Crazy, crazy crazy idea or is it?

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

I have tried the water wall idea and while it seems to work OK I have had a hard time regulating water through the fabric. I have Begonias, Pileas and a few orchids growing on mine but it's not fantastic looking like I had hoped. I plan to get it out of the greenhouse this spring and do some adjustments, Can't do much now with the greenhouse packed with plants. I'm also sort of confused. Is this a plan for next winter?

Hi Harry,
yup that was one thing I was trying figure out-if I had water seeping through the whole wall [constantly wet/moist] then some plants- orchids in particular might not appreciate that.

The other option is to build it like a viv background, Great Stuff foam, covered in a flevopol like mixture with a distinct water fall and misters at the top..

To the confusion- all my orchids are currently outside on a table, or in my little hobby GHs and I plan on putting them into the lean-to for the winter [more space/light etc] and building a big proper GH in the spring.
I did intend to use that wall just to hang mounts on but why just hang mounts on there when I could build a slice of tropical jungle? .

I don't know whether I would do it now [we're in Autum here in Australia] or leave it and see how hot it gets in Summer and whether or not I can sufficiently cool it- I would hate to make the wall and have most of the plants
dieing off from excess heat .

If I could keep it cool enough in Summer I would probably use it to grow lots of Masdevallias, Pleurothallis, Dracula etc.

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

I did find the original post but it is not in english.
Mur a epiphytes / epiphyte Wall

Hi Harry yep that was one of the pages I came across which gave me the idea to do it

I actually downloaded the page I originally looked at but it does have some english in it.. maybe there are two versions of that page?

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

The water runs through the capillary mat. It absorbs water and plants root to it very easily. You pump the water to the top and apply it to the mat and it trickles down to the reservoir to be recycled. Sort of like a swamp cooler does.

That's what I was also wondering about- using the wall as a sort of natural swamp cooler with the constant evaporation of water. I'm unsure if I'll be using the lean-to still in Summer but I was considering an exhaust fan in the ceiling and putting in an actual swamp cooler bringing in only dry outside air from it- that gets cooled and replaces the hot air which is continually sucked out from the top..

So many questions, considerations and decisions to make

[harrywitmore]

Damian, I have actually also seen some pictures of someone that grew orchids on a swamp cooler. It was done for the very reason you are doing it, to grow cool growing orchids.
I didn't realize you were in AU. A little Northern Hemisphere bigotry I guess. Sorry.
You may have come across an English translation I attempted for the instructions on how to build this thing. Looks like the original instructions are now gone. I won;t post a link to it since I don;t have permission to post it but I am still trying to get in touch with the author. There is a fellow Patrick Blanc who inspired this construction who does it on a grand scale.
Living Walls | EcoGeek | Green, Building, Some, System, Wall

[tunachris]

Although I have no direct experiece, I have heard of "water walls" being used in greenhouses to cool and add humidity to the greenhouse. In this application, orchds aren't grown directly on the water wall, the wall is on one end/side of the greenhouse to regulate the intenal conditions. I don't think many if any orchids could handle the constant water flow of the wall, but I may be wrong. The water wall functions as a swamp cooler in the greenhouse.

[harrywitmore]

Actually, the water is only ccled during the day but I have Bulbos that seem to love this setup.

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by tunachris

Although I have no direct experiece, I have heard of "water walls" being used in greenhouses to cool and add humidity to the greenhouse. In this application, orchds aren't grown directly on the water wall, the wall is on one end/side of the greenhouse to regulate the intenal conditions. I don't think many if any orchids could handle the constant water flow of the wall, but I may be wrong. The water wall functions as a swamp cooler in the greenhouse.

Yes that was my concern too, I don't know that other orchids would tolerate the moisture level mounted on such a wall that masdevallias etc do..

I wonder if they can be grown semi-hydro style but on a wall?

What I want to do though is more than just a wall- I want the look of the full on viv, the kind that Tindo and others have so masterfully created to resemble a slice of ephipytic nature; ie branches coming out, other complementary plants like tilandsias, broms etc..

I would also like possibly to use some 'terrestrials' like paphs and jewel orchids...

I guess it boils down to, plant selection, system design and function, asthetics and maybe in the end a little experimentation of trial and error.?

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

Damian, I have actually also seen some pictures of someone that grew orchids on a swamp cooler. It was done for the very reason you are doing it, to grow cool growing orchids.
I didn't realize you were in AU. A little Northern Hemisphere bigotry I guess. Sorry.
You may have come across an English translation I attempted for the instructions on how to build this thing. Looks like the original instructions are now gone. I won;t post a link to it since I don;t have permission to post it but I am still trying to get in touch with the author. There is a fellow Patrick Blanc who inspired this construction who does it on a grand scale.
Living Walls | EcoGeek | Green, Building, Some, System, Wall

No problem Harry thanks for your reply Thanks for the link too, amazing stuff!! and very inspiring

[daemondamian]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

Actually, the water is only ccled during the day but I have Bulbos that seem to love this setup.

That would seem to be good for plants that don't want continuous water, but to dry out some to just moist.. I'll have to check out the poisonfrog viv again- he has an embedded drip line but I can't remember if it's on all the time or on a timer to come on at set times.

Any chance of a photo? I love bulbos!