Monday march 30 2020 susan parent in our previous article urban gardening a growing trend we discussed the basics of urban agriculture with a focus of growing plants on roof tops in this article we will discuss the ideal growing medium and properties required for roof top gardening.
Lightweight growing medium green roof.
It is a good growing medium and ensures good water absorption and tenacity.
Green roof systems may be modular with drainage layers filter cloth growing media and plants already prepared in movable often.
Derived from 100 uk sourced materials.
It is simple to work with lightweight and offers guaranteed consistency throughout the green roof installation.
Experts in green roof soil more than a decade of experience.
3 drainage including filterfleece 11 20 mm.
These generally require a 5 15cm 2 6in depth of growing medium that can consist mainly of lightweight inorganic materials such as perlite leca sand rockwool and crushed tiles or concrete.
However the factors allowing for a lightweight roof can create a high stress environment for plant material.
These aggregates make a good basis for a growing medium.
A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof which involves at a minimum high quality water proofing root repellent system drainage system filter cloth a lightweight growing medium and plants.
Pumice is somewhat porous and is lighter than most aggregates.
For the best green roof medium the growing media should contain the following.
Three types of extensive green roofs 1.
Lightweight volcanic aggregate such as pumice or lava.
All our products are created with our innovative proprietary product development process which is designed to ensure high quality soil that meets established industry.
The extensive green roof lightweight cost effective and probably the most popular of the green roofs.
Sedum mats have a base layer of polyester hessian or porous polythene depending on the supplier.
With a full line of standard rooflite soil products including regional and project specific blends you can trust us to have the perfect soil for your project.
High quality green roof growing medium.
The thickness of the drainage layer will depend on the roof structure and the water storage capacity required depending on the.
Lindum s green roof substrate provides good aeration and water holding properties and controlled fertility levels.
Types of green roofs.
Substrate roll is a lightweight green roof substrate manufactured from long mineral wool fibres.
In general the bulk of the water storage in a green roof buildup is in the growing medium.
When saturated these layers can weigh in at more than 100kg per square metre or 20lbs per square foot.
These materials are available throughout the west coast of north america.
Criteria for growing media for roof top gardening.
These grow into the substrate as.