Artificial soil for soilless gardening

Abstract

With limited land area in Singapore and various countries, green wall has been a popular design option. Not only does green wall provide aesthetic comfort, but research has also shown that there is more benefit in green wall such as cooling down indoor temperature and improving quality of air. However, due to its high cost in installation and maintenance, green wall become less appealing when consumer is on a budget. Maintaining the soil quality contribute largely to the operating and maintenance cost. Hence, alternative solution to replace soil as a growing medium has been an interest. To address this issue, this project investigates alternative growing medium, primarily polyurethane foam, and a self-irrigation system that need not user to water the plants when low in water content in growing medium. Other in using polyurethane foam in green wall, this project also looks into whether polyurethane foam can be marketed as visually appealing growing medium as compared to traditional soil.