Eco‐integrated green walls for indoor gardening and commercial buildings

Dr. Martine Dorais and Claudine Ménard
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

This project by AAFC scientists looked at providing new commercial opportunities for the Canadian ornamental industry through the development of innovative and low maintenance indoor gardening eco-wall systems for home, residential and public buildings.

The development of increasingly affordable LED light systems is revolutionizing the horticultural industry and is currently considered as one of the most promising new technologies to improve crop productivity and profitability. In addition to providing photosynthetic (400-700 nm) the spectral quality of light influences plant morphology, enhances the production of bioactive health compounds, controls pests and diseases. Furthermore, when LED lighting is associated to bio-stimulants/Si (natural suppressive agents) enriched growing medium, plant growth can be influenced positively.

This project tested five distinctively different wall module systems, several growing medium, fertilization regimes (organic, conventional) and bio-stimulants, including Si, on a wide range of plant species grown under different light conditions (e.g. with or without LED supplementary lighting; under low PPFD).