Use a decorative vessel for water storage

Recirculating systems allow you to have a living wall where there is limited access to a water source and drainage. You will need to provide a power source for the pump and timer. Here are tips to create a successful recirculating living wall with a decorative vessel. Note in the photo that the brown jug below this wall is the irrigation tank.

• Vessel Size: Provide 1 gallon per square foot of living wall. (40 liters per square meter)
• Tubing: Use 5/8″ black irrigation tubing that extends to the pump at the bottom of the vessel to the top of the living wall.
• Water distribution: Use a soldering iron to melt 3/8″ holes in irrigation tubing. Provide 2 holes per pocket column, spacing them in about 1-1/2 inch from the corners of the pocket. This irrigation line runs only at the top.
• Drain Tray: Provide a gutter that will collect the water that drips from the base of the wall and guide it back into the vessel. Use a marine thru-hole fitting to make a watertight connection between the gutter and the drain tube.
• Pump: Use a Jebao fountain pump with a free-floating rotor that can survive dry outs. Choose a size that provides a ‘pumping head’ or total pumping height that is 2-3 feet higher than the distance from the pump to the top of the wall.
• Timer: Use an outdoor rated digital timer. Set water timings to once a day for 15 to 30 min. Then adjust as needed for the type of plants, exposure to sun and humidity in the room. Find the right balance between moist and not too moist. It could even be every other day for 8 min.
• Care: Top your tanks weekly or as needed. Add a light fertilizer to the water in the Spring and Summer growing months.