Limited back yard area? Think "vertical garden". Think BioWall!

Here's the so-called "BioWall" as seen some weeks ago on my first viewing at a major supplier/installer.

 I've since taken an extra 3 piccies, separated by a week or more, showing the relative constancy of its impressive appearance.  (Point and click to enlarge). 

Why am I showing it here?

Yes, free advertising, one might say. But there's a separate, more important reason. 

Wife and I have just had one installed in our back yard! 

Here's how our own BioWall looked immediately after installation, together with our  two curious kittenish cats.

We're most impressed - not just by the appearance, but by the underlying science (especially the largely automatic system that keeps the 432 perennial pot plants regularly watered - but NOT overwatered.

More to follow - especially as regards the brilliant irrigation system...

Friday July 30

Yes, let's take a closer look at the irrigation system, which though largely invisible in the end-product, was captured in the piccies I took while installation was in progress.

Above you see some of the 144 containers (each comprising 3 separate pots) that have been attached to the  timber framework. Yes, they are linked. We'll see how shortly.

Here's a follow-up picture with some of the containers occupied, and with one of the two installers doing some careful measurements nearest the back door:

 Here's a clue to the top-to-bottom irrigation system that keeps the BioWall supplied with a life-preserving water supply.

Yes, you can see the inlet water-supply hose snaking up the side, then running behind the top  horizontal spar of timber to the highest tier of containers.

An here's where the water supply came from - namely an outside tap. It was fitted with a second tap and hose, as you can see on the right, the one on the left being the original.

July 31st, 2021

Here's a few details regarding the irrigation system.

First, here's an elevated view taken from the far end, furthest from the inlet feed to the highest tier:

Note the side tubing which takes water into each container. From this angle one cannot see where the tubes go, or how they end. That info is available, however, in a piccy that I took from the opposite end, i.e. from water-supply:

The side tubes dangle freely into the containers.  But what are those ribbed black objects, of which two are visible in the above piccy? To find out, I went down to a lower level and removed a single pot plant from an end-container to investigate in more detail.

I've placed a tick against the black-ribbed item. (Ignore the hole marked with a cross - it seems irrelevant from a brief glance).

Next I tugged lightly on the black ribbed item.  It lifted off, being the grid-protection for a drain exit for surplus water.

(I've marked the location of the vertically-oriented exit drain with a small yellow arrow). 

Sunday August 1

So, starting at the highest of 13 horizontal tiers, a shallow layer of inlet water from an outside tap builds up under each pot, sufficiently high to reach the base of the compost but no higher.  (One relies on subsequent capillary action to gradually wet the entire compost + plant roots). It then proceeds to overflow into a drain pipe, running down to the next tier below, and thus it continues.

Then what?  

Answer: the surplus finally runs into a gutter installed along the base.

Finally, one sees overflow into a conveniently-situated drain:

Time to turn off the inlet tap (which can be up to 20 mins or so after turning on, depending on when the pots were last watered).

Link to BioWall website:

https://www.biowall.co.uk

(Added note: have deleted the inserted image of a colourful BioWall ad' in a free magazine that came through the letterbox. Why?  Answer:  this posting disappeared completely from a search engine listing shortly thereafter! Cause and effect - or mere coincidence? Let's see if the posting reappears or not.)

Have also just discovered that BioWall has a blogsite!

I'll now take a break, and wait to see what, if any, this posting attracts by way of feedback.

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