GRASSES & SOIL FOR UH GREEN ROOF
Grass: Palisades Zoysia Grass
Why This Grass?
There are many different grasses we could have chose from to use for the green roof, but we decided to go with Palisades Zoysia grass because of its practicality. Palisades Zoysia grass requires a low amount of maintenance due to the fact that it has low water needs and is drought-tolerant which is ideal for the harsh climate of Houston (1). The average length of the grass ranges from 0.5 in. to 2.5 in. which is also good for maintenance purposes because we would not have to go and trim down the grass very often due to its shorter length (1). Palisades Zoysia grass also has a bright green color all year which is good for the recreational aspect of the roof because the grass is aesthetically pleasing to the eye (1). All in all, Palisades Zoysia grass hits all the points for being a great, sustainable grass option.
Soil: LiveRoof Texas Engineered Green Roof Soil™
Why This Soil?
We decided that we were going to use the LiveRoof Texas Engineered Green Roof Soilâ„¢ for our green roof. We chose this specific soil because of the quality of the soil itself. It is composed of 94% inorganic material by dry weight which is ideal for a green roof because it will last much longer than the typical lawn soils that are composed of mostly organic matter (1). It also conforms to the German FLL granulometric standards which is important because the German FLL Guideline is the most trusted guideline for building and maintaining modern green roofs, so the fact that the LiveRoof Soil upholds the standards of it speaks volumes to the quality of the soil (1). Also, the LiveRoof Soil is able to effectively filter rainwater which is ideal for our built-in sprinkler system, and it is also capable of buffering acid rain which is helpful for the grass being grown in the soil and for preventing the soil from losing its effectiveness (1). The LiveRoof Soil is also compatible and will effectively grow all LiveRoof Texas plants which Palisades Zoysia grass is apart of (1).