TROPICAL ALTERNATIVE GREEN ROOF POSSIBILITIES

AFTER  my reading of stevemartino.blogspot.com,  WEEDS AND WALLS, post on his green roof installation in Arizona,  I had to take out the back burner this post.  It started on 11/29/2011, Aerial Garden Moss and Agave post on this channel.

It began after watching from our yard, an Alocasia I had thrown in the abandoned garage roof next door, growing fast and healthy.
With the 15' ladder, I climbed to observe why closely.


Leaves from a couple of old big trees on top, fall and accumulate. While they clog the drain, sun/heat/wind/water decompose them slowly, creating a layer of rich humus and earth  worms.  


I decided to plant Pandanus, Chrysotemis pulchella, Rhoeo, and Cosmos, Rhoeo, Merremia aegyptia/quinquefolia seeds and others dormant in discarded soil from my pots used as top dressing.


I took some of the humus for my plants, leaving the rest in the roof. To reduce the erosion, green organic matter was placed on the edges, with cut branches  on top. 


Even when these spots do not receive direct light all the time, I have noticed many, many roofs/walls with all sorts of weeds, ferns, Ficus, Mahogany, Pithelobium, Tecoma, Turnera, in the urban concrete/asphalt context of San Juan and other towns and cities.


Plants/weeds of all kinds seem pretty happy growing in the most unusual places. Considering  most theoreticians, installers, and writers about green roofs do not live in the tropics, these two examples may open the eyes of those unaware or nor interested of  the species provided by nature, or to enhance the aesthetics of  many abandoned buildings of Puerto Rico in the urban context.


All the above, with little expense since nature provides the essentials...the gardener just need to do a little editing.

that is that

thanks to 

David  Cristiani, 
landscape architect, Albuquerque, thedesertedge.blogspot.com

for sharing

and Steve Martino, for his kind response.