If you want to green your roof, you may want to plant grasses. Grasses sway in the wind, making the green roof look even more alive. However, grasses cannot easily be planted on a green roof. Find out below which prerequisites must be met and which grasses are suitable for green roofs.
Low grasses also thrive on less soil
The thickness of a green roof
Green roofs have different heights. Very low green roofs start at 6 cm (so-called extensive green roofs), very thick green roofs can reach up to one meter (so-called intensive green roofs). The thicker the green roof, the heavier it is. Very heavy green roofs can weigh up to 1000kg per square meter when wet. Therefore, this type of green roof is not suitable for every roof.
On very low and therefore lighter green roofs, the choice of plants is significantly smaller, on very thick green roofs even trees can be planted. Here is a brief overview:
| Height of the green roof | plant selection |
|---|---|
| Up to 6cm | Mosses, succulent plants |
| 7 - 15cm | Herbs and low meadow plants and grasses |
| 15 - 25cm | Tall grasses and flowering plants |
From a height of 25 cm one speaks of intensive roof greening. Grasses do not require intensive greening, but do require a high level of extensive greening.
Which grasses are suitable for green roofs?
When choosing the grasses for your green roof, you should consider the following:
- Choose grasses that tolerate a lot of sun.
- Choose at least a few grasses that are evergreen so that you have a green roof even in winter.
- Choose low-maintenance grasses.
- For a roof greening with a height of less than 15 cm, choose only low-growing grasses such as e.g. Schillergrass, from a height of 15cm you can also plant taller grasses such as tufted hair grass.
| Surname | growth height | heyday | features |
|---|---|---|---|
| blue fescue | Up to 30cm | June July | Bluish culms |
| Red sedge | Up to 50cm | summer | Red-brown leaves |
| Blue-green sedge | 20 to 80cm | April to June | wintergreen |
| trembling grass | Up to 30cm | May to June | Loose fluffy appearance |
| iridescent grass | Low | June to July | Grows spherical |
| rainbow fescue | Up to 45cm | June to July | wintergreen |
| Alpine bluegrass | 15 to 30cm | June to August | |
| Real sheep fescue | 5 to 60cm | May to July | |
| Eyelash pearl grass | 30 to 60cm | summer | deciduous |
| tufted hair grass | Up to 70cm | June to August | Tolerates extreme drought |
tips
Do not order your grass online, but get advice from a specialist dealer. In this way you can be sure that the grasses are also suitable for your green roof and will thrive.