ESTABLISHING OF EXTENSIVE ROOF GREENING BY USING TWO DIFFERENT SUCCULENT SPECIES GROWING IN TWO DIFFERENT SOIL MIXTURES AND WATERING RATES

The current researCh aimed to create an extensive green cover on exilling
tlat roots of ,building I to gain its a8stheUcat •. envlronmental. economic and eoc:ial
benefits. It wal carried out In Belqual City. OakahUa Govemorate from September
1998 till October 2000 using two different speeles of SUCCUlent plantl. i.e.
Demperma cooperi and Aptenia eotrJifolia, grown in two differant soil mixtures and
Irrigated with two different watering rates. The basic ingredients of the te$led soil
mixtUres were clay, land and bean Itraw. The Used watering ratel we1'118 and 16
Ii..,. I ml, The elCperimant area was a tlat roof of three storiel building wtth 2%
gradient. Certain measurementl were conducted to charecterize the lested soli
mixturel and to determina the growth and development of the tested plants,
The obtained rasultl Ihowed that the tested IJlent plants reac:hed a
100% covering within the first year of the experimenl. . ~ covering spreading of
Aplenia COIdifolie was faslar than De/o.sparma coopari. The t ted soil mix1ura ( clay+
sand + bean Itraw ) wal mora suitable than tha mixture (cia '+ sand ) for growth and
developmant of the used lucculent plants. N, P and K cC?ntentl of the tested loll
mix1urel decreaaed atong the period of ax perl men I. The t"ted plant species grew
better when' irrlgsted with Weter application of 8 Uters I ml: as compared with weter
application of 16 titera I mt. According to the current results, it is possible to establish an extensive green cover ...,der Climatic conditions and circumstances in Egypt with ntlatively low cost. simple technology and care arrangements on the available end ul'IUMd open areas of roors on the e.xistlng buildings.