What I have learned, is that based on my attention to watering, is that the deeper planting wells work best for me. They hold more water for longer, making the plants happier overall.
Although the units are made to drain excess water out the bottom, and through a hose attachment, they can be over watered. I did that early on. Then I went the other way and watered too little. When I purchased the shorter unit, I had much better success.
Both the shorter wells and the deeper wells have the same premise for working. They have a predrilled hole in each planting area that lines up with the tier below it, and the water drains down to the next tier and so on.
Each unit also comes with a water collection reservoir at the top, which is detachable, that can more quickly drain excess water down to the bottom and out, like when there is a heavy rain.
The planting tiers come as a set depending on which size planting wells you want and how many tiers you want to have.
I have found that I also prefer the shorter tiers, as the top is easier to reach for planting and watering.
There are accessories that can be ordered to help with the vertical gardening. The main one is the wheel base attachment with a spinner. The wheels can be locked in place to prevent the vertical planter from rolling on its own. The spinner allows you to easily turn the planter unit around without moving the wheels, to allow different plants to get more sun or shade as needed. You may need to go to Greenstalk.com to locate this specific accessory.
There are also other attachments to help with plant support. There are also accessories for frost protection and insect protection. I did purchase the accessory for frost protection, and felt more secure with my plants being protected on the predicted frosty mornings.
Pros:
More plants can be planted in a small square foot area, making it a great option for balcony and patio gardening.
The watering area is in a smaller square foot area.
Has optional accessories to make gardening easier.
Has a basic texture design or a weave pattern texture to choose from, and also various colors.
Cons:
Requires more regular watering, more so than raised beds and in ground gardening.
Would I order it again? Yes. Actually I already placed my order for an additional short tiered unit with the deeper planting wells. Whether my plants need the extra room for deeper roots or not, I will give them the extra space, and the shorter unit is easier for me to reach overall. I am 5'4".
Cheryl Paton
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These vertical planters look perfect for patio gardening (I live in an apartment complex with a patio). Thanks for explaining the pros and cons of each type of planter.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome Wednesday Elf. My second shorter unit arrived and I already started planting in it. I do find them great for small spaces.
DeleteVery interesting. Thanks for all the useful information
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome Mary Granger. Glad you found it both useful and interesting.
DeleteThanks for sharing your experience with these planters. It sounds like the shorter unit with deeper wells would work for many different types of plants.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, you are right. The deeper wells will definitely work for more plants, and the shorter wells can work great for shallow rooted plants.
DeleteVery nice addition to your garden. I agree the watering needs to be honed for these types of planters.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Morris, thank you. Indeed, the watering needs do need to be honed.
DeleteThe vertical planters are such a lovely way to have flowers on decks and patios. I have always been hesitant to buy vertical planters due to the high winds we get during storms. Do you have experience with how well they withstand wind?
ReplyDeleteThe only experience I had with high winds, was seeing our outdoor swing swinging into the house, we brought the Greenstalk planter into our garage. I did look on their site, and they recommend making sure all pieces are securely locked together, make sure planter is level and on solid ground - not on soil, mulch, or grass. If it is in a high windy area, try placing near a structure that can help shield it from the wind, make sure the planter is well watered - it is heavier when recently watered, only use 3-4 tiers, place a rod through the center hole and into the ground to secure it - this would defeat the watering system, but can still be watered around the unit, or place rebar around the unit.
DeleteThat is a fantastic idea especially for a balcony, small yard, or patio area. I would absolutely consider this to solve a space problem - great for herb planting too.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, indeed. I'm glad that they only take a small amount of space near my basement door.
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