Some ideas and tips on roof or terrace gardening.
Also by reading this section you will know the procedure of roof garden
construction.
Terrace Gardening
What's your condition at the end of the day? Tired
and exhausted!! Almost all of you will agree to the fact, that after 8
to 10 hours of slogging hard, coping with the professional and the
personal affairs, there is little or no energy left. During this tiring
phase of the day, the only solace that you can get from is nature, but
again, your legs have revolted not to work any more. The result - you
are not able to take a walk at the park, even if it's at a walking
distance.
For those of you, who do not have a park nearby to their home, the
situation is worse. There is almost no scope of refreshment. However,
did you know that if you can't make it to the park, you can always bring
one to your house? Surprised!! Terrace gardening gives you the
opportunity to get closer to nature, without taking much efforts. It is
a type of indoor gardening, where you take care of your indoor plants as
well as rejuvenate your inner self. To get some ideas about what to keep
in mind before indulging in terrace gardening and how to structure it,
browse through the following lines.
Important Features
- You need to make sure that the roof on which the gardening is to
be done, should be strong enough to carry the weight of the garden.
- The terrace should always be sloppy, with an effective drainage
system.
- Ensure that there is no leakage of water in your roof garden.
Structuring Terrace Garden
- Unlike any other type of gardening, terrace garden requires
detailed plan. It should be proportionate with lawns, shrubs, ground
covers and small trees. If desired, you can also assimilate the
concept of water garden or rock garden or create a shady structure
on your roof garden.
- The next step would be choosing of plants. Fiber-rooted plants
are preferred to tap root plants. In case of the latter, the plants
have the tendency to grow through the building, thereby causing harm
to it.
- Make sure that the soil you use does not exert much pressure on
the building. The adequate soil for the purpose is soil rite or peat
moss. However, since it is a costly material, you can blend it
either with garden earth or manure.
- To prepare your drainage system you need to do the roof garden
construction. Lay only burnt bricks approx. 2" - 4"
uniformly on the terrace. Burnt bricks are the best bet, because the
normal ones turn into mud and collapse the drainage system.
Corrugated sheets can also serves as a good option, but should be
placed at 3' distance to make the water flow to the drain.
- In top of the bricks, lay a net lawn. This will prevent the soil
to get inside the bricks.
- If the roof is quite a large one (say more than 500 sq. ft.), you
need to construct drain at several places. Place pipes at several
places, leading to main holes. However, be careful, while laying
pipes, as they should not be visible and should get covered by lawn,
when complete.
- Put the mixture of the soil prepared beforehand to the pot,
according to a level you choose. Then sow the selected indoor plants
and mulch. Your terrace garden is ready to refresh your parched
nerves!!
