Substrates
The vegetation layer holds all the plants' root systems, and must provide good growing conditions on the roof. Vegetation substrates for roof planting are real all-rounders. Key factors for the quality of vegetation substrates are their water storage capacity, structural stability, water permeability and particle size distribution.Worth knowing ...
Who invented it ...?The idea of planting roofs is not new, nor is it traditionally German. Nonetheless, German researchers and designers have undisputably been at the forefront of developments in the field of roof planting over the past fifty years.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, dating from the 6th century, are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and often cited as a predecessor of the green roof. In ancient Athens and Rome, too, roof gardens were laid out and intensively used on the traditional flat roofs.
In Iceland and Norway, green roofs have existed for centuries - in these countries it is the insulating effect of turf and peat that people turn to their advantage.
(Source: Goethe Institute)