Articles
Evaluation of different plant species arranged in panels for indoor vertical gardens
Article number
1345_27
Pages
205 – 208
Language
English
Abstract
Vertical gardens are vegetated walls for use in different indoor settings such as homes, offices and public buildings by virtue of their providing a pleasant environment and improving air quality, thereby leading to better working conditions, increasing work productivity, and enhancing aesthetic and property values.
Self-supporting panels consisting of fully developed plants reduce installation work time and increase maintenance efficiency instead of replacing individual plants.
Success in nursery production entails assessing plant performance under specific growth conditions.
In this work, we evaluated the ease of establishment and coverage of self-supporting panels made with eight different species by comparing variables such as substrate type and amount of light received by the plants.
The panels consisted of rigid polyvinyl chloride sheets 35 cm wide and 50 cm high that were covered with a double layer of fabric, the fabric being stapled to make pockets for filling with substrate.
A mineral substrate consisting of clay balls and an organic one based on coconut and wood fibres were used.
The plant species used were Fittonia albivenis, Ficus pumila Variegata, Asparagus setaceus, Hedera helix Miniata variegata, Plectranthus scutellarioides Great Falls Niagara, Lysimachia nummularia, Chamaedorea elegans and Nephrolephis exaltata. The panels were assessed for leaf coverage on a periodic basis by using image analysis.
The fastest panel-covering species were N. exaltata, P. scutellarioides, F. pumila Variegata and A. setaceus. Plant growth was influenced by vertical position in the panel, with plants placed at the top exhibiting greater leaf coverage than those at the bottom.
This was especially so with F. pumila and H. helix. By contrast, plant growth was not influenced by substrate type.
Self-supporting panels consisting of fully developed plants reduce installation work time and increase maintenance efficiency instead of replacing individual plants.
Success in nursery production entails assessing plant performance under specific growth conditions.
In this work, we evaluated the ease of establishment and coverage of self-supporting panels made with eight different species by comparing variables such as substrate type and amount of light received by the plants.
The panels consisted of rigid polyvinyl chloride sheets 35 cm wide and 50 cm high that were covered with a double layer of fabric, the fabric being stapled to make pockets for filling with substrate.
A mineral substrate consisting of clay balls and an organic one based on coconut and wood fibres were used.
The plant species used were Fittonia albivenis, Ficus pumila Variegata, Asparagus setaceus, Hedera helix Miniata variegata, Plectranthus scutellarioides Great Falls Niagara, Lysimachia nummularia, Chamaedorea elegans and Nephrolephis exaltata. The panels were assessed for leaf coverage on a periodic basis by using image analysis.
The fastest panel-covering species were N. exaltata, P. scutellarioides, F. pumila Variegata and A. setaceus. Plant growth was influenced by vertical position in the panel, with plants placed at the top exhibiting greater leaf coverage than those at the bottom.
This was especially so with F. pumila and H. helix. By contrast, plant growth was not influenced by substrate type.
Authors
N. López-López, M.I. Iglesias-Díaz, S. Lamosa-Quinteiro, A. López-Fabal, M. Cortizas-Suárez
Keywords
green wall systems, indoor plant species, pockets, arlite, organic substrate
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