covering a stucco wall
Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony
with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee |
covering a stucco wall
On 3/9/2008 11:00 PM, JayDee wrote:
Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee Creeping fig (Ficus pumila, also known as F. repens) will severely damange stucco. It's worse than ivy. If you own the building, that's your problem. If you are renting, you will have a problem with your landlord. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19) Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/ |
covering a stucco wall
"JayDee" wrote in message ... Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee I suggest that you train a vine (but definitely not moss) on some sort of structure that can be mounted so it is a few inches *out* from the wall. Someone else mentioned lattice, and that would be a good option. Any plant growing on brick or stucco can create damage (mold, mildew, cracks developing) and is also an attractant to insects. Moreover, you will not be able to view any damage to the surface of your home as it is developing...possibly until after major damage has been done. MaryL |
covering a stucco wall
On Mar 12, 5:02*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote: "JayDee" wrote in message ... Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee I suggest that you train a vine (but definitely not moss) on some sort of structure that can be mounted so it is a few inches *out* from the wall. Someone else mentioned lattice, and that would be a good option. *Any plant growing on brick or stucco can create damage (mold, mildew, cracks developing) and is also an attractant to insects. *Moreover, you will not be able to view any damage to the surface of your home as it is developing...possibly until after major damage has been done. MaryL thanks for the replies. The creeping fig doesn't even appear to be sticking to the stucco after almost eight months of being tied to little plastic clips every 4-6 inches. It seems to have grown a little, but since the figs are in 12" diameter pots, I don't think they'll be growing all that fast. How long will it take before they start attaching themselves to the stucco? Should I put something against them to press them into the wall? At this point, I'm alright leaving them since it's an apartment that needs a little stucco work anyway (I've been here for 10 years and they really need to restore it). - JayDee |
covering a stucco wall
"JayDee" wrote in message ... On Mar 12, 5:02 am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote: "JayDee" wrote in message ... Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee I suggest that you train a vine (but definitely not moss) on some sort of structure that can be mounted so it is a few inches *out* from the wall. Someone else mentioned lattice, and that would be a good option. Any plant growing on brick or stucco can create damage (mold, mildew, cracks developing) and is also an attractant to insects. Moreover, you will not be able to view any damage to the surface of your home as it is developing...possibly until after major damage has been done. MaryL thanks for the replies. The creeping fig doesn't even appear to be sticking to the stucco after almost eight months of being tied to little plastic clips every 4-6 inches. It seems to have grown a little, but since the figs are in 12" diameter pots, I don't think they'll be growing all that fast. How long will it take before they start attaching themselves to the stucco? Should I put something against them to press them into the wall? At this point, I'm alright leaving them since it's an apartment that needs a little stucco work anyway (I've been here for 10 years and they really need to restore it). - JayDee This site says creeping figs will cling to any damp surface (which would not be true of stucco -- and would not be desirable): http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...e/_PLA704.html. You said that the stucco needs to be restored. That, of course, will be impossible with vines growing on it. The vines would need to be removed -- and that will probably leave still more damage if you were to get true clinging vines, such as ivy. I did espalier some Russian olive on a brick wall a number of years ago, and that worked well. It had to be held with clips or tied to nails (which is an advantage rather than a disadvantage because clinging roots really can do a lot of damage), but the stems were sturdy enough so that I was able to use very few nails and tie the developing plant to them. The underside of the leaves gave a pretty, shimmery almost "silver" effect against the wall. MaryL MaryL |
covering a stucco wall
moss requires constant dampness, not good for stucco.
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/moss2006.jpg On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:40 -0700 (PDT), JayDee wrote: Hi I'm trying to figure out the best way to cover my stucco balcony with something green and alive. I put up some creeping fig vines, but there's still more balcony to fill. I was thinking some kind of moss maybe? Is this realistic? What other option might I consider that would require little care and would do a good job of densely covering the side and top of the stucco walls? Thanks. - JayDee |
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