Green Walls

Featured Green Wall Projects

Living walls, or green walls are beautiful structures that allow plants to be grown vertically both inside and out. While there are many different systems and products out in the market today, only a handful are truly designed for long-term plant growth and health.

The right environment is crucial to the success of a living wall.

All plants need light and water to thrive. At Greenery NYC, we offer full site assessments to determine the best system for your space, including recommendations on lighting and watering systems. We work with architects and designers early in the process to seamlessly incorporate living walls into build plans, as well as working directly with clients to retrofit existing spaces to meet the needs of vertically grown plants.

Although all green walls accomplish the same goal of adding plant life to vertical spaces, there are different ways to approach this and the specific limitations and needs of a space will ultimately dictate the best choice.

There are three common types of green wall systems:

1. Tray Systems

2. Hydroponic Systems

3. Felt Pockets

Tray systems are the simplest green walls to set up and maintain. Using a grid of 4” slots, replacing plants is literally as easy as popping in a plant that’s still in its grow pot. The plants never actually leave the container they come in from the nursery. Tray systems are irrigated once every week to 10 days, and the pots sit in small amounts of water within the trays until the moisture can be fully absorbed. Eventually plants in 4” containers will become root bound, and there will need to be periodic replacements of them. While still able to become very lush, the grid system doesn’t provide quite as much design flexibility as the hydroponic wall. However locations looking for a precise design that is easy to maintain, this is often the best option.

Using little to no soil for the root mass, these systems are the lightest weight load of the three. The roots grow behind a wall of capillary fabric and the nutrients are delivered through a solution mixed in with the water supply. The plants are able to grow uninhibited, which means the individual plants are able to reach a larger mass. One drawback of hydroponic green wall systems is that because they are dependent on multiple daily waterings, there is a higher chance of catastrophic failure which can result from circumstances such as a water line being turned off by accident and power outages. Over time plants are able to fully establish themselves with larger root systems. While this adds to the impressive appearance of the wall, it can also be a cause for increased maintenance costs, because if a plant fails the root system needs to be pulled out completely from behind the wall to prevent the spread of pathogens. Certain plants will also out compete other plants over time, which can lead to unkempt appearance that can be difficult to course-correct. As such, regular and diligent maintenance by a highly trained horticulturist is essential. When done right, hydroponic systems offer impressive displays at the expense of slightly more risk and additional maintenance.

Felt pockets utilize the same basic irrigation set-up as the tray system, but instead of housing plants in their nursery pots they require that the plants be planted directly in soil which is encased in felt. Woolly Pockets are the most used and cost effective of these systems, but because the pockets are large and filled with dirt, they cause the largest structural load on the wall of all the systems. Individual Wooly Pockets have a very large planting area to fill. Because of their size, it’s very difficult to cover the felt with plants, and it requires the most pruning to get it looking right. Even on an expertly planted wall, black felt will be visible. Felt allows for the easy passage of air and water, and these systems can dry out quickly. They work best in outdoor settings where humidity and rain fall can help maintain the right environmental conditions. When used inside irrigation systems are imperative for long-term health. Because larger cascading plants are often part of the design, maintenance can be time consuming.

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We take a holistic approach to creating an interior plant plan that suits your space and budget. Our process begins with a free consultation in which we meet with stake holders to discuss design ideas and concerns and also take a full assessment of your office environment. We create a customized proposal of plants that will thrive in your space, as well as a fully itemized budget. We offer fast and clean installation services as well as full maintenance packages.

Contact us to schedule a site visit today.