Green walls are less complicated to maintain than most people think. The trick is to focus on the right areas rather than spending time pruning to give a superficial effect that might not end up lasting. If you’ve recently installed a living green wall at home or the office, knowing how to care for it to help it reach its full potential is well worth it, and may even end up saving you time and money. Living green walls require more effort than their artificial counterparts to keep them looking fresh, which is why the Bidvest ExecuFlora team wanted to put together this guide to help you go about doing so in the most effective way possible.
Why Maintenance Matters
Maintenance is important because it not only keeps the living green wall alive, but it also teaches you everything you need to know about the right water and lighting conditions to keep the plants flourishing. Working with any living thing will require some trial and error, especially if you’ve never had a green wall before. If you open your mind to the fact that you will be acquiring a new skill, alongside gaining a better understanding of nature, the prospect of maintaining a living green wall should be an exciting one. The alternative is a dead wall that won’t exactly leave a good impression on any visitors to the space.
Schedule Regular Visual Inspections
The best way to start caring for your living green wall is to schedule and carry out regular visual inspections of the wall. This requires carving out a bit of time out of your week to have a thorough look through the state of each plant, and to figure out what needs to change in order to help them reach their full potential. The inspection should also include checking whether the wall has decent water coverage, and that at least 80% of the space is being used, in order for the plants to grow naturally into the area and perhaps even into and across each other (depending on the design).
Tend and Replace Individual Plants
The next step in maintaining a living green wall is to tend to the plants that need help, which will include replacing some plants that might have started to wilt beyond repair. If the entire wall is starting to die, there may be a bigger problem to diagnose. Reach out to our team if you’re wondering what the problem is, or if you need suggestions for the types of plants that might work best considering the size of your wall, the space and the conditions that the plants are trying to grow in.
Maintain Nutrient Tanks & Irrigation Systems
A third step in the maintenance process is to make sure that nutrient tanks and irrigation systems are maintained at all times. These form the cornerstone of a long-lasting living green wall, and provide a foundation from which the plants can reach their full potential. Top up nutrient tanks when needed. Keep the irrigation system (no matter how basic it may be) checked and working at all times, as this will affect the water supply and may end up destroying your chances of success if it’s not functioning properly. Take notes of everything you learn along the way, and teach someone else to help you maintain the living green wall. It will be in full bloom before you even know it.