How to Create a Green Wall With Heavy Duty Adhesive Velcro®
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a beautiful and sustainable green wall using heavy duty adhesive VELCRO® Brand tape. We’ll explore the benefits of having a green wall, such as improved air quality and aesthetic appeal – and who doesn’t want that? We’ll also provide a step-by-step guide to help you create your own green wall, from choosing the right location to securely fastening your green wall to any surface.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this guide will provide you with all the information you need to create a thriving green wall that will add life and beauty to your space. Keep reading to learn more!
What is a Green Wall?
Also known as a vertical garden, a green wall refers to a vertical structure that is covered in vegetation. On a larger scale, these are often integrated with built-in irrigation systems and can be found on both inside or outside walls. They typically use natural climbing plants, such as ivy or pothos, though can also feature other plants such as ferns to help add to the fullness and richness of their appearance.
If you haven’t got the scope to have a traditional green wall, they can still be recreated on a smaller scale. You can create a DIY green wall with the help of some flat-sided planters and some VELCRO® Brand heavy duty stick on tape. This is ideal if you have limited space in your garden or don’t have a garden at all, but still want to incorporate some greenery to enhance your outdoor space.
Benefits of a Green Wall
Increased Biodiversity
Incorporating various plant species into your green wall is a great way to attract insects, birds and other wildlife. Not only can they provide habitat and food, but they also allow pollinators to thrive. This can help to promote biodiversity, thus benefitting your local environment.
Improved Air Quality
Plants naturally filter the air, absorbing pollutants (such as carbon dioxide) and releasing oxygen in their place. This helps to improve the overall air quality of a space, whether inside or outside, thus making a green wall a beneficial addition to your home that can support your physical health.
Aesthetic Appeal
Greenery and flowering plants add a vibrancy to otherwise plain structures, thanks to their rich colours and textures. They are especially great for improving the aesthetics of urban environments that otherwise can appear unappealing and lacklustre.
As such, vertical gardens make for great additions to the exterior of your home, enhancing their kerb appeal.
Improved Wellbeing
Exposure to plants and greenery has been proven to be linked to reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Instead, they can help to boost your mood and enhance productivity, as well as enhance levels of relaxation.
This makes green walls especially beneficial to those without gardens, as they can still experience the wellbeing benefits plants have to offer.
Creating a Green Wall with the Help of Heavy Duty VELCRO® Brand Tape
Location
When planning your green wall, one of the first considerations you need to keep in mind is location.
To ensure your plants flourish, pick a spot that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight – a south-facing wall is often best for this, as these tend to receive the most sun exposure throughout the day. Additionally, you’ll want to consider factors such as wind exposure and access to water in correlation with the types of plants you choose to plant.
Plants
Next, think about the plants you want to incorporate into your vertical garden. Smaller plants will be best, as these won’t overwhelm the space too much and allows for a combination of different plant types. Consider incorporating a mix of colours, textures and characteristics.
For example, ferns are great for incorporating texture and flowering plants such as petunias are ideal for adding vibrancy, whilst a trailing vine such as pothos can be great for filling empty spaces and offering a cascading effect.
Containers
Choosing the right containers is also crucial for a successful vertical garden. Since these will be positioned vertically on a wall, you’ll want to choose planters that are lightweight and ideally with a flat side, allowing them to sit flush against the surface.
Ensure the planters you choose also have adequate space for roots to grow and have enough holes at the bottom to promote sufficient drainage, just as you would with any other potted plant.
Fastenings
Lastly, you’ll want to think about how you might attach your planters to your vertical service. Traditional options often include drilling and screwing, which is not only noisy and time-consuming, but isn’t a convenient option if you want to avoid creating holes in your wall.
Not only this, but screws are prone to rust, especially when exposed to moisture and oxygen – both of which are abundant outside.
An alternative, then? Heavy duty VELCRO® Brand self-adhesive tape. This tape features an extremely stone and durable rubber resin adhesive, along with extra strong hooks (up to 50% stronger than standard hooks). This makes it ideal for use on rough surfaces and outdoor applications, especially where more secure fastenings are required – such as creating a green wall.
Step by Step Guide for Using VELCRO® BrandHeavy Duty Double Sided Tape
1. Clean and Dry Surfaces
Before applying any adhesive VELCRO® Brand product, it’s important that the surface it’s being applied to is clean. You can use rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl alcohol or surgical spirit) to clean and degrease both the surface of your planter(s) and the wall you’re applying to.
Once clean, ensure the surfaces have time to fully dry before sticking your hook and loop tape onto them.
2. Attach Adhesive Tape
When you’re ready to attach your hook and loop tape, measure out the amount you need depending on the size of your planter(s) and cut to size.
Next, keeping the hook and loop sides attached, peel back the protective cover from the adhesive on the loop section of your tape, then line this up where you want it to be on your planter and press it onto the surface firmly, ensuring it sits flat.
3. Attach to Wall Surface
Still leaving the hook and loop sides attached, peel away the clear backing from the hook side of the tape, then line up your planter with where you want it to be placed on your wall. Once you’ve decided on the perfect placement, press firmly once more, holding the planter in place for a few seconds before letting go to ensure an adequate bond has been made.
4. Leave for 24 Hours
It’s important to remember that adhesives need time to achieve a full bond. With this in mind, leave your planter(s) for 24 hours so that the adhesives have time to reach maximum strength. Should you try filling your planter(s) too soon, the weight of doing so may make it more likely to fall since the adhesive won’t have had a chance to bond to the surfaces properly first.
5. Fill with Plants
After 24 hours is up, then you can get around to filling your planters with plants! Consider placing some small stones in the bottom of your planters to help promote drainage, then add a layer of soil or compost before adding in the plants of your choice.
When the time comes to change your plants round – perhaps you want to rotate them throughout the seasons or simply feel like switching things up – then you can simply take the planters off the wall, empty them and repot them with your new plant choices, before effectively reattaching the hook and loop so that they sit on the wall once more.
Et voila! You’ve got your very own DIY green wall!
Heavy Duty VELCRO® Brand Products for Sale
Are you feeling inspired to create your own green wall/vertical garden? Ensure you’re prepared to effectively secure your planters to your wall with the help of VELCRO® Brand adhesive tape.
As premium distributors of VELCRO® Brand products, we’ve got you covered here at MPD Hook & Loop. We supply a range of heavy duty VELCRO® Brand adhesive hook and loop products, available by the roll, by the case or as retail packs.
Browse our range online today, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you require any further assistance.