In this article, I am going to talk about how to make a living wall that I have built about 1 year ago.
I always wanted to have a plant wall for my plants where they could grow with little involvement and work from my side.
I am growing mostly Aroids, which are plants that grow on other plants. Many of these are climbers, meaning that they need support in the form of a moss pole, trellis, or a wall to grow bigger leaves and mature.
How To Make A Living Wall
To make a living wall with live plants you will need some kind of substrate or container for the plants to grow roots in. A great way of building a living wall is by using felt. In addition, plants will need regular watering and fertilization. You can either water them manually or you can water them automatically using a water pump and a tubing system. For the construction of the wall itself, materials such as metal, plastic, or wood can be used.
DIY Living Wall – How to Build A Living Wall
Automated DIY Living Wall Video
How to make a DIY living wall indoors
I started building the living wall system with a wooden structure underneath.
Above the wooden structure, I am using layers of felt and pond liner.
When making a DIY living wall indoors, one important aspect is to make it completely watertight.
I added a tubing system to the wall that leads to a water pump in a pond.
This pond houses fish such as black mollies and neon tetra fish.
The fish produce fertilizer for the plants.
The plants themselves take in the nitrates and purify the water in conjunction with the felt that the water is running through.
I added grow lights at the top of the wall as well as along the pond for the fish and plants.
Lastly, I build wheels for the DIY living wall so I can put it wherever I want to and to have better control and visibility to identify any leaking of water quickly.
Anthurium warocqueanum on the DIY Plant Wall
DIY living wall maintenance
The living wall I build is almost fully automated. The watering, as well as the lights, are on a mechanical timer.
I do not have to water my plants manually. I never forget to water or overwater my plants.
Also, I don’t need any substrate.
I do not have to fertilize my plants either. This is what the fish are for.
The only thing I am doing is checking for pests, removing dead leaves and adding some water from time to time when the water level runs low.
And of course, I feed the fish.
Conclusion on building a vertical garden
Building a vertical garden for indoors yourself can be done within a couple of days or weeks.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars, you are able to build a living wall with your own bare hands costing you only a few hundred dollars at the most.
After one year of plant growth, I can honestly say that this is not only one of the most satisfying plant-related DIY projects but also one of the most successful.
The plant wall is getting thicker and thicker and denser by the day.
I manage growing bigger leaves on my favorite plants such as Anthurium veitchii and Anthurium warocqueanum which are both in bloom currently.
The best thing having an automated plant wall is that it is almost fully automated.
Apart from adding some additional water every now and then to the system, there is very little work needed to maintain it.
My plants just love the living wall!
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.