistaken. In the coming weeks I'll be getting more info so stay tuned and good luck.
Matt
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
PingMag Patrick Blanc Interview
Click for PingMag Patrick Blanc Interview.
"The Vertical Garden is composed of three parts: a metal frame, a PVC layer and felt. The metal frame is hung on a wall or can be self-standing. It provides an air layer acting as a very efficient thermic and phonic isolation system. A 1cm thick PVC sheet is then riveted on the metal frame. This layer brings rigidity to the whole structure and makes it waterproof. After that comes a felt layer made of polyamide that is stapled on the PVC. This felt is corrosion-resistant and its high capillarity allows a homogeneous water distribution. The roots are now growing on this felt.
Watering is provided from the top with the tap water being supplemented with nutrients. The process of watering and fertilisation is automated. The whole weight of the ‘Vertical Garden’, including plants and metal frame, is lower than 30 kg per square meter. Thus the Vertical Garden can be implemented on any wall without any size or limitation of height."
One I don't think I've read before.
Enjoy.
Matt
Nori's Awesome Wall
It's great when people invent their own ways of doing things. Nori has come up with her own approach to a greenwall system; no soil, carpet padding for felt, fishtank reservoir. I love it! Here's her system in her own words and a link to her blog with lots more info.
Matt, I have a vertical garden that isn't quite what you have described. Mine uses a single layer of nylon felt stapled to a backer board with the plantings using little to no dirt. Here's the first page of posts (lots of pics). Read through to the end for the complete tale.
I am using a single layer of nylon carpeting padding felt (well rinsed before use). The majority of the soil was removed from the planted starts. Anything I had started in water was tucked into a pocket sans soil. Seeds were pressed into pinches of peat moss in tiny pockets.
My wall is fed from a 30 gallon aquarium with two small goldies and a pleco. I started using a 3 gallon bucket with water from one of our outdoor fish tanks. I add a small amount of potash(? - going from memory here . . . ) monthly. I top up the aquarium monthly so combine these tasks. I feed the fish every morning and have the aquarium filter set at 85.
So far my wall is doing awesomely well. I planted it in April. The geranium and begonia have bloomed. I'm holding out hope for the vining black eyed susan and coleus but will probably have to wait for spring.
I am planning a larger plant wall to go on the north wall of our sun porch (glass roof so won't be using the shade loving house plants in this wall). I was able to get some LDPE sheets destined for recycle from a local printer. They're about 3/8" thick and about 3'x4'. I'll screw them to a framework, sealing the seams and staple on my felt.
I like this felt. It feels dry except when the pump is running water through it. It may be best to use 2 layers of felt, but so far the wall is awesome with a single sheet.
Nori
elf at elfnori dot com
Matt, I have a vertical garden that isn't quite what you have described. Mine uses a single layer of nylon felt stapled to a backer board with the plantings using little to no dirt. Here's the first page of posts (lots of pics). Read through to the end for the complete tale.
I am using a single layer of nylon carpeting padding felt (well rinsed before use). The majority of the soil was removed from the planted starts. Anything I had started in water was tucked into a pocket sans soil. Seeds were pressed into pinches of peat moss in tiny pockets.
My wall is fed from a 30 gallon aquarium with two small goldies and a pleco. I started using a 3 gallon bucket with water from one of our outdoor fish tanks. I add a small amount of potash(? - going from memory here . . . ) monthly. I top up the aquarium monthly so combine these tasks. I feed the fish every morning and have the aquarium filter set at 85.
So far my wall is doing awesomely well. I planted it in April. The geranium and begonia have bloomed. I'm holding out hope for the vining black eyed susan and coleus but will probably have to wait for spring.
I am planning a larger plant wall to go on the north wall of our sun porch (glass roof so won't be using the shade loving house plants in this wall). I was able to get some LDPE sheets destined for recycle from a local printer. They're about 3/8" thick and about 3'x4'. I'll screw them to a framework, sealing the seams and staple on my felt.
I like this felt. It feels dry except when the pump is running water through it. It may be best to use 2 layers of felt, but so far the wall is awesome with a single sheet.
Nori
elf at elfnori dot com
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Great Greenwall Blog from Peter in Miami
http://verticalgardenmiami.blogspot.com/
Tons of videos and how to info. Great resource.
Matt
Tons of videos and how to info. Great resource.
Matt
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Added a Translator
While I don't get many visitors to this blog yet the ones I do get seem to be from all over the world. In order to make it easier for all of the non-english speakers I have added a Google translate tool to the page. Let me know if it helps you. Good luck to all the greenwall makers making our world a greener place.
Matt
Matt
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