The green roof will no doubt generate lots of interest so it is important to create a site specific maintenance plan to keep it looking and functioning properly.
Green roof maintenance problems.
Green roof temperatures can be 30 40 f lower than those of conventional roofs and can reduce city wide ambient temperatures by up to 5 f.
An extensive green roof is almost maintenance free but your roof garden will always need a little maintenance.
They are strong enough to be able to compensate for this.
If you re noticing gradual or very quick plant loss let us highlight what some of the issues may be.
It is perceived to be one of the largest barriers to their installation.
Sedum is popular because it s claimed to be low cost less growing medium low weight less implied cost to strengthen the structure below and considered fit and forget i e.
Let s take a look at some common green roof myths and see if they er.
The exact level of maintenance needed will depend on the type and desired purpose of each specific installation.
Design deficiencies cost a lot of money to correct and they can only be fixed by replacing the roof.
The plants will not be damaged by walking on them when conducting this maintenance.
According to pierce one of the most common roof problems is incidental water ponding.
All green roofs and walls will require some form of annual maintenance.
A faulty design of a roofing system can cause costly problems.
Common green roof problem 1.
Low or no maintenance o m.
This includes removing weeds carried by the wind and applying fertilizer several times a year.
For example that green roofs are only for ecobuffs they re high maintenance and they re experimental and risky.
Plant loss plant loss is a common issue on green roofs and can happen for many different reasons.
Extensive roofs require less watering and fertilizing but they require at least yearly inspections to remove unwanted self seeding plants.
Issues with the membrane drainage.
Maintenance for intensive green roofs can be labor intensive and expensive.
The most concerning and damaging error regarding green roof maintenance is not having a plan in place says andy creath owner and founder of green roofs of colorado a firm that designs installs maintains and consults on green roofs.
So much so that sedum roofs dominate uk green roof specifications comprising perhaps as much as 85 by area of a 100m annual market.
While extensive green roofs are generally considered low maintenance landscapes they do require specialized care at regular intervals especially during the period of establishment.
A typical extensive sedum or meadow roof will only require limited maintenance.
