Plant Material For Green Roofs

In its simplest form a green roof may contain a sampling of sedums or other hardy succulents but many modern green roofs have increased the range and diversity of plants being grown by installing deeper growing media and changing the way green roofs are viewed or utilized.

Plant material for green roofs.

It mitigates wind and water erosion transpires captured moisture back into the atmosphere and provides evaporative cooling. Oddly enough though this style of green roof isn t a cool roof. Green roof growing medium is composed of mineral aggregates and only a small amount of organic material. Strawberries and hardy herbs can be grown on an edible green roof green roof construction.

Think of a green roof as a lasagne of ingredients. There are literally hundreds of varieties found. Think the hanging gardens of babylon. This can be made out of timber while off the shelf installations are typically metal.

Plant material also collects dust and creates oxygen. Sedums are one of the star plants for creating a green roof and a sedum roof needs no extra growing medium. Green roofs of creeping plants and herbs need some sort of frame around the perimeter to hold everything in place. Small succulents are low maintenance plants.

Plants are available as starter plants plugs or in larger containers 4 and bigger. Technically speaking the term green roof applies to a roof upon which living plants have been planted and nurtured. Succulents these are exceptional plants to consider and they are used to cover an important area of green roofs. When you re thinking about what goes into a green roof the terminology can really get in the way.

As well as affording excellent ground cover this hardy easy to maintain plant grows happily in a shallow layer of substrate minimising the amount of pressure it puts on a structure. They grow with little soil and practically no water. Succulents are one type of plant that utilizes crassulacean acid metabolism cam. Growing medium is not the same material used for a house plant or a garden.

Green roof plant material is designed to take up much of the water that falls on the roof during a storm event. Succulents such as sedum are often chosen for extensive green roofs because they withstand harsh conditions and minimize water loss. Traditional soil is heavy and packs tight after repeated rains reducing water retention and aeration for plant roots.