Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Two Weeks and Growing

Green Roof Crimson Clover at 2 Weeks

Green Roof Crimson Clover at 5 Days

Update of the green roof crimson clover trials.

Two weeks since seed was sown.

The young plants are thick and developing quickly, spreading tiny branches and leaves out across the roof.

Eli and I discussed the importance today of using green manure crops - or nitrogen fixing crops - as a best management practice to supplement or hopefully replace chemical fertilizers on green roofs.

Clover makes a great pollinator plant when blooming, provides habitat, prevents erosion, fixes nitrogen and carbon, produces oxygen and adds streaks of green across the roof.


As always, email with with questions and happy green roofing.

Kevin.

Green Roof Permaculture, Peak Oil and Survival

Never one to be an alarmist, I will remind all we are in the generation of peak oil.

As demands on petro supplies increase and supplies decrease we need to look to alternatives.

Lightweight Rooftop Permaculture Systems

Rooftop permaculture offers many solutions to food, cooling, habitat creation and wildlife integration, cleaning stormwater, carbon sequestration, oxygen production and more.

If people spent one hour per day working in their rooftop permaculture garden the world's population would be healthier, both physically and mentally.

Work with growing plants and food on the rooftop for six months, eating the greens and veggies you grow, watching the urban core wildlife come to the plants, experiencing intense nature first hand - do so and I promise you your blood pressure will drop ten diastolic and systolic points and you will loose twenty pounds. 

Your stress levels will be drastically reduced and your love and wonder of experiencing life will be regenerated.

You will go to your rooftop garden before you leave for work and soon after you arrive home, greeting wildlife visitors, breathing fresh oxygen and admiring how your plants grow.

Once you create a rooftop garden you will build another and another.

Dates, herbs, spices, yucca, parsley, rosemary, sage, cactus, alliums, succulents, plants requiring only nature based irrigation grow successfully, spreading across the lightweight green roof mat quickly and fully.

Because your green roof system is only inches thick it can be installed practically anywhere.

Try your metal shed in the backyard or garden shed in the courtyard.  Add vegetation to your main roof, small or large and even across the tops of large apartment buildings and community structures.

Because your green roof is mat based the plants will move themselves over time across the mat to the ideal exposures and micro-climates on a roof.

You will learn of fog nets, dew catchers and grey-water recycling.

Here in Jacksonville we are in a long and serious drought approximate 350mm behind in average rainfall for the year (14 inches),

We are in a seven week drought with no significant rainfall accumulation.

Yet the rooftop gardens thrive.

Understanding how to design these small, rooftop permaculture gardens has been our passion.  Sharing this information is our future.

Growing greens, herbs, vegetables, flowers and plants is a key and core element of long-term sustainability as we pass peak oil.

Growing food on the rooftop saves automobile trips to the grocery store.

Green roofs cleans stormwater, sequesters carbon and the green roof plants pump oxygen into the air every minute of every day.

Green roofs attract native wildlife, anoles, frogs and the hawks, kites and owl raptors, providing wonderful integrated pest management created by nature.

Your doctor visits and health costs will decrease as your fresh air intake, exercise and new diet of homegrown vegetables and greens becomes routine.

You will feel young again as you experiment with new plants, and feel, smell and taste new sensations.

Green roof permaculture.  Understanding sustainability in the post-peak oil environment.

Let us help you with your green roof permaculture and sustainability design.


Email us today with your requirements.

MetroVerde.  Arid, Dry Green Roof Permaculture for Post-Peak Oil Ecology.

Happy Green Roofing.

Kevin

Lightweight, Deeper Soil Rooftop Gardens for Permaculture

We planted flat-leaf parsley, Petroselinum crispum; and sage, Salvia officinalis on a small, 3' x 12' ( 0.9 M x 3.7M) green roof section this weekend.

However we incorporated two different design criteria.

Roof Permaculture System Design

1. We used multiple layers of the root mat to create a six inch thick soil-growing layer, and

2. We overlapped the mat to create permaculture type swales.

The system is on a sloped roof with a root and water-proofing membrane over asphalt shingles.

