There is no shortage of ideas to decorate your interior, especially if you like vegetation. In this case, you can opt for potted indoor plants, or better yet, create a green wall. The latter is a wall where plants grow, particularly climbing plants, arranged vertically. Find out how to create a living green wall in any space.
In addition to being aesthetic, the green wall has other advantages. It purifies the ambient air and increases the humidity of the house when the air is dry in winter due to the radiator, in addition to protecting against noise.
How to create a green wall?
Here are the steps to follow to create a DIY green wall, without calling a professional.
- Choosing the right location to install the green wall
Where you install your green wall is important. This is what allows your plants to live long and not wilt. Indeed, given that green plants appreciate light, it is important to arrange the wall in a bright location, avoiding direct exposure to the sun’s rays, so as not to burn the foliage of the plants. Also make sure that your green wall is not near a window to avoid the winter cold which harms the plants.
After choosing the room that will host the green wall, choose the wall that will serve as the support. Then mark out the location of your green wall on the chosen wall, using a tape measure and a pencil. This will help you properly place the frame that will serve as a green wall. The latter can be prefabricated, or built by yourself.
- Construction of the frame which will act as a green wall
To do this, take a wooden pallet and line the inside with a thick plastic tarpaulin. Use scissors to cut the strips of the tarpaulin which you will attach to the inside of the pallet using an electric stapler. Make sure that the tarpaulin covers all the parts that will contain the soil. The cover will protect the pallet from mold and rot caused by watering. If you don’t have an electric stapler, you can secure the tarpaulin with nails and a hammer. Then place a layer of horticultural fabric inside the pallet, on the tarpaulin. This often black colored fabric helps retain water, in order to form a humid environment favorable to plant growth. Like what you did with the tarp, cut strips of the horticultural fabric with scissors and attach them. After lining the inside of the frame, cover the back of the pallet with the horticultural fabric and then with a piece of plastic sheeting, to prevent water and soil from escaping out the back of the frame.
- Installation of the green wall
First hang the frame on the wall using screws and a screwdriver, then create your green wall. To do this, cover the ground with an old sheet or tarpaulin so as not to dirty it and fill the compartments or shelves of the frame with potting soil. Then add a slow-release fertilizer which will be used to nourish your plants, and plant the plants of your choice in the soil. You can choose philodendrons, house vines or even climbing ivy. You can also add succulents to your wall, for an easy-to-maintain vertical garden.
- Maintain the green wall
If your wall lacks light, do not hesitate to install a horticultural lamp which promotes the growth of your plants, even during the least sunny months, in addition to stimulating their photosynthesis. Also, to know when to water and fertilize your plants, you just need to know the growing conditions of each variety of the green wall.
Tip: If you decide to call on a professional to arrange your green wall, it is important to choose the technique that suits you.
- Hydroponic cultivation: this consists of using an inert substrate as a support. It can be coconut fiber, rock wool, or even vegetable felt. The substrate is attached to a panel, such as a waterproof PVC plate, and the plants are inserted into the substrate. This is where they take root and grow. The advantage of this system is that it does not degrade over time and does not pollute the water. This is why it works by recycling irrigation water.
- So-called classic cultivation: this is an alternative to hydroponic cultivation and consists of using an organic substrate such as peat, compost or zeolite. The substrate can be placed in a metal cage or a plastic module, to subsequently accommodate the plants. Unlike hydroponics, this organic system degrades and pollutes the water which becomes loaded with organic matter, and which cannot be recycled to irrigate the plants.
