Green Roof plant material pre-grown in pant plugs
Plants grown in plugs are one of the more common forms of green roofing. Young plants are grown in a plastic flat typically holding 72 small plants.
Plug plants, as well as their bigger form ( plants grown in pots
), can be mixed in any color pallet or shape. Plant plugs are planted in a pre-installed growing medium. We typically recommend to plant a minimum of 6 to 9 plant plugs per sf or 66 to 99 plant plugs per m².
These tiny plants still need to develop into fully grown plants, and therefore still need some additional care. Regularly watering is mandatory in order to have the tiny plants develop quickly
Using plant plugs is one of the more affordable methods of making a green roof. However, the costs of the additional care could add up. During inspections
, and in the years of assessing Green Roofs, it has shown that sometimes plugs need to be added at a later stage, as not all plant plugs take hold.
Cost of potentially adding more plant plugs at a later time (labor and material) should not be overseen. Birds tend to eat the small plants as well as small plants are sensitive to wind erosion.
The Growing medium can also affect the plug's development. The dark medium results in more heat radiation early in the plant's development resulting in a harsh condition for the plant to grow in. However, once the plants grow over the exposed growing media the effect diminishes.