
Rainfall collects in the Floradrain® storage cells and roots are provided with water through diffusion. Water and nutrients are mostly supplied through natural processes. The substrate has a minimum depth of 80 mm and the vegetation consists of various species which provide a long blooming period and set different accents throughout the vegetation period. The system build-up “Rockery Type Plants” leads to an extensive green roof with sophisticated design and individual character. Make sure there is adequate drainage to deal with water run-off in storms, and stand pots on pot-feet in winter to allow for drainage of excess water.Extensive green roofs call for plant communities that can easily deal with sun, wind and drought.
#Extensive green roofs install
It may be wise to install an irrigation system if you are unable to keep up with manual watering. In summer, plants may need watering twice a day, or more for small pots. Rain showers do not often penetrate pots well, so watering may still be necessary. Plant supports such as wires and stakes may help prevent wind rock, and pots can be bracketed to walls or floors to prevent them blowing over.Ĭontainerised plants need watering all year round, except in freezing or very wet conditions. Remember that the lighter the compost, the faster it will dry out and the less heavy it will be for anchoring plants. Using polystyrene instead of broken pots to crock the bottom of pots will also reduce load. Compost can be further lightened by incorporation of perlite. Use lightweight growing media such as multipurpose compost and rockwool. Make sure there are ample drainage holes in the base. When choosing containers, consider using lightweight plastic, metal, or fibreglass pots and troughs.


They need at least 30cm (1ft) depth of growing medium, much of which needs to be organic matter.īuilt-in raised beds require planning and construction by suitable architects and/or contractors.

These are usually container or raised bed gardens. Hand weeding, watering and feeding are all necessary, and it may sometimes be necessary to replant areas that have failed. Semi-extensive green roofs take 12-18 months to establish, during which time they will need maintenance. Suitable waterproofing, root barrier, drainage and filter layers are necessary. They can be created, for example, on a gently sloping shed roof by building a grid of wooden cells on top of the roof and filling the cells with compost. These need 10-20cm (4-8in) depth of growing medium, enough to support perennials but not shrubs and trees. These are usually self-sustaining and should not require watering or weeding if the species chosen are appropriate to the climate. Ready-grown mats of sedum grown inside geotextile pockets filled with substrate are often available from contractors who install green roofs. It may be necessary to incorporate drains into the system, which should be boxed in to prevent them clogging up.įor diagrams and further information, see. The typical layers of an extensive green roof include waterproofing and insulation layers, a root barrier membrane, a drainage layer, a filter layer and then the growing medium above. 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. Types of green roofs Extensive green roofs

