ZinCo Canada Inc.

GROWING MEDIA:

It is very important that the Growing Medium provide the best possible conditions for the plant material to grow in. The Growing Medium must be highly efficient at water absorption but it must also have excellent drainage properties. In addition, it needs to provide sufficient aeration to the plant roots even when it is water saturated. In an improperly designed Growing Medium these essential properties of good water retention and excellent drainage often work at cross purposes.

The Growing Medium either has excellent drainage but no water retaining abilities resulting in drought conditions for the plants or it has poor drainage and high water retention properties which drown the plants. Growing Mediums too high in organic material such as topsoil, compost or peat are not suitable for Green Roof applications. As the organic content decomposes there is insufficient drainage and the Growing Medium shrinks leaving the plant roots exposed ultimately resulting in plant failure.

A well designed Growing Medium also needs to provide a stable long term nutrient supply and be resistant to frost and wind erosion in addition to being light weight to minimize the additional load to the roof structure. In general an effective Growing Medium will be high in light weight mineral material with a small component of organic matter. As with drain layers, Growing Mediums must be specifically designed for different applications. No one substrate will work equally well in what amounts to a diverse range of possible Green Roof applications. ZinCo Canada's growing mediums are manufactured using recycled materials. A well designed Growing Medium meets the requirements of the FLL-guideline for the Planning, Execution and Upkeep of Green-Roof Sites.

GROWING MEDIA: It is very important that the Growing Medium provide the best possible conditions for the plant material to grow in. The Growing Medium must be highly efficient at water absorption but it must also have excellent drainage properties. In addition, it needs to provide sufficient aeration to the plant roots even when it is water saturated. In an improperly designed Growing Medium these essential properties of good water retention and excellent drainage often work at cross purposes. The Growing Medium either has excellent drainage but no water retaining abilities resulting in drought conditions for the plants or it has poor drainage and high water retention properties which drown the plants. Growing Mediums too high in organic material such as topsoil, compost or peat are not suitable for Green Roof applications. As the organic content decomposes there is insufficient drainage and the Growing Medium shrinks leaving the plant roots exposed ultimately resulting in plant failure. A well designed Growing Medium also needs to provide a stable long term nutrient supply and be resistant to frost and wind erosion in addition to being light weight to minimize the additional load to the roof structure. In general an effective Growing Medium will be high in light weight mineral material with a small component of organic matter. As with drain layers, Growing Mediums must be specifically designed for different applications. No one substrate will work equally well in what amounts to a diverse range of possible Green Roof applications. ZinCo Canada's growing mediums are manufactured using recycled materials. A well designed Growing Medium meets the requirements of the FLL-guideline for the Planning, Execution and Upkeep of Green-Roof Sites.