Vertical garden ideas for balcony: A vertical garden is a garden that plants grow vertically using a trellis or other support system, rather than on the ground. Several plants grown on a trellis or even a fence is technically part of a vertical garden. To make a vertical garden on a balcony, you want access to sunlight, space to hang, mount, or set-up planters, and you need protection from the elements. Let us now get the ideas for balcony vertical garden in India.
A step by step guide to balcony vertical garden ideas
Vertical gardens take up less space, also easier to harvest, and easier to maintain. Though, they do have their limitations;
- You need sunny wall space for a vertical garden for balcony
- If they are built too high, they can be difficult to maintain and don’t make them taller than you can reach.
- The support system should be strong enough to handle the weight of everything
- The supporting wall should be able to withstand a lot of moisture. You can use polyethylene cloth to make a vapor barrier along the back of your garden if this might be a concern.
- Vertical gardening is one of the most flexible gardening systems.
Making a vertical garden on a balcony
To make a vertical garden on a balcony you’ll want to ensure your balcony is a hospitable environment for a garden, you determine which the best plants for a balcony garden are, and you choose a design that appeals to you.
Using a minimal amount of effort with a maximum amount on return, you can make a vertical garden for the balcony. The options range from creative to simple, but the result is the same beautiful greenery that’s accessible.
Choose a location for vertical balcony garden
You’ll want to choose a space on your balcony that has plenty of vertical space, so plants aren’t cramped. Also, you must select an area with enough sunlight for your plants to thrive.
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Maximize the design of your vertical balcony garden
If your balcony has limited space, the idea of vertical balcony gardening creates an opportunity to grow different plants, therefore more productive by using the functionality of vertical gardening techniques. There are plenty of benefits to growing up, such as making pest control and monitoring easier because the critters are right in front of your face. Harvesting is made easier on your body because there is no stooping or hunching over. Harvest waste becomes a thing of the past because ripe fruit is no longer hidden under lush growth.
Vertical garden plants for balcony
A wide variety of vertical garden plants are used on a vertical plant wall, with plant selection determined by the light conditions. For traditional vertical planting, consider these selections;
Annual Vines
Annual flowering vines that climb without becoming too heavy contain black-eyed Susan vine, cardinal climber, cypress vine, moonflower, scarlet runner bean, and hyacinth bean. All produce best in full sun.
Perennial Vines
Easily grown perennial vines for vertical gardens contain clematis hybrids, American bittersweet, and ivy. All grow best in full sun; clematis prefers to have their flowers in sun and their roots in shade.
Shady Vines
Vines for shade vertical gardening contain hardy kiwi, chocolate vine, Dutchman’s pipe, and climbing hydrangea.
Edible Plants
Edible plants that adapt well to vertical planting contain fruiting vines that are kiwi, Siberian gooseberries, edible flowers, for example, vining nasturtiums, and vertical garden vegetables such as peas, squash, tomatoes, and pole beans.
Columnar Plants
Columnar plants give vertical gardening interest. Many plants can be grown without a supporting structure. Consider planting columnar apple trees, arborvitae, junipers, or Lombardy poplars.
Caring the balcony vertical garden
A wide range of plants can live in a vertical balcony garden. One should select the plants according to the existing environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and light, as well as the aesthetic look one, intends to achieve.
Water – If a vertical garden is created in the balcony, it becomes necessary to keep a tab on their water requirements as a natural means of watering is completely cut off. The excess water should be collected in the water collection trays at the base which can either be re-utilized or drained away.
If pockets are used for a vertical balcony garden then water is supplied at the top row of pockets which wicks down the felt fabric and this water can be supplied by a drip-irrigation system. In the case of a green wall, a drip irrigation system on the top layer is sufficient enough to irrigate the lower layers of plants as water seeps down.
Light– Plants according to light requirements are rated from shade to full sun. Every plant wants adequate sunlight to thrive while some may even burn in direct sunlight. Therefore, choosing a suitable plant for a particular vertical garden location is most essential. Also, artificial lighting can be used if no natural light is obtainable in a location where gardening is needed.
Soil – Always use quality topsoil that contains essential elements of vermicompost, peat moss, sand, and organic matter. Slow-Release fertilizer should be used on the topmost layer of the plants so that the nutrients are washed down to the plants below by watering.
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Set up the watering system for vertical balcony garden
Growing plants on a vertical balcony garden, you’ll need irrigation that can provide moisture throughout the fabric layer. It’s a tube across the top of the panel with emitters that drip water down. Your best bet is to get them from an irrigation system supplier.
You can buy a standard valve and also irrigation drippers, but you’ll want a propagation timer that can be set for seconds rather than minutes. You want a quick flow of water for 10 to 15 seconds from 3 to 6 times a day, depending on weather conditions and your particular setup. Connect an emitter every 2 to 3 inches along the top irrigation tube and find the right balance between keeping the wall wet while not overwatering the plants. Attach the frame to the wall by using stainless-steel hardware. Hooks are fine if you think you’ll want to remove the frame; otherwise, brackets screwed into the wall and the frame will work.
Ideas to build a frame for balcony vertical garden
The basic structure of a vertical garden wall is a three-layer sandwich made of frame, plastic sheeting, and also fabric. Build the setup before hanging it. While you can attach it directly to a wall, building a frame to hang on the wall means taking it down will be easier. Use a 3/4-inch PVC pipe, elbows, and four-way joints to build a frame.
Balcony setup for a vertical garden
The first thing to consider before researching what plants to grow in a vertical balcony garden is whether or not your balcony is a suitable environment. There are some things required for greenery to grow, regardless of the space or size.
Access to outdoor sunlight
The amount of sunlight your plant will want depends on the type and species. Some of the plants thrive in direct sunlight while others flourish in the shade. It is important to consider how much sunlight your balcony gets daily and whether your plants will need to be East or West facing.
Limited space
Depending on the size of the vertical garden you’re after, you’ll need to think of the space required. Your balcony will need to have enough space to set up a vertical garden as well as enough space for you to access the garden to nurture and maintain it.
Protection from the elements
Rain, sleet, snow, or sun before you begin vertical garden consider whether or not your plants will be able to brave the elements. If you find the balcony gets a lot of wind, your pants will be affected by the wind too.
There are certain species of plants that and are delicate will not survive extreme temperatures if you live in a climate where the temperature drops below 32F and stays below freezing temperatures you may want to cover your plants with burlap or take your plants inside.
Working in containers
Since you won’t be planting directly into the ground, it is important to factor in root size as well as plant size. Some plants can grow quite large and become too large for the container. If this is the case, you could eventually be required to replant them in the ground to allow the roots to expand.
Different vertical garden ideas for balcony
Save space, time and money, by growing plants on a vertical balcony garden. Most plant stores have frames that support vertical gardens. Though, you can upcycle old plastic bottles and tin cans into pots for a more budget-friendly option. Repurpose an old ladder to act as a plant stand or add shelves to an empty wall.
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Growing plants in wall baskets
These planters are essentially hanging baskets and this is the main concept for planting a lot of different plants at once. It works as a great space saver since you don’t have to worry about planting the plants in an actual garden.
Attach planters to the balcony wall in an upright manner by using wood planks attached to the wall or nailing them to a wooden fence. This way, plants produce upright like usual and you could create stunning arrangements in each planter by combining different colors and textures.
Growing an indoor vertical balcony garden
Your two biggest concerns when planning an indoor vertical balcony garden are sunlight and drainage. Plants can produce in artificial light, but the lights may need to be turned on for up to 16 hours a day to provide enough light for growing. Ideally, some sunlight must be able to strike the plants, but you can choose plants that prefer shade or semi-shade.
Bottle planters
Recycling plastic bottles and turning them into planters is a great technique to add a vertical garden into your balcony. You can simply hang these planters against a wall in the balcony and plant all types of herb plants and succulents into the bottles. This is a fun method to start an herb garden without having to worry about traditional gardening and pots.
Pocket planter
With this pocket planter technique, being able to care for individual plants is a cheap and easy breeze. Simply place seeds to whatever herb or plant you want into individual pockets to control the growth procedure for each plant. Since the seeds are all separated, it could be easier to take care of each plant.
Pallet Tray System
Fill with soil, and then put in seeds, or preferably seedlings, into the slats. Once the plants are established (at least two weeks for seedlings), they must stay stable after hanging up the pallet. Great for getting spring planting started then freeing up space for summer plants after hanging.
Wall garden
This wall garden for balcony features squares of garden space. A vertical garden means you can have a suspended garden in any sort of capacity you’d like. This vertical garden is neatly packed into a wall space to add charm to any outdoor space.
Plastic wall planter
This is a vertical oasis that can construct from repurposed materials. You could make this planter smaller so you can incorporate fresh herb plants into it easily. Herbs can grow in any container that has adequate dirt and water and displays them on a trellis.
Arrange shelves to keep pots
If possible arrange old shelves or something so that you can keep pots there, this will also create a lot of space in your tiny garden.
Garden slats
This type of vertical garden features plant boxes with slats. This is a fun concept in executing a vertical garden and you can easily adjust the size of these planters depending on the size of the balcony area. You could even make mini slatted planter boxes for extra cuteness.
That’s all folks about ideas of balcony vertical garden. You might be interested in Plant Nursery Project Report for Bank Loan.
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