Q. What are the benefits of living walls?
A. There are so many benefits that can be felt with living walls. The following are just a few examples: Living walls conserve energy by insulating the building envelope, reducing t
he need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. They create biodiversity conservation opportunities, and absorb and filter storm water, which reduces local water body pollution and helps prevent the overwhelming of municipal storm water infrastructure. Living walls also filter air particulates, improving air quality and help to reduce the urban heat island effect (UHI). With our interior kits the plants clean the air in your office or home and also add humidity to the air when you have your central heating on in the winter.
Q. What is the weight of Living Wall panel?
A. Empty panels weigh 5lbs and the planted panels range from 35-45 lbs (13 to 16lbs per sq ft) depending on the type of growth medium used. The panels with extensions weigh 10 lbs empty and 45-55 lbs (16-20lbs per sq ft) planted depending on the soil used.
Q. How do the plants stay in the panels?
A. Each panel has 45 angled cells which keep the soil and plants in. The roots of the plants also spread throughout the panel securing the plants in place.
Q. Do I need to plant every pocket or cell in the panels?
A. The plants you choose will influence this decision. You can choose plants that spread or are larger when they fill in and plant every few cells, or more compact plants that suggest planting every cell. It is up to you what look you are trying to achieve. On average I would say customer plant from 15-25 plants per panel.
Q. How do the panels attach to a wall?
A. Direct wall installations are very simple. We suggest first covering the wall with a waterproofing membrane of some sort ( i.e.: pond liner, EPDM, Blueskin). Then the mounting strips are secured horizontally across the wall anchoring directly into the studs. The living wall panels are then hung onto the mounting strips.
Q. Can the living wall kits be painted of stained?
A. Yes they can be painted or stained. We suggest talking to you local paint dealer to help choose a product that will work best for you.
Q. What plants do people plant in them?
A. Plant choice is always location and climate dependant so we look at each project individually. With our shallow depth panels for outdoors we use a lot of sedum and other rock garden perennials which have shallow root base. With our extended panels you can use a larger variety of perennials or annuals and also some of the shallow root grasses. We try in all cases to choose plants that are more drought tolerant as we are always encouraging water conservation. Native plants are also very helpful to habitat restoration efforts, as most native plants provide food for our local birds and butterflies. There are many plants that can be grown on the ELT Easy Green Living Wall ™ system. The factors that will affect your choices are your climate zone, irrigation supply, budget, and exposure. Our talented designers can help you choose the plants that are right for you. For indoor installations we use hardy tropical plants with shallow roots.
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