Organic flat-leaf parsley and sage was obtained from Judy's nursery stock and planted.

A well drained soil mixture was used.

Photos will be posted as the roof-top food crops continue to grow.

Roof Permaculture - Food Growing on Green Roofs

We are using our same system that has successfully passed hurricane wind simulation of 130 MPH.

As always, email your questions and Happy Green Roofing!

Kevin

Namib Desert Beetle & Dew Catchers

Interesting article about how the Namib Desert beetle collects fog and dew on its back for survival.  Nature-based irrigation. Opens in new window. Green roof designs should incorporate similar types technologies to conserve water.

Dew Catchers for Green Roofs - Nature's Irrigtion

Lots of information exists on creating air turbulence, humidity, condensation and collecting dew.

I'll post an article with links to more information soon however below are some photos of dew collection inspiration and then the actual construction and installation of a simple but effective dew catcher on a permaculture roofs - one with winter veggies planted.

As always - email your questions here and happy green roofing!

Kevin

Morning Dew is Often Everywhere

Morning Dew Collecting on Green Roof Plants

Designing a Green Roof Dew Catcher

Constructing a Green Roof Dew Catcher

Green Roof Dew Catcher Ready for Installation

Green Roof Dew Catcher Installed

Green Roof Plants - Food, Fiber, medicine and Permaculture - Acclimation

Acclimating a plant to typical environmental standards experienced on a green roof is a wise process to follow when designing or planting a green roof.

Dividing Acclimated Thirty Month Green Roof Allium Plants

Roof ecology typically involves harsh, desiccating winds, high heat, humidity (pressure-cooker style), hard freezes and frosts, long periods of drought and flooding.

Plants raised under typical plant-nursery conditions with plenty of irrigation, shade from shade-houses and regular fertilizer feed don't like to be installed on a roof - and usually quickly go into shock, wilt and die.

Green Roof Plants - Sleep, Creep and Leap - 2nd Year Root Development

I compare the differences between  a plant raised and sold in the nursery garden center and a plant growing on a roof to a hike in the local city park replete with water fountains and paved walking trails rather than a hike across Death Valley (Mojave Desert), California.

Yet there are advantages to growing plants on a roof also.  Roofs offer extended growing environments - warmth, more light and more breezes.

But preparing the plants for what they will experience is of major importance.  We call the process of preparing plants for the roof environment - acclimation.

Perennial green roof plants that are herbaceous in nature, like one of our favorite plants, the Allium genus, usually follow the "Sleep, Creep and Leap" saying of gardeners.

Year One the plants seem to sleep - when in fact they are developing strong roots.

Year Two the plants slowly add upper greenery and leaves.

Year Three the perennials begin adding upper leaf mass quickly and spread from their base.

Acclimation of the plant to the roof ecology should begin from the seed sprouting stage and not the adult stage.

When acclimating a plant from juvenile status to the ecology of  a roof, the green roof plant will ultimately have a much better chance at long-term survival.

The photos included here today are of Allium canadense seedlings that are thirty months old - 2.5 years old.  They have been grown in greenhouses with controlled irrigation and raised heat levels to simulate rooftop ecology.

The metabolism of these plants is set for slow growth rate under harsh conditions.  Once installed on a roof, these acclimated plants thrive rather than going into shock.

Each plant has varying genetics and some develop large root masses capable of storing significant amounts of water and nutrients while others developer slower, growing only as precipitation brings water and dissolved atmospheric nitrogen - and we call these green roof plants Carbon Pirate Plants.

I continue to argue that massive irrigation and fertilization systems installed on the growing number of green roofs across the country are really sustainable.

However, with proper planning and plant selection, preparing your green roof plants for a life's journey on a roof will ensure success.

As always, email us with your questions here.

Happy Green Roofing, Kevin.

Green Roof Clover Reaches for the Moon!

I am dividing up 3 year old dwarf Allium species out of 72 count trays and into their own cell pack.  I'll post photos of these seedlings tomorrow - they are the perfect example of nature-based irrigation, acclimation and the concept of the old perennial saying, SLEEP, CREEP, LEAP!

