When you’re designing a green roof, you probably already know that you need to get the right volume of green roof soil for your plants and design. Your design largely determines the volume you need.

But are you accounting for soil compaction when you determine how much soil you need? It’s an essential part of any green roof soil order, and we want to walk you through compaction.

Green roof soil is a blend of lightweight aggregates and organic matter components. Like any soil, green roof soil has a specific composition and moisture content. Depending on the green roof soil product, more or less air will be retained in the loose product. The amount of air in the soil will change during transportation, installation, and when exposed to the elements. This change in the air or space between soil particles is compaction.

Compaction happens to all soil, and it will continue to occur to green roof soil until it has reached a settled compressed state, which happens after you install it. Because of this, you need to carefully consider compaction as part of your green roof soil order. Read more