5 Essential Tips for Indoor Vertical Gardens

Elevate Your Indoor Space

Green walls, also known as living walls or vertical gardens, have taken the world of interior design by storm, bringing the beauty of nature into our indoor spaces. These living artworks not only add a touch of lush greenery but also offer a myriad of benefits, from improving air quality to promoting a sense of well-being. If you’re considering creating an indoor greenwall, we’ve got you covered with five essential tips to ensure your vertical garden thrives and becomes a stunning centrepiece in your home or office.

  1. Mastering the Art of Lighting

You may not know, but light is the lifeblood of plants. Providing the correct lighting is vital for the success of your indoor greenwall and research has shown that plants need the right spectrum of light to effectively photosynthesise, which directly impacts their health and growth. Before you invest in and indoor greenwall you you’ll need to assess the lighting required and then invest in specialised grow lights or work with natural light sources to ensure your plants receive the illumination they need to thrive. This is measured in Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) and as a rule of thumb, a minimum of 35 PPFD is required for plant health, with some species requiring more. Healthy plants mean happier people, as the greenery contributes to a more positive and calming atmosphere.

  1. Tailoring to Your Indoor Environment

Selecting the right plants for your greenwall is crucial to its long-term success. Collaborate with greenwall professionals and horticulturists who understand the unique requirements of your indoor space. Remember, there’s no such thing as a typical “indoor plant.” Only some plants can tolerate lower light conditions, so be flexible with your planting palette and trust the expertise of your horticulturist. The right plant selection will ensure your indoor greenwall flourishes and remains a captivating sight year-round. Peperomia genus is an example of a versatile, resilient low light tolerant genus to work with.

  1. Maintenance as a forethought

Think ahead and engage those who will be working on your systems in early concept design phase. There is still a lot of misconceptions in the markets as to how greenwalls can be maintained. Adequate space to maintain, safely and efficiently are key. Increasing the height of your greenwall beyond a safe ladder distance (can be as low as 2.5m, depending on the environment) means you will need to consider maintenance from ropes or an Elevated Work Platform (EWP).

  1. Breathing Life into Your Vertical Garden

In nature, plants benefit from natural air movement, which facilitates CO2 reduction and helps disperse vital nutrients. In order to mimic this natural air flow in your indoor greenwall to promote plant health and create a dynamic living environment, we work with you. This may involve directing aircon ducts toward the greenwall to enhance air circulation or creating a more conducive growing environment via additional elements. It’s important to that proper air flow will increase access to light for plants lower on the wall, ensuring every part of your greenwall thrives.

  1. Setting the Foundation for Success

The choice of growing media is fundamental for the longevity and health of your vertical garden. Media with organics are great on the ground, and do offer a large range of plant varieties but know the media will break down overtime and need replacing, increasing your maintenance cost (OPEX). We will only ever use inorganic growing media, which does not break down over time, while micronutrients provide a stable and nourishing foundation for your plants. Plus our patented media leads the way in sustainable practices, using 95% recycled material, something no one else can claim. By choosing environmentally friendly options, you contribute to a greener future while ensuring your greenwall flourishes for years to come.

Indoor greenwalls are more than just a decorative addition to your space; they bring life and vitality to your surroundings. By mastering the art of lighting, selecting the right plants, planning for the future, ensuring proper air flow, and using sustainable growing media, you can cultivate a flourishing indoor oasis that uplifts your environment and enriches your well-being. Embrace the beauty and benefits of greenwalls, and let nature’s magic thrive within your walls.

5 Reasons we need more Greenroofs in our urban landscape.

As our cities continue to expand and urbanisation reaches unprecedented levels, the detrimental effects of urban heat islands and environmental degradation become more pronounced. It is imperative that we seek innovative and sustainable solutions to counteract these issues. One of these options is greenroofs! Our rooftops represent 21–26% of urban areas and 40–50% of their impermeable areas (Wong, 2005; Dunnett & Kingsbury, 2004). Rooftop gardens offer a multitude of benefits that not only mitigate the urban heat island effect but also positively impact air and water quality, biodiversity, and overall urban resilience – plus they provide a great outlook.

Let’s delve into five compelling reasons why we urgently need more greenroofs in urban landscapes in Australia.

  1. Tackling the Urban Heat Island Effect

Urban heat islands are a consequence of excessive heat retention in built-up areas, leading to higher temperatures compared to surrounding rural regions. This phenomenon exacerbates heatwaves and has severe consequences for public health, energy consumption, and urban ecosystems. Greenroofs act as a natural thermal insulator, reducing the amount of heat absorbed by buildings and their immediate surroundings. Research from Germany has shown that greenroofs can lower rooftop temperatures by up to 50°C during hot summer days, significantly mitigating the urban heat island effect.

  1. Enhancing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Incorporating greenroofs into our urban landscape creates unique opportunities for fostering biodiversity corridors through our cities. These rooftop gardens provide essential habitats for various plants, insects, and birds that struggle to find a place in our concrete-dominated cities. Biodiversity not only improves the overall health of ecosystems but also enhances urban resilience to climate change impacts and pest management. Research studies have demonstrated the positive impacts of greenroofs on biodiversity, showing an increase in the abundance and diversity of native species.

  1. Promoting Air and Water Quality Improvement

Greenroofs play a vital role in improving air quality by filtering pollutants and capturing particulate matter from the atmosphere. The vegetation on greenroofs absorb and capture carbon dioxide, while the plants root system captures and consumes the harmful particulate matter that the water washes out of the atmosphere. Additionally, the natural evapotranspiration process from the plants helps cool the air. Moreover, greenroofs act as effective stormwater management systems, reducing the initial storm load flow and preventing urban drainage systems being overwhelmed. The plants and soil on greenroofs trap and retain rainwater, which is gradually released or absorbed, minimizing runoff and pollutants entering water bodies.

  1. Utilising Recycled and Sustainable Materials

Our greenroof systems can are constructed using a variety of eco-friendly and recycled materials, in fact 95% of the materials are recycled from here in Australia, reducing the demand for resource-intensive construction components and overseas shipping of recycled waste. Implementing sustainable practices during the installation of greenroofs further lessens the environmental footprint of urban development. By promoting the use of recycled materials and environmentally conscious construction methods, we can support a more circular and sustainable economy.

  1. Enhancing Building Energy Efficiency

The thermal insulation properties of greenroofs extend beyond mitigating the urban heat island effect. By reducing the heat absorbed by buildings, greenroofs aid in maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures, reducing the need for excessive air conditioning during hot weather. This, in turn, leads to decreased energy consumption, contributing to overall building energy efficiency and potentially lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

To recap, greenroofs offer a multitude of benefits that address the pressing environmental challenges faced by urban landscapes today. By mitigating the urban heat island effect, enhancing biodiversity, improving air and water quality, utilising sustainable materials, and promoting building energy efficiency, greenroofs prove to be an indispensable component of resilient and sustainable cities. As we look towards the future of urban development, embracing greenroofs should be a priority for planners, architects, and policymakers to create healthier, greener, and more liveable urban environments.

Reference:

Wong (2005) Green roofs and the Environmental Protection Agency’s heat island reduction initiative Proc. of 3rd North American Green Roof Conference: Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities, Washington, DC. 4–6 May 2005, The Cardinal Group, Toronto

Dunnett, N., & Kingsbury, N. (2010). Planting green roofs and living walls. Portland: Timber Press.

 

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