Case study: Planting methods and beneficial substrate microbes effect on the growth of vegetated roof plants in Finland

摘要: Abstract Vegetated roofs, often called “green roofs”, are popular and necessary in urban greening densely populated areas. Well-functioning vegetated roofs can provide various ecosystem services to residents (e.g., stormwater management, air pollution mitigation, aesthetic value). Plants essentially determine the actualization of services, thus finding effective ways establish maintain roof plants is important. While greenhouse experiments be better controlled than field experiments, it critical test whether results gained hold actual conditions. Therefore, we investigated effects microbial inoculant, plant species, planting method, their interactions on growth beneficial microbes substrate at initial establishment roofs. The selected (i.e., Antennaria dioica, Campanula rotundifolia, Fragaria vesca, Geranium sanguineum, Lotus corniculatus, Thymus serpyllum, Trifolium repens, Viola tricolor) were established using pre-grown vegetation mats, plug plants, seeds, each with without co-inoculation Rhizophagus irregularis Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, two growth-promoting species. Eventually, only F. T. V. tricolor found successfully settled either three methods. Dry aboveground biomass was measured assess growth. R. colonization level B. amyloliquefaciens bacterial density detected from root samples, respectively. indicated that colonized target species significantly increased by 18–292%. Additionally, abundance affected (F. vesca > serpyllum repens) methods (seed > plug > mat), while higher repens roots other not planning suggest co-inoculating installation phase could improve settlement substrate, consequently achieve synergistic effect study also provides basis reference for future research.