Green Roof Soil Media

Green roofs require special kinds of growing media instead of regular topsoil. Green roof media has to be somewhat lighter weight than topsoil, better drained, weed free, and capable of supporting good plant growth without leaching harmful substances into runoff water.

We provide two basic green roof soil blends for extensive green roofs, and can custom blend anything you specify for special projects or needs. We use mycorrhizal inoculant in all our media to stimulate better plant growth, since a wide range of research indicates this to be best practice. Our compost contains very low phosphorus to prevent P runoff into sensitive watersheds.

Pricing:

Both green roof blends cost $85/yd bulk by truck, and bagged in supersacks on a pallet costs $115/yd, plus delivery costs.

Crushed brick-based media:

Using fine crushed recycled brick as the primary mineral component, mixed with fine finished compost, this media is approximately 100lbs/cu.ft saturated. This is somewhat heavier than conventional expanded-shale based green roof media, but has very much lower embodied energy in its manufacture due to its high recycled content.

Expanded shale-based media:

Using expanded shale fines as its primary mineral component, this more conventional green roof mix is lighter weight than the crushed brick mix, and is also blended with fine compost and mycorrhizae for a saturated weight of approximately 85 lbs/cu. ft.

Transport:

We sell our media bulk by the truckload, or bagged in 1-yard supersacks, as shown below. They weigh about 1800 lbs. Supersacks arrive on pallets on a flatbed truck, and can be lifted by forks from below, or from the top straps with forks, crane, excavator, or any other heavy equipment that is on-site. The supersacks have a spout on the top and bottom of the bag- if the bag is held suspended above the roof, the spout can be opened and soil dispensed around the rooftop without having to set down the heavy bag in one place.

super sacks