Home decor pieces that pack a punch and keep your guests staring are some of my very favorite. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a DIY plant wall, so my husband and I set about making out own this weekend in our outdoor greenhouse. We will move this bad boy indoors into my office once we finish the remodel (the process is long and hard folks, but we are so excited to finish up with this!)
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make our own DIY plant wall–it required tons of plants, but I had enough propagations left around that we really only spent about $200 extra at our local nursery. Additionally, the framing was a bit expensive simply because of the price of wood, but I’m in love with how it turned out and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
Here’s my DIY plant wall tutorial.
DIY plant wall tutorial
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own DIY plant wall. There are several ways to do this, but my husband and I used fabric pockets as our base.
- Fabric pocket garden systems (like this one from Amazon) you’ll need as many pockets as you want the size of your wall, so make sure you measure accordingly!
- 2x4s (these will make a frame that you attach the pocket garden system on to). OR this metal framing set.
- Screws, drill, raw plugs to secure the fabric pocket system to the 2×4 frame
- Plants in 13cm pots (we ended up needing around 48…most of mine are propagation offsets, like the pothos and spider plants)
- Well-draining potting soil
DIY Plant Wall: Step One
Before you do anything else, you need to pick a perfect spot for you plant wall. You need to ensure that your living wall gets at least 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight every day. No more, no less.
After you have picked a location, measure out your space. We chose an area in our green house that was about 10×20 feet tall.
DIY Plant Wall: Step Two
Now that you’ve measured the area you want to put your plant wall, it’s time to build your 2×4 vertical frame. The longest 2x4s should be the sides of the frame and the shortest will cross the top. Though this is a tutorial from DIY Network for a room divider, it worked perfectly for our needs and we used this to create our frame.
DIY Plant Wall: Step Three
When the frame is complete and ready to go (admittedly, I didn’t take part in this part of our project–that was all my husband’s doing!) stretch your fabric pocket garden so that it’s pulled tight over the frame. As soon as it’s positioned where you’d like it to be, use your drill, raw plugs, and screws to secure the plant pockets. (Tip, we lined the hoops of our plant pockets with metal discs to insure the fabric wouldn’t eventually tear from the weight).
After the pockets are secured, the fun can officially begin–move your plant wall to your desired location and secure it to the wall using brackets (this is especially crucial if you have little ones or live in an area prone to earthquakes.)
DIY Plant Wall: Step Four, TIME TO PLANT!
Fill the pockets of your pocket garden about 2/3 of the way full of well draining soil and the tuck your plants in around them, filling the pocket holes with a little more soil as you go. Repeat until the process is complete and you have filled all of the pockets–this part took me at least four hours, but I had a blast and it was incredibly relaxing!
DIY Plant Wall: Care Tips and Tricks
Now that your plant wall is ready to go, it’s up to you to keep it alive! Check the soil with your finger and a moisture meter at least once a week, and only water when plants look wilted or the soil is dry. Plant walls run a high risk of root rot, and once it starts it can spread fast. It’s better to underwater your plant walls, as opposed to over watering.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some plants on your wall might get thirstier faster than others–this is okay. You don’t need to water everything at once, it’s okay if everything has it’s own schedule.
Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer once yearly, in the spring, and keep an eye out for any pest infestations, though these should be kept at bay if you keep the soil somewhat dry. If you notice that pets do begin to appear, neem oil is a quick way to curb them.
Got questions about caring for your own plant wall? Comment below and I will do my best to answer them.
