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Horticus living wall instructions warning symbol

Warning!

Do not install above electrical sockets or electrical equipment. Do not allow children to climb on the frame.

 

Ensure the frames are attached securely to the wall. If you don’t feel competent to take on the work yourself, please consult a qualified professional.

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For best plant health we do not recommend installing Horticus above radiators and heaters, as this will reduce humidity and dry out foliage.

Step 1.

Soak planters

Living wall terracotta planter soaking instructions.

Brand new terracotta is like a sponge, it wants to absorb any moisture it can find. So before planting your planters up, they require soaking.

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Submerge your empty pods in your sink or bath, allow to soak for at least 1hr.

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Efflorescence

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You will notice that some of the planters will have white hazy deposits. This is known as efflorescence and is caused by evaporation of the water during drying process. The result is natural salt deposits, accumulated from various minerals found in the earth where the clay was quarried. This is not harmful to your plants and over time it will form a natural colouring and patina, making your pot look seasoned and earthy.

Horticus living wall planter back showing possible effloresence
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Step 2.

Design your layout

Lay down a blanket on the floor to prevent the frames scratching any of your surfaces.

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Design the layout that you wish, by placing the frames on their legs. For maximum strength use orientation B for your layout.

Correct on the wall frame orientation

B

Horticus living wall kit frame assembly orientation

Please ensure during design of your layout, the inside edges of the frames (highlighted in green) are always horizontal. Any other orientation will mean that the planters, although secure on the frames, will be impossible to water in situ. 

Incorrect on the wall frame orientation

Horticus living wall kit frame assembly orientation
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Step 3.

Assemble frames

Living wall kit mobile phone instructions

Once you are happy with your design, grab your phone and take a picture. Using the mirror function on your phone flip the photo. This time using the mirror image on your phone as a guide recreate the layout with the frames facing down and the legs sticking up.  

Join all of the frames using the fittings provided. Ensure the washers are used on both sides of the frame. You will need to peel off the adhesive cover on the washers and ensure the adhesive side is facing the frame.

Horticus living wall kit frame assembly instruction

Your kit comes with a set of wall plugs. The wall plugs we provide are suitable for the following building materials:

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  • Concrete

  • Solid brick

  • Solid sand-lime brick

  • Aerated concrete

  • Vertically perforated brick

  • Perforated sand-lime brick

  • Plasterboard

  • Gypsum plasterboard and gypsum fibreboards

  • Hollow blocks made from lightweight concrete

  • Natural stone

  • Chipboard

  • Solid panel made from gypsum

  • Solid brick made from lightweight concrete

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Please note if you are fixing to any panel material e.g. plasterboard, the plugs we provide will only work with a minimum panel thickness of 12.5mm. If your panels are thinner than this you will need to source appropriate fixings.

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Below is specification for the size of the holes you will need:

12.5 [mm]

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8 [mm]

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51 [mm]

Min. panel thickness

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Drill Diameter

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Min. drill hole depth 

Offer up your frames to the wall and confirm the set up is level. Mark all the holes. Drill the holes as per specification above and place the wall plugs in. You may need to use a hammer to ensure the wall plugs are flush with your wall. Offer up the frames set up and screw in to the wall.

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Warning!

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Do not install above electrical sockets or electrical equipment.

 

Ensure the frames are attached securely to the wall. If you don’t feel competent to take on the work yourself, please consult a qualified professional.

 

Do not allow children to climb on the frame.

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Step 4.

Place planters on the frames

We recommend practising this with empty planters first as there is a slight learning curve, which is eased when the planters are not full of heavy soil.

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When placing one of your planters on the wall ensure the holes are facing up. Find the groove on the sides of the planter. Allow the frame to slot into the groove at the bottom of the planter.

 

Slide your planter to the right or to the left to lock, using grooves on the side, at least one side will always lock.

Step 5.

Plant up

Remove your pre-soaked planters and pat them dry. Place the planter in front of you on its little feet. Place soil, we recommend loam soil, in the base of the planter. 

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Remove the plant from its plastic pot, place the plastic pot on top of the soil that you’ve placed in the planter as per image below. Ensure the soil in the base brings the plastic pot to the ridge of the planter. If the plastic pot is still loose, add more soil and firm it down until the pot sits comfortably on the soil base.

 

Living wall planter part filled with soil to the right height for the plastic pot.

When you are happy with the soil base move your plastic pot to the centre and fill the earth all around. Ensure you firm it down as you go along. Be firm but don’t compact it. Fill the earth all the way to the ridge of the planter as per image below.  Remove the plastic pot, you should be left with a hole made of soil. Place your plant in the hole and add a little soil and firm it down to finish off. If you are using earth retainers such as sphagnum moss, add this on top and around the plant, pushing the strands under the planter ridge. Your retainer should be sandwiched between the ridge and the earth.

 

Horticus living wall planter part filled with soil to the top edge with plastic pot in the middle.
Horticus living wall planter potted with soil and Hoya Liniaris
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Step 6.

Add earth retainer

Please note this step is optional.

We recommend using loam soil, which has a mixture of clay, sand and silt in equal parts. Clay and silt are water retentive and as a result also help for the soil particles to stick together. This, combined with plant roots that inhibit soil erosion, prevents the soil from dropping out.

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However if this is not the look for you, you may have opted for earth retainers, which come in various forms.

Sphagnum moss

Sphagnum moss is a natural moss, which is rot resistant and water retentive. It comes in long strands which form loose clumps. It works well with orchids and around bulbs such as Hyacinths, but can be used with any of your plants. It can be easily purchased from any local garden centre.

Horticus living wall planter with sphagnum moss.

Grab a hand full of moss and place it on top of the soil, press it down firmly and weave through your plant stems. Tuck in any loose moss material under the ridge of the planter. 

Horticus living wall planter potted with monkey jars and sphagnum moss
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Step 7.

Water

It’s time for your plants to get watered for the first time. Place your planters in the sink. Water each planter with 1L of water. Allow water to drain out, by tipping each planter slightly forward. Let it stand for 15mins.  This allows the soil to settle. Before placing the planters on the wall ensure all the water has sufficiently drained by tipping each planter slightly forward.

 

Living wall planter being drained through the holes after first watering.

Once the planter is on the wall, you can water through the holes with a long spout watering can, we recommend Haws. Allow 0.5L per planter once every 7-10 days in summer and once every 10-13 days in winter.

Horticus living wall planter being watered.

When watering on the wall, especially for the first few times, err on the side of caution. There are many variables in terms of how much water each plant will absorb. We would recommend putting 250ml of water first allowing the water to absorb and then adding the rest later, until you become confident. Over time you will become familiar with your plants and their watering needs.

Step 8.

A few pointers

While your plants are settling into their new home keep an eye on the soil. The terracotta may still be initially hungry for water and draw it out of the soil. A good tip is to gauge the weight of the pot before you water it and after. You will notice a dry plant is much lighter. 

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Do not allow your plants to get so dry that the earth will start to come away from the pot. If this happens water your plant off the wall. This may be also a good time to top up  your plant with extra soil.

Horticus living wall planter showing dry soil coming away from the edges

If you are using soil retainers then moisture loss will be a little slower. Use the weight of the pot and colour of the soil to tell you if you need to top up with water.

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Don't forget to occasionally mist the leaves of your plants. Our indoor environments can get rather dry, especially in winter. 

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