As I was transplanting under the strange iridescence of a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb hanging in a drop-light I noticed an even stranger light moving across the green roof.

I grabbed Jincy's Canon and a ladder.

This is so cool!

The Crimson Clover sowed on the roof a week ago, the same clover whose leaves, during the day are spread out wide horizontally to soak up the sun's rays, those two week old leaves were moving up, reaching up in unison towards the full moon!  The entire roof reflected moonlight in a sweeping motion as the clover leaves lifted towards the cloudless, star-filled sky.

Green Roof Crimson Clover Reaching for Moonlight

Amazing!  They are alive and moving!

Plants teach me something new every day.  53 years here and still so much to learn about plants.

Lydia Cabrera was soooooo right.  "Son las mas Santos en el monte que en el cielo!" - There are more spirits in the plants of the forest than in the sky....

I feel like a youngster back in school......learning exciting things again!

Kevin

Vegetated Roof Design - Flat Roof Cross Section

Extensive Green Roof Design - Flat Roof MetroVerde

Depicted above is a typical cross section of an Extensive Green or Vegetated Roof Design lightweight - typically around ten pounds per square foot - or about 49 Kg per square meter fully saturated.

The system design uses a high tech woven growing mat over a sacrificial TPO layer.

The sacrificial TPO layer is adhered to the underlying roof TPO layer.

The grow mat is adhered to the sacrificial TPO layer.

The system is edged with aluminum or vinyl side walls however we have found in practice the side walls are not really necessary when using a fast growing plant with a strong root system and a tackifier for the engineered soil.

The edge trim is typically more for appearance yet does offer some stablization of the planting media.

After working for years with various types of mats and mat manufacturers we can now say that several mat types have been developed that will work sufficiently for holding the plants in place and allowing for adequate drainage.

An extensive nature-irrigated green roof does not have to be heavy.

Use of a light-weight system is now possible thanks to continued product development of woven mat materials like bi-axial geo-grids.

As always - email us with your questions.

Happy Thanksgivign and Happy Green Roofing!

Kevin

Green Roof Plants - Crimson Clover and Chickory, Day Nine

Both considered annuals here in Florida - not able to withstand the rigors of Florida's hot and humid summers, Crimson Clover and Chicory are both beautiful and important additions to a non-native yet Florida Friendly landscaped Green Roof.

Both provide abundant color to a green roof when blooming - Crimson Clover - bright red blossoms and Chicory - bright blue blooms.

Green Roof Plant Trifolium incarnata, Crimson Clover

These sprout were sowed nine days ago.

The Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnata, sprouted quickly and is filling out the open roof spaces.

Green Roof Plant Cichorium intybus, Chicory

The Chicory, Cichorium intybus, was a little slower to show itself on the roof, however this may be because Chicory has a larger root system than Crimson Clover and may spend more up-front time setting roots before developing leaves.

Both these species provide pollen for bees, butterflies and insects; both are beautiful in bloom and can serve as green manure plants.


As always, email us with our questions and comments.

Happy Green Roofing!

Kevin

Roof Clover Planting Update, Sloped Vegetated Roof & Roof Permaculture

Crimson Clover on Green Roof - Day Eight

Green Roof crimson clover's day number eight and the juvenile plants are thick with leaves. 

Roots are shooting down into the engineered soil and locking themselves into the underlying weave.

We planted the clover on another roof with a little more slope also during a three year maintenance program.  The roof contains agaves and is nature irrigated.

Agaves on Sloped Extensive Green Roof System

There is about 2" of structural soil on this roof and the agaves have acclimated themselves and their root development to the slope and shallow soil depth. 

During the maintenance work we cut out and removed the mat section from around one of the agaves. 

We thought we had left plenty of room by cutting out 12" from the outside diameter of the agave however when the section was removed we had cut through an extensive lateral root system.

It appears that under shallow soil conditions, agaves send their roots out horizontally rather than vertically.

Finally, following up with the permaculture posting from yesterday, the spring mix we planted in the swaled green roof are standing up straight and looking good!

As always, email us your questions by clicking here.

Happy Green Roofing!

Kevin

Volumetric Green for the Urban Core - by MetroVerde

Judy, Jincy, Ruairi and I live in a house swallowed by Thunbergia, Louis Phillipe Roses growing like trees, wild horsetail, towering bamboo, China Roses bigger than trees and we sometimes cannot find the doors. Open the windows at night and the fresh oxygen fills the house. Carpet of flowers on the ground. Tonight the full moon makes all glow...

 

Volumetric Green for the Urban Core - 

Cleaning Stormwater,

Creating Habitat,

Providing a Sense of Place,

Sequestering Carbon and providing Oxygen!

Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Five Plants Growing Strong

Green Roof Nitrogen Fixing Plant - Crimson Clover Day Five Sprouts

I suspect the juvenile Crimson Clover plants,  Trifoium incarnata, are already beginning to develop the mechanisms allowing fixation of nitrogen into the green roof soil.

Amazing.  Nature's own way of feeding plants.

Just the right amount of nutrients in just the right formulation.

Day five and the juvenile plants are really beginning to grow and cover the roof.  More photos tomorrow.

Happy green roofing.

Kevin.

Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Four Lots of Leaves

Green Roof Plant Crimson Clover - Day Four Leaves

As a green manure plant, Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnata, takes nitrogen out of the air and rainwater and fixes the nutrient into the soil.

Planting Red Clover is similar to installing a fertilizer-on-demand-plant on your green roof.

The beauty of Crimson Clover fixing nitrogen into green roof soils is not only the nutrient making capability, but also the fact that the nitrogen is much less likely to runoff into gutters and finally reach the river.

Day Four of Crimson Clover sprouting brought thousands of opening leaves.  Roots are beginning to become well formed and reach deep into the green roof soil.  Dew covers the small plants - nature based irrigation.

The roof is taking on a solid appearance of 'green'.  More tomorrow!

Happy Green Roofing with Cimson Clover.

Kevin

Green Roof Plants - Food, Fiber and Medicine Day Four List

Green Roof Plant # 9 - GRAPTOPETALUM spp. (to most of us a Sedum(?))...

Again, the basic principles each green roof plant possesses include:

* Drought tolerant
* Hardy against inundation and flooding
* Possesses qualities of either food, fiber or medicinal traits
* Social benefit from beauty
* Non-invasive or pest qualities
* Native species to region
* Provides food, forage or communal habitat to wildlife
* Cleans stormwater
* Good plant for sequestering Carbon

Choosing the right green roof plants can sometimes be a challenge for even the most experienced green roof designer - as we commented yesterday - and the day before.

Green Roof Plants - GRAPTOPETALUM spp. Mexican Ghost Plant

I was going to try and list several more green roof plants today however I became bogged down in a very complicated but Wonderful Green Roof plant's taxonomy.


As a biology major in college - with a focus in plants, I find myself still awed at the massive amount of information about plants that I still need to learn and grasp.  Much information is available about plants and their habitat requirements.

The more I learn about plants suitable for green roofs, the more I know I need to learn more.

I started this morning by looking for the Genus and species name of the Mexican Ghost Plant, a succulent growing well on many green roofs here in North Florida.

Common names are confusing - there may be many species with the common name Mexican Ghost Plant.

Not only did I have a hard time identifying the particular species, but I also encountered difficulty in identifying the Genus and even the Family - a very frustrating exercise!

However, the plant I want to talk about is a great plant for green roofs in areas with extended periods of drought yet also experience long periods of rain and inundation.

So, for the Mexican Ghost Plant we will call its family - CRASSULACEAE and we will call its Genus GRAPTOPETALUM and we will not try and identify the species.

However, the Mexican Ghost Plant is more than just a pretty green roof plant!

According to Wikipedia - the Mexican Ghost Plant has medicinal uses - traditionally a liver and kidney support plant, and has culinary uses also - served on salad bars in some restaurants (click here for a new window with the Wikipedia information).

Although the species name listed in the above Wikipedia link is 'paraguayense' the plant is from Mexico and not Paraguay according to some.

For the Green Roof, this plant is relatively cold hardy.  I've seen Mexican Ghost plant survive long periods of sub-twenty degrees F temperatures.  I have seen Mexican Ghost plant survive extremely long periods of drought, and grow in minimal amounts of soil - not only grow but prosper!

Another great internet resource on the GRAPTOPETALUM is the International Crassulaceae Network's website.  Click here for access.

Mexican Ghost Plant survives Florida's hot and humid summertime.  Make sure it has very well drained soil.  Finally, note the dew on the photographed plant above.  Don't forget to install dew catchers on your green roof.

When designing a green roof in Florida and other areas with a similar climate, you would be wise to include groupings of the Mexican Ghost plant.

Again, we will be discussing more species over the next few days.

Feel free to add your comments or email us with your questions here.

Happy green roofing.

Kevin

Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Three Leaves

Green Roof Plants Trifolium spp.  Day Three

Sowing Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum, will help keep the green roof really green because Crimson Clover is a nitrogen fixing species - or green manure crop.

Day Three of the sprouting produced a significant increase in the number of initial dicot leaves.  The roof is turning green in three days!

We will be posting daily photos of the clover as it grows on the roof.

As always, email your questions.

Happy Green Roofing, Kevin

Green Roof Plants - Food, Fiber and Medicine Day Two List

Choosing the right green roof plants can sometimes be a challenge for even the most experienced green roof designer - as we commented yesterday.

Today we will be discussing the next three green roof plants out of approximately forty different species suitable for green roofs in climates similar to those found here in Florida - Arid, Rainy, Hot, Humid, Cold, and Windy.

Again, the basic principles each green roof plant possesses include:

* Drought tolerant
* Hardy against innundation and flooding
* Possesses qualities of either food, fiber or medicinal traits
* Social benefit from beauty
* Non-invasive or pest qualities
* Native species to region
* Provides food, forage or communal habitat to wildlife
* Cleans stormwater
* Good plant for sequestering Carbon

Plants number 6, 7 and 8 are:



Important Food and Fiber Green Roof Plants



Trifolium incarnatum - Crimson Clover

Native to Europe, Red or Crimson Clover makes a great filler plant for in between Green Roof structure plants.  Although not a native, red clover is a good, not invasive species providing pollen, beauty, erosion control and acts as a fertilizer since the species fixes nitrogen into the soil - a 'green manure' plant.

Treat Crimson Clover as an annual on your winter green roof - it will wilt away in the summer humidity - but is worth the seeding exercise because of the stunning winter-time red flowers.

Crimson clover will support wildlife biodiversity.  Bees, butterflies and other pollinators are attracted to Red Clover.



Florida Native Plants for Green Roofs

Andropogon virginicus -  Broomsedges 

There are a variety of Andropogon species growing across Florida.  A beautiful native grass species, Andropogon offers a variety of blues and blue greens along with interesting textures.

Broomsedge, Andropogon virginicus is important to wildlife and promote biodiversity.

I've seen Andropogon virginicus do well on Florida green roofs.  My only caution is they may produce significant amounts of dried leaf litter that could contribute towards fire fuel.  Strategically placed, not en masse, Andropogon virginicus should function well on a green roof as they are drought and innundation tolerant.

Andropogon spp. - Bluestems

One of my all time favorite grasses, the colors in the bluestems are amazing - ranging from blue to silver to blue green to purple.

The above link takes you in a new window to a list of bluestems from short to tall.

I recommend most of these species for green roofs as they are beautiful, drought tolerant and can survive flooding.

Again, watch the clumping of too many of these as they can produce copious amounts of leaf litter.

Again, we will be discussing more species over the next few days.

Feel free to add your comments or email us with your questions here.

Happy green roofing.

Kevin

H2 Hotel in California - Wavy Green Roof

Check out the interesting Wavy Green Roof installed on the new H2 Hotel in California here....

Green Roofs and Crimson Clover - Day Two Sprouts

Green Roof Plants Crimson Clover Day 2 Sprouts

Sowing Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum, on a green roof this weekend was good timing because we had a good rainfall yesterday.

Day Two of the sprouting produced a significant increase in the number of seeds dropping their roots into the green roof soil.

Several had the initial set of small leaves and all of the exposed seed hulls were swollen with life expectancy.

Clover is an interesting plant to use on a green roof.  It is considered an annual species with many benefits when used in agriculture.  Though native to Europe, Crimson Clover has existed in the Americas for centuries.

Crimson clover is widely used in medicinal herbology, forage for livestock and for erosion control.

Clover's small red flowers are stunning when planted in mass.

Crimson clover is a nitrogen fixing plant - one capable of taking nitrogen from the air and fixing into the soil - a perfect replacement for chemical fertilizers on green roofs.

We will be posting daily photos of the clover as it grows ont he roof.

As always, email your questions.

Happy Green Roofing, Kevin

Green Roof Plants - Food, Fiber and Medicine

Choosing the right green roof plants can sometimes be a challenge for even the most experienced green roof designer.

Over the next several days we will be discussing approximately forty different species suitable for green roofs in climates similar to those found here in Florida - Arid, Rainy, Hot, Humid, Cold, and Windy.

We will be discussing five new species each day.

The basic principles each green roof plant possesses include:

* Drought tolerant
* Hardy against innundation and flooding
* Possesses qualities of either food, fiber or medicinal traits
* Social benefit from beauty
* Non-invasive or pest qualities
* Native species to region
* Provides food, forage or communal habitat to wildlife
* Cleans stormwater
* Good plant for sequestering Carbon

The first five plants we will discuss are:


Important Food and Fiber Green Roof Plants

Moringa oleifera

Moringa is truly a wonderful plant and though it is somewhat frost-tender, attempts should be made to grow this plant in at least one or two spots on green roofs.  Moringa is considered one of the primary plants to be used in efforts to eradicate poverty and malnutrition.  Most parts of the plants are edible by either humans or cattle, contain up to 60% protein and also contain all the essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals.

Moringa grown in extensive green roofs will react much like Yucca species and acclimate to the reduced soil amounts with smaller habit and form size.

Moringa tolerates drought as well as innundation.  Moringa has been used succesfully as an important pollutant removal mechanism for cleaning water and stormwater.

Though not for every green roof, due to the ethnobotanical and economic importance of this plant, attempts should be made to determine whether or not Moringa is a viable green roof species for your project.
 
Cajanus cajan

Another important green roof plant is the pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan.  Pigeon pea too is somewhat frost tender but is considered root-hardy in many areas of Florida.

Pigeon Pea is also used for food and contains significant amounts of protein as well as the amino acids, methionine, lysine, and tryptophan. 

 Like Moringa, Pigeon Pea may not work for every green roof, however due to the ethnobotanical and economic importance of this plant, attempts should be made to determine whether or not Pigeon pea is also a viable green roof species for your project.

Allium cernuum

Most alliums make good green roof plants.

They are evergreen, drought tolerant and possess attractive flowers.

The medicinal and food uses of alliums are well documented.  Current studies include uses in horticultural integrated pest management programs.  Though Allium cernuum is not considered native to Florida, the species is well adapted, non-invasive and a pretty addition (with it's purple flowers) to any Florida green roof.

Allium tuberosum

Allium tuberosum is also more commonly known as garlic chives.  This species is a backbone of many green roofs.

Extremely drought tolerant, Allium tuberosum has been know to survive four to five months of primary drought.

This species is used medicinally and for food.  The white showy flowers offer fall color.

Allium tuberosum should be considered as a primary species in any Florida green roof project.

Florida Native Plants for Green Roofs

Allium canadense

Much like Allium tuberosum, Allium canadense is a drought tolerant species suitable for green roof applications.

Unlike Allium tuberosum, Allium canadense is considered a Florida native plant species and can be found growing almost anywhere across Florida. The species can frequently be seen growing in ditches and alongside roadways in either wet or dry areas.

Allium canadense should also be considered a primary green roof species suitable for Florida projects

We will be discussing more species over the next few days.

Feel free to add your comments or  email us with your questions here.

Happy green roofing.

Kevin

Green Roofs, Fertilizer, Algae - A Video

Fertilizing Green Roofs can have many detrimental effects.  Check out the video of Captain Algae and Green Roofs.