Q. What are the benefits of living walls?

A. There are so many benefits that can be felt with living walls. The following are just a few examples: Living walls conserve energy by insulating the building envelope, reducing the need for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. They create biodiversity conservation opportunities, and absorb and filter storm water, which reduces local water body pollution and helps prevent the overwhelming of municipal storm water infrastructure. Living walls also filter air particulates, improving air quality and help to reduce the urban heat island effect (UHI). With our interior kits the plants clean the air in your office or home and also add humidity to the air when you have your central heating on in the winter.

Q. What is the weight of ELT Easy Green Living Wall panel?

A. Our empty panels weigh 5lbs and the planted panels range from 35-45 lbs (13 to 16lbs per sq ft) depending on the type of growth medium used. The panels with extensions weigh 10 lbs empty and 45-55 lbs (16-20lbs per sq ft) planted depending on the soil used.

Q. How do the plants stay in the panels?

A. Each panel has 45 angled cells which keep the soil and plants in. The roots of the plants also spread throughout the panel securing the plants in place.

Q. Do I need to plant every pocket or cell in the panels?

A. The plants you choose will influence this decision. You can choose plants that spread or are larger when they fill in and plant every few cells, or more compact plants that suggest planting every cell. It is up to you what look you are trying to achieve. On average I would say customer plant from 15-25 plants per panel.

Q. How do the panels attach to a wall?

A. Direct wall installations are very simple. We suggest first covering the wall with a waterproofing membrane of some sort ( i.e.: pond liner, EPDM, Blueskin). Then the mounting strips are secured horizontally across the wall anchoring directly into the studs. The living wall panels are then hung onto the mounting strips.

Q. Can the living wall kits be painted of stained?

A. Yes the kits are made of unfinished Canadian Cedar. They can be painted or stained. We suggest talking to you local paint dealer to help choose a product that will work best for you.

Q. What plants do people plant in them?

A. Plant choice is always location and climate dependant so we look at each project individually. With our shallow depth panels for outdoors we use a lot of sedum and other rock garden perennials which have shallow root base. With our extended panels you can use a larger variety of perennials or annuals and also some of the shallow root grasses. We try in all cases to choose plants that are more drought tolerant as we are always encouraging water conservation. Native plants are also very helpful to habitat restoration efforts, as most native plants provide food for our local birds and butterflies. There are many plants that can be grown on the ELT Easy Green Living Wall ™ system. The factors that will affect your choices are your climate zone, irrigation supply, budget, and exposure. Our talented designers can help you choose the plants that are right for you. For indoor installations we use hardy tropical plants with shallow roots.

Q. Can I grow vegetables in my living wall?

A. We have quite a few customers that are successfully growing lettuce, herbs, beets, radishes & carrots in their walls. Some are using extensions for the plants with deeper root base.

Q. How are the walls watered?

A. The panels are designed to allow water flow from cell to cell within each panel and then from panel to panel in a complete wall. For direct mount wall installations we suggest installing a drip irrigation line between every row or every second row of panels depending on the micro climate of the installation. Check out www.eltlivingwalls.com/irrigation.php for suggested guidelines. For our indoor living walls kits the manual irrigation is contained in the stands. Simply pour water into the top drip tray of the stand.

Q. How much water do the walls need?

A. The amount of water required is plant and climate dependant but an average would be approx 2 liters per panel per watering. Each cell has a water retention area so that it holds water when it flows through the panels. We always say keep an eye on your plants, they will look sad if they need water.

Q. What are the maintenance requirements?

A. ELT Easy Green Living walls ™ require very little maintenance. With carefully selected plants and proper irrigation they take care of themselves. The only thing that may need to be done is the odd trimming of dead leaves or fertilizing, or adding plants as necessary if replacements are needed. It is very similar to house or garden plants in that way.

Q. Can the living walls be installed on a sloped roof?

A. We recommend using ELT Easy Green ™ Living walls panels on slopes over 30 degrees. Under 30 degrees we use our green roof system www.eltgreenroofs.com

Q. What happens to my living wall in the winter?

A. For outdoor applications only this depends on your geographical location, climate and the plants selected. Some sedum species are evergreen and will turn a shade of maroon in the winter but will then return to their green color as soon as spring appears. Some grasses will go dormant and look brown all winter but then will regenerate from the centre of the plant, turning green again in the spring. In some of the warmer climates the plants survive all year round. Of course in some of our extreme cold climates the plants will recess into the cells of the panels to come back out again in the spring just as perennials do in the garden. To avoid this you can also plant all season evergreen plants in our panels if you use extensions. For indoor use they are just beautiful all year round.

Q. Can I install ELT Easy Green Living walls on my own?

A. Yes we have customers who do this all of the time! We give great advice by phone or email and have instructional brochures in every shipment and on the website. We also have certified installers all over that would be happy to help if you are not the do-it-yourself type.

Q. Why are our living walls considered sustainable?

A. Each Living Wall Panel has 45 individual cells with a small water reservoir; there is no need for constant irrigation. In average they are irrigated only once per week. Other technologies such as hydroponic mats require constant irrigation (more consumption of water and energy). Once the panels are planted and the plants are established they require very little maintenance and the plants don’t need to be replaced all of the time. The panels are designed to last. If you need to do any maintenance the panels can be removed and reused. The panels are made from 50% recycled HDPE and are 100% recyclable.

Q. Tell me about ELT?

A. ELT is based in Brantford Ontario Canada with representatives across North America and in several other Countries around the world. We specialize in living, sustainable building technologies like green roofs and living walls. The company began six years ago and for the first year we consulted on and installed other proprietary green roof systems. In doing this we were able to identify reoccurring hurdles in the green roof industry – flexibility, cost, and weight. We designed our green roof system to address these issues, providing the end user with maximum benefits in the most cost effective manner possible. ELT has since developed the living wall system to deal with the barriers associated with steep slope and vertical applications. We will be adding more similar “green” technologies in the near future… so stay in touch! www.elteasygreen.com

Q. How can I become a certified installer of ELT Easy Green?

A. ELT runs training courses all over North America for our ELT Certified Installers. To register to become either an ELT Certified Installer of Green Roofs and Living Walls please contact customerservice@elteasygreen.com

Q. what is the warranty coverage of the panels?

A. The panels are warrantied for 15 years. They are manufactured with UV protection for extra life expectancy.

Q. If I am doing a direct wall installation what do I need to have prepared?

A. You will need to waterproof the area that will house the living wall panels and irrigation controllers. You will also need a water source and electrical outlet brought to the wall and a drain detail at the bottom of the wall.

Q. What size irrigation line do we use for direct wall installations?

A. We run ¼” line horizontally across the panels with 1 emitter per panel. Depending on the plants and microclimate of the project we would install lines every 1 or 2 rows. These lines are generally fed by a ½” supply line. Check out our irrigation tab for further info.

Q. What kind of light do I need for my living wall?

A. It is best to locate your wall where it will receive some natural light. Otherwise you can augment with artificial if necessary. The most important thing is to specify plants that will survive where you are planting them. There are some species that survive very well for instance in low light. Others require more light. Talk to the plant experts or refer to the suggestions on our website.

If you have a question that has not been answered here please email us at support@elteasygreen.com