Selection of Suitable Plants for Green Walls and Their Maintenance in Kabul City: A Survey-Based Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62810/jnsr.v4i3.501Keywords:
Green walls, Kabul, Kobo Toolbox, Maintenance practices, Questionnaire, Suitable plantAbstract
Green walls (GWs) are increasingly recognized as effective nature-based solutions to improve urban environmental quality. However, data on suitable plant species (SPS) and maintenance practices (MP) for GWs in Kabul City under arid and semi-arid conditions remain limited. This study aimed to identify SPS and evaluate MP for GW development in Kabul. The study was conducted in Kabul City in 2025 with 202 respondents through a structured questionnaire. Data were collected using Kobo Toolbox and analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression. Results showed that most respondents were male gardeners and agriculturists, and most had bachelor's degrees. GW occurred at 74.8% of respondent sites, but exotic species were used more frequently for GW, while native species were used less often. The most common plants were climbing willow, boxwood, and ivy, while grapevine and rose were less common. Preferred species were drought-tolerant, evergreen, and aesthetically valuable. MP showed moderate irrigation dependence, dependence on furrow irrigation, and limited use of advanced pest management techniques. A moderate positive correlation was found between green wall problems and the main green wall pests (ρ = 0.404, p < 0.001). No significant relationship was found between MP and SPS. Regression analysis also showed that MP significantly affected SPS selection (Nagelkerke R² = 0.736). Water shortage and plant diseases were major constraints. The study concludes that, for sustainable GW development in Kabul, selecting stress-tolerant ornamental species with integrated maintenance strategies is essential.
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