Patrick Black does some cool stuff with living walls and
I would love to see a living Living wall the takes care of all the mosquitos in my house.
Is that possible?
www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/
I would love to see a living Living wall the takes care of all the mosquitos in my house.
Is that possible?
www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/
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Re: living insect wall: mosquito problem
Mon, January 7, 2008 - 5:46 AMShort answer: I don't think so.
Long answer: with a handful of exceptions, carnivorous plants grow in permanently wet locations, such as bogs. The traditional way of growing most of them is to stick them in a drained pot and then stick the pot in a bowl of water. Doing that with an entire wall ("I have to keep the wall wet! It changes color when it dries!" -Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) seems problematic.
The most notable carnivorous plants not typically grown using the water tray method are Nepenthes, the tropical pitcher plants. These plants are frequently found growing on the sides of trees, cliff faces, etc, and they send out climbing vines, so an entire wall of them seems feasible.
Some species of mosquito larva can and do survive in the fluid within Nepenthes pitchers. You'd need to figure out exactly which species of mosquitoes you've got, and what their infauna relationship with Nepenthes species is, otherwise you might actually contribute to your problem with a wall of Nepenthes.
Finally, will the plants eat the bugs? Well, they aren't preferred prey. They'll probably snack on a few. I once visited a bog full of sundews which was virtually mosquito-free, and when I catch them around my apartment I generally feed them to my flytraps. (It's my way of giving my plants a taste for human blood.) Putting a lamp over sundews or butterworts overnight is a good way to catch fleas; the same trick might work on mosquitoes.
But I don't think you'll be able to install a some plants and decimate the insect population. -
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Re: living insect wall: mosquito problem
Mon, January 7, 2008 - 9:50 AMsure you can do it. you'll just need to work out the mechanics of how to cater to your desired species needs. if you keep water circulating, and keep the nutrient content low you should be ok. i'd try butter worts and sun dews if i were you. build a small mock up and let it run for a while before trying to make a whole wall. it'll help you save money and work out all the bugs.
sorry for the gratuitous pun. -
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Re: living insect wall: mosquito problem
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 8:16 AMAwesome, thanks for the response. I actually live right next to the Tijuca National Forest in Rio de Janeiro, the largest urban
forest in the world, so plenty of crazy looking plants and bugs. Located there is a botanical garden and not to far from the botanical garden there is a commercial a nursery where they sell all kinds of plants. I not sure they sell carnivorous plants , but I know a couple biologist that may help me find what I need. I definitely plan to keep in mind your carnivorous plant recommendation and see what I can do with it. It sounds like fun thing to grow, i addition to all the other types of plants i like growing. It sound like they require a bit more knowledge to care for and grow than your your standard house plant. I primarily dealing with a mosquito that carries dengue virus, the africanus species (with black stripes on them). Ouch, they do hurt when they bite. There also these almost fruit fly-like mosquitos that are a total pain in the ass to catch and they love sweet oh sweet blood.
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