Building a roof garden is not as difficult as you imagine and in this article, we are going to tell you all about how to create a roof garden.
Rooftop gardens have been on the rise in popularity as they bring life to your otherwise dull and unused roof surface. Those of you wondering how to make a roof garden need to keep reading this article as we are going to tell you everything you need to know about creating your own.
Considerations
Check the suitability of your roof
The first thing to do is find out if your roof is suitable for a garden, you need to make sure that local ordinances or rental property regulations allow the creation of a roof garden. So the first thing you need to do is figure out how much weight your roof can support. For this, you may need to talk to an engineer and make sure the house is not damaged in any way.
Talk to a specialist
You need to find an architect, to determine if your house is safe to build a roof garden. The job of this architect will be to tell you if your house is suitable for the creation of a roof garden.
Consider the weight of the roof garden
You need to make sure to minimize weight as much as possible. For example, use plastic or fiberglass containers instead of earthen containers. Be sure to avoid using pavers at all costs.
Try not to make use of garden soil and go for light potting soil.
Install windbreaks
We should mention that a roof garden is going to be a lot windier than a regular garden.
Try to use a windbreak that interrupts strong winds rather than stopping them completely.
Watering your garden
Finally, you need to consider how to water the plants in your pretty terrace garden. In the summer months, you need to water your garden frequently or your plants will burn.
You will surely understand that carrying water up the stairs will not be a good idea. Therefore, you can choose to have a water tank built into your roof or you can install an automatic system to water your plants. Be sure to take all of these steps into account before you begin creating your beautiful garden.
Now that you have everything you need to know about preparing your roof for the garden, let us get to the most important part of the topic. how to make a roof garden
Things to get
- Pond Liners: Can be used to prevent roots, water, or vegetation from entering the roof.
- Root Membranes in Garden Centers: To prevent weed growth under the deck. They would also prevent roots and mud from getting into the bottom surface of the gravel and facilitate drainage.
- Gravels for the top of the root membrane and pond liner.
- A moisture blanket would help retain moisture in the soil.
- You also need to purchase the compost and topsoil that will be your plant’s food. Finally, you need to buy those plants.
Process
Laying the pond insulation and liner
If you are using insulation, you must spread it over the surface of your roof and cut it to size. Now lay out a pond liner and cut the spares. Try to leave a 5-inch lip around the entire area. Cut points can be used to cover the area around the drains.
Pouring the gravels
Now comes the easiest part. Here you just have to pour your bags of gravel. Gravels should be brushed into place and rolled over the root membrane. Now pour in some more gravel if you want a thicker layer.
The moisture blanket
Once the gravels are in place, you need to spread out the moisture blanket. When doing this, be sure to leave 6-8 inches of space around the corners. Now, you need to pour another layer of gravel on top of the wet layer. Large pieces of pebbles and gravel can be spread over the edges of the terrace. This would lead to proper drainage and prevent plants from growing in your house.
Spread the bark on the surface of your roof
Once the bark coverage is complete, you need to start laying the compost. Pour it first and then rake it all over the surface. Similarly, pour into the top soil and rake around.
Lastly, you need to install some paving slabs so that you can easily walk around your garden without stepping on the plants
Choose the plants
Now, visit your local nursery and select those plants that are strong enough to survive with little care. If you are planting them deeply, be sure to keep the patches tender so they can spread.
Now that you know everything about how to build a rooftop garden, it’s time to get ready to create a beautiful breathing space on your terrace.
Building a rooftop garden is not a one-man job and you better find someone to help you with the whole process.
Additional tips
Now that you have successfully created your garden terrace, you need to do a few things to make your plants thrive. First of all, you may need to weed it while it spreads.
Weeding your plants three times a year is more than enough and the entire wedding process takes no more than a few minutes.
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