A green roof not only looks good, it also has numerous advantages. But not every roof can be planted and not all plants are suitable for green roofs. In the following, you will find out what needs to be considered when greening a roof and how you can plant your own roof.

Plants on the roof protect the house from heat and cold

The advantages of a green roof

A green roof not only has visual effects. It brings many benefits to the house and its occupants:

  • The plants protect the roof from weather and sunlight.
  • Thermal insulation in winter
  • Heat protection in summer
  • Improvement of the ambient climate through water retention and release as well as pollutant filtering
  • Habitat for insects and birds

The green roof has no disadvantages.

Extensive versus intensive green roofs

There are generally two types of green roofs: extensive and intensive. While the extensive roof greening applies layers of 6 to 24 cm to the roof, with the intensive 25 cm up to one meter of soil or layer is applied. The choice of plants is very limited with extensive greening, with intensive greening an entire garden can be planted on the roof.

The prerequisite for being able to plant plants on a roof

A green roof adds a significant amount of extra weight to the roof. A layer only a few centimeters thick can weigh up to 120 kg per square meter when wet. Therefore, not every roof is suitable for greening. Sturdy pitched roofs can usually be planted without any problems, flat roofs of free-standing carports may not be suitable for such a weight. In general, if the roof can be walked on, it can also be planted, at least with an extensive roof greening, i.e. a less thick layer of plants. If in doubt, you should definitely consult a structural engineer.

What is a roof planted with?

With extensive roof greening, only shallow-rooted plants can be planted. Common are:

  • mosses
  • Sedum species
  • low grasses

How much does a roof planting cost?

You can easily lay an extensive roof greening on a flat roof yourself - preferably with a commercially available complete set. You can get these online from as little as €40 per square meter and they usually contain all foils, substrates and fleece as well as seeds or sprouts. You can find out more about the costs and the complete packages here.

tips

You want to plant your roof yourself? Here you will find brief instructions with all the important information.

Category:

Garden design