Light

Raquel said...

And what about the light?
because where I'm plannig to build my wall doesn't have direct sunlight, there's just artificial light... what kind of lights do I need?
Thanks for answer!
=)Raquel

Hi Raquel,

I use compact fluorescent bulbs. They are NOT full spectrum. I think they may be "cool white". From "Ecology of the planted aquarium" by Diane Walstad she shows that "cool white" is almost as good as full spectrum for growing plants.

Matt

Dan's Question

Dan wrote:

Hi, Love the blog! 

I was wondering how you sealed the seams between the PVC sheets and the screw/rivet attachment points to the wall.  You mention the gutter at the bottom but don't really say how it was made or what it looks like.  These details would really help me.

Thanks,

Dan

The seams were sealed with silicone. So were the screws I believe. Just a dab on the screw head. Our basin was made from PVC ( a material I wouldn't use again due to it's environmental impact). It was glued together with special glue. The shape is quite unusual because it ducks under our cabinet at one point. Also it's curved to match the shape of the wall. Most basins will be much simpler.

Matt

The Basin Challenge

General Houseplant Care wrote:

"Great work guys! I love your site, and am currently working on building my own green wall.

I am having trouble sourcing a trough, though, and am wondering what you guys used?

Thanks for your help!!!"

Basin's are probably one of the more tricky parts of greenwall building. As I've said before mine was made from PVC (a material I wouldn't use again because of it's environmental impact). I would suggest building basins from non-toxic plastic, epoxy covered wood, stainless steel, or something readymade.

If you have a good basin solution please send it in.

Thanks,

Matt

Which felt?

Felipe wrote:

"Hi Matt , My name is Felipe , i'am form Chile and i'm going to star my own green wall, but I have a question because i don't know what kind of felt i need, if i can use the felt used for hydroponics that i can get in many stores or have to be an special felt? please please try to answer. I'll be very grateful

Big Hug
Felipe."

The felt I use (MRM) is made for greenroof installations. A hydroponic felt may be similar but I'm not sure. Click here for a data sheet on the felt I used. That should help with comparisons. Here's the basic information cut and pasted from the sheet:

Moisture Retention Mat is composed of high-quality, recycled, non-rotting, poly-propylene fibers.

Moisture Retention Mat is used in the Hydrotech Garden Roof Assembly to retain moisture and nutrients for use by the vegetation layer.

THICKNESS: 3/16 in. (≈200 mils)
SIZE: 7.5 ft. X 100 ft. (2.3m X 30.5m) - in rolls
(715 sq.ft. effective coverage)
WEIGHT: 16 oz./yd2 (542 g/m2) 0.11 lb./sq.ft. (0.54 kg./sq.m.) - dry;
1.2 lb./sq.ft. (5.9 kg./sq.m.) - wet
WATER RETENTION CAP.: ≈0.13 gal./sq.ft. (5.3 l./sq.m.)

TENSILE STRENGTH: 380 lb (1.69 kN) ELONGATION: 50%
(ASTM D4632) (ASTM D4632)
TRAPEZOIDAL TEAR: 145 lb/in2 (0.644 kN) PUNCTURE STRENGTH: 240 lb (1.07 kN)
(ASTM D4533) (ASTM D4833)


Good Luck,

Matt

My Greenwall in the New York Times Home Section

I was interviewed by Kristina Shevory from the New York Times about my greenwall but I couldn't blog about it until I saw this.



I thought I was on the cover until I learned that the image rotates. Doh! But it's so exciting to be in the article and to be the main image.

Also Peter Kastan was mentioned too and I am so envious of the beautiful diversity of the plants on his wall. Here's an excerpt from the article.






Gardens That Grow on Walls By KRISTINA SHEVORY

Excerpt:

Last year, inspired by Mr. Blanc’s work, Matthew McGregor-Mento, 38, an executive creative director at Gyro: HSR, a New York advertising agency, and his wife, Emma, 35, a massage therapist, set out to build a vertical garden in their two-bedroom apartment in the East Village. They attached an 8-by-10-foot aluminum frame to a wall in the entry hall, screwed waterproof sheets of PVC to the frame and tacked on two layers of matting. Then they inserted some 400 plants — philodendrons, ivies and ferns — into holes they cut in the felt.

A trough they installed along the floor collects runoff water from the irrigation system, and a pump with a filtration sponge sends it back up the wall. Timers control the watering, which happens four times a day.

The design, which they devised with the help of a horticulturalist friend, was based on Mr. Blanc’s system and on research they had done online. The total cost was $3,000, but the result was worth it, Mr. McGregor-Mento said. Most people who visit want a green wall of their own, and the effort involved wasn’t that onerous: “Building a vertical wall is about as difficult as painting a room.”

Carlos' Beautiful Wall

Carlos wrote to me to share his making of video and to thank me for the info on this site. He wrote:

"Hi Matt

I want to congratulate by continue to share with us your garden and your experience. I also want show you the garden I made with a part of your information. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=env-ABKx658

A great greetings from Mexico


Carlos Pacheco"

This makes me so happy! The whole point of this site is to show people that if they want a greenwall they can make it themselves. Carlos' wall is beautiful. I especially like the use of the white felt. It makes it look as if the plants are just growing right out of the wall. Also it's great to see that Carlos used emitters and he plumbed his system. Very smart. I'm still carrying 5 gallon buckets to my wall every few days. Also the long hanging plants really help to break up the texture of the wall. It will be interesting to see photos of the wall as it fills in too. Our wall was planted so densely that it really hasn't changed much but Carlos' wall will definitely grow in a bit. Can't wait to see it. Congratulations Carlos. Hopefully Carlos will be interested in writing a description of the making of his wall. I publish it here if he is.

Matt

Irrigation Hole Size

Just a quick note about hole size in irrigation tube. The holes in my tube are almost exactly the same size as a paper clip. I think I wrongly stated in a previous post that they were the size of a pencil lead. Not a huge difference but a difference none the less. Also Blanc mentions the size in millimeters in his description from Dwell which I reposted in an earlier post.

Matt