Effect of substrate depth on initial growth, coverage, and survival of 25 succulent green roof plant taxa

Because of greater interest in green roofs in the United States, it is critical to increase the number and geographic range of proven plant resources for long-term survival on rooftops. Successful plant taxa for extensive green roofs must establish themselves quickly, provide high groundcover density, and tolerate extreme environmental conditions. Furthermore, dead load weight restrictions on many buildings may limit the substrate depth that can be applied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of substrate depth on initial establishment and survival of 25 succulent plant taxa for green roof applications in the midwestern United States. Survival, initial growth, and rate of coverage were compared for plants grown in three substrate depths (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 cm) on 24 roof platforms. Plant coverage was determined from image analysis of weekly digital photographs. Results indicate deeper substrates promote greater survival and growth; however, in the shallowest depth of 2.5 cm, several species continued to persist. Of the 25 species initially planted, only 47% survived in the deepest substrate of 7.5 cm. Recommended species at the depths tested for climates similar to southern Michigan include Phedimus spurious Raf. 'Leningrad White', Sedum acre L., S. album L. 'Bella d'inverno', S. middendorffianum L., S. reflexum L., S. sediforme J., and S. spurium Bieb. 'Summer Glory'. Subsidiary species that are present at specific substrate depths but may not exhibit an ability to cover large areas include S. dasyphyllum L. 'Burnatii', S. dasyphyllum L. 'Lilac Mound', S. diffusum W., S. hispanicum L., and S. kamtschaticum Fisch. The primary deterrent for these subsidiary species was little to no survival at 2.5 cm. Deeper substrates promoted greater survival and growth for nearly all species tested.