A: All rooflite® green roof media products have the following properties:

• Lightweight to minimize the roof load
• Heavy enough not to get dislocated by wind or flowing water
• Stable to give plants sufficient hold
• Low compaction, insignificant bulk density loss
• Resistant to frost and fire
• Retain rain water
• Drain excess water
• Sufficiently aerated to promote root growth
• Have the right level of acidity
• Salt content is tested for acceptable levels
• Proper amount of nutrients.

If your growing media is not certified quality, your green roof may be unsuccessful if:

• The media contains components which are harmful to plant life
• The media is not fire resistant
• Grain sizes are not appropriate or not balanced
• The organic content is too high or too low
• Components are not frost resistant
• The media structure is not stable
• Components are too light and get washed or blown away
• Excess water cannot percolate through fast enough
• There are not enough air filled pores
• The pH level is too high or too low
• The salt content is too high
• The level of nutrients is not adequate

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