I'm using a software-style numbering system to describe the changes in each living wall design. While I'm sticking with a mount-type wall (rather than an aeroponic setup), I've made a few significant improvements since Living Wall v. 2.0 from a year ago. The thread that describes versions 1.0 and 2.0 is here:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...chid-wall.html
This is v. 2.0, still going strong, albeit with inadequate lighting.
And this is v. 3.0, how it looks today, about 2 months after setup.
The big difference in design between the two versions is the catch basin for water runoff. In v. 2.0 the basin is separate from the wall, and the wall rests on top of it. This carries a risk of leakage. In v. 3.0 the basin is part of the wall. This makes production more challenging, but eliminates the risk.
Here is what the wall looked like while it was being made.
And just finished
And the day after it was populated with plants (not all orchids) and exhibited at the Green Living Show in Toronto at the end of April.
Shortly after the show, it became obvious that some plants were not going to do well on the wall, at least not in the spots they were in. So after the show, some got evicted, some relocated, and a bunch more orchids were added.
Here is a noid cattleya (bought out of bloom from Terra Greenhouses for $5) a month after setup.
And here it is last week, another month later, with a sheath
And a few more photos
The light fixture is a homemade bar with fourteen 5W LED's, a combination of cool and warm whites. I will make a separate post about it. The cabinet underneath the wall holds the driver for the LED's and the bucket for runoff water (in different compartments). The water is not recirculated.