Plant adaptation and green wall maintenance

Our customers do not only buy plants with an automatic control and irrigation system, but a comprehensive service - we are responsible for each stage of the project, from preparing an individual design, through planting plants and installation of the green wall, to the maintenance services. What happens to a vertical garden once we have implemented the project? How much time do plants need to adapt to the new environment and what can you expect in this initial period? Finally: what does the post-installation maintenance look like and what care treatments does the green wall require?

How long does plant adaptation take?

After planting the plants in the modules, it is necessary to watch their development. They need time to adapt to a new place, and at the beginning they may experience a post-planting shock - with each subsequent week, however, they will get used to the appropriately adjusted humidity and lighting conditions offered to them. Full adaptation will take them about one, maximum two months - after this period, the vertical garden should become already stabilised.

Like any living being, a plant may not accept the new environment. Such non-acceptance of new environment by flowers is, however, incidental; if ever happens, it applies to literally individual specimens. Of course, we take this into account and if within 1-2 months the plant is  still not stabilised, is poor or sick, we will replace it with a new, healthy specimen free of charge.

What is normal and what is alarming?

For our vertical gardens we choose healthy, resistant plants that usually have no difficulty in adapting to a new place. The vast majority of them stabilise without any problem; a mischievous specimen is the impressive Epipremnum N'Joy', which likes to react slightly stressfully. As a part of post-planting shock, small dark spots may appear on its leaves; this is a completely normal reaction. Later, the plant repays with beautiful lush growth. There is also no reason to worry if several leaves of individual plants fall, turn yellow or dry; over time everything will return to normal. 

What indicates more serious abnormalities? First of all, a large amount of unsightly discolouration on the leaves or stems, which may be a sign of an attack of fungi and other parasites, complete lack of growth and decline in growth of plants, as well as mass browning, wilting or dying of leaves. These and similar symptoms are indeed alarming and should be reported to deal with the problem as soon as possible; as we have already written, this happens extremely rarely.

How long does the green wall of live plants reach the peak of beauty?

While the adaptation process lasts a maximum of two months, it takes a little longer to grow plants to the desired sizes. Initially, the modules in which we plant specimens are slightly visible to the naked eye; over time, the entire plane is overgrown with a lush thicket of leaves. After about three to four months, the wall is almost completely covered. The peak of beauty and lushness falls about half a year after the implementation of the project; however, it should be noted that there is no decrease in coverage later, on the contrary, plants require regular pruning and giving them the desired shape. 

Facilitated maintenance of vertical gardens

Only installation of the structure and planting the plants in modules is not enough - even if we are dealing with the most beautiful project and automated maintenance system, the project still requires even minimum maintenance and professional checks. In for a penny, in for a pound - only then will the plants look fresh and healthy for a lot of years. It depends on the observation of plants and periodic care treatments whether the well-kept vertical garden repays with excellent condition. Fortunately, the automatic irrigation and control system, likewise well-chosen assimilation lighting, facilitate maintenance and provide plants with optimal conditions for growth.

Instead of watering the plants yourself, just watch their condition and, if in doubt or suspicion, consult an adjustment of the irrigation schedule. In the open system it is even possible to install an automatic fertiliser dispenser. Thanks to this, maintenance treatments can be limited to the necessary minimum.

Post-installation maintenance and subsequent maintenance visits

One follow-up visit is included in the price of the vertical garden. We focus on the so-called post-installation maintenance up to two months after the implementation of the project, i.e. after the initial adaptation of plants. We are then able to determine if new shoots look good, whether all the specimens have adapted to the new environment and whether the irrigation schedule is optimal. If a specimen does not adapt, we replace it on our own; we also make the necessary adjustment to the automatic growth system.

Subsequent maintenance visits are made upon the customer's request, e.g. as part of a maintenance agreement for an additional fee depending on the size of the green wall (in the case of subscription to greenery for offices, the maintenance is included in the subscription). Our visits are once a month - such a frequency is enough to maintain the control over the development of the garden and to respond to every, even the smallest problem in time. As a part of the maintenance, we check humidity, review the irrigation system (we add water every few weeks in a closed system), clean the filters and the spout or tank every quarter. In addition, we regularly use fertilisers and preventive spraying. During each visit, we take care of all plants - we clean them, trim overgrown specimens and remove dried leaves. 

Most of our projects require only basic treatments, and the maintenance comes down largely to prevention. Some of the walls in the 4Nature System technology are over 3 years old and virtually have not required replacement of plants. Of course, if a customer prefers to carry out all these activities independently, he can take care of it - he simply needs to pay the right amount of attention to plants.