As New York living wall installers we sometimes get asked to install moss walls. A moss wall, as it sounds, is moss on the wall. They can be very beautiful. But we didn’t use to install moss walls. We felt there were several ecological and aesthetic problems with moss walls. We had two main issues with them.
Differences Between Moss Wall and Living Wall
Firstly, they are not alive. Most people mistakenly think the moss is alive but it isn’t. The moss is dried and often died green to appear fresh and alive. But it is no more alive than wallpaper. After it is dried it is glued to the wall. Just like wallpaper….as LIVING wall installers we don’t install moss walls any more than we install wallpaper.
It’s a whole different thing. All our living wall installations have real living plants (don’t even get us going on plastic plants). We feel moss walls are dead, literally and aesthetically. They don’t clean the air, regulate humidity or let off healthy ions like living walls do. Moss walls are purely ornamental without the biological benefits of living walls. You’re just as well off with a landscape painting as you are with a moss wall.
Secondly, and most importantly, moss walls use moss that is harvested from the wild. Don’t believe the hype that moss walls are “sustainably” harvested. They are harvested from the wild, period. They are taken from forests, creek beds and other shaded areas where moss grows. There is nothing sustainable about it. Moss takes many years to grow. Taking moss from the wild is unsustainable no matter how much you take.
Living walls, on the other had, use plants that are grown on farms. Natural habitats are not harmed. It is very sustainable.
But we have since changed our tune and do install moss walls. In the big picture, moss walls don’t actually use that much moss so the environmental impact isn’t massive. And if you want something beautiful that is basically zero maintenance then moss walls are the way to go.
A living wall, although also beautiful, does require at least some maintenance. Living walls have living plants, and whenever you have plants you need some sort of maintenance.
Another benefit of moss walls is that they don’t need extra lighting or water, something that can be expensive and labor-intensive. And did we mention the price? Living walls are twice as expensive as moss walls. Moss walls are a great option where you want a living wall but don’t have the budget or time for a living wall.
So if you ware looking for a New York moss wall installer you can now contact Eco Brooklyn